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    Monday May 9:  
     
    That fucking little weird baldy bastard was talking about us again yesterday. Unprompted too. He was asked about their game and he went off about how everyone in this country wants Liverpool to win and are against City. Fucking hell, you can’t actually be any more wrong than he is right now. Even United fans are rooting for City. Literally nobody other than us wants us to win. 
     
    If everyone is against City, how come there aren’t any songs about them? Pretty much every set of fans we come up against have songs about us (Palace are probably the only ones who don’t bother with that shit) and most of them are still singing about when we didn’t win the league eight fucking years ago!
     
    He also thinks the media want us to win. I reckon he’s right, most of them do because the quadruple is a bigger story than anything City can do, and because the big clubs like us, United, Arsenal and even Chelsea now all move the needle when it comes to getting clicks, selling papers, TV subscriptions etc. Is it better for Sky and BT if Liverpool are more successful than City? Hell yeah it is. Why is he crying about it though? This is what he signed up for when he got on board the sports washing project at an artificially inflated small club (relatively speaking).
     
    He’s just talking through his arse again. It’s nothing new, I mean a few days ago he said with a straight face that City’s owners have told him they’re doing everything by the book and that he believed them. I mean this is a fella who has a history of cheating even before he joined up with the sports washers so at this point he’s basically as trustworthy as Boris Johnson. He just lies all the time and is rarely challenged on it. Thank fuck for Nick Harris on twitter though, who seems to be on a mission to get under the skins of City fans on a daily basis by pointing out their cheating ways. He’s fucking great that fella, we should all be grateful to him for fighting a fight that very few others in the media want any part of.
     
    Klopp pissed himself laughing when he was asked about all of this and his answer was a lot more dignified and classy than mine would have been. He pretty much said that all managers say daft things after games and he used it as an opportunity to backtrack some of what he himself said about Spurs yesterday.
     
    It feels like Guardiola is trying to stoke the flames to create a bitter rivalry but Klopp is just pouring cold water on it. Much as I’d like to see him put the little bald weirdo in his box, I like this better. City need a rivalry with us to make themselves relevant because nobody gives a fuck about their ‘achievements’. That eats away at them. Pricks. Klopp is denying them that by continually refusing to bite.
     
    Meanwhile, I’ve finally started watching Sunderland til I Die on Netflix today and fuck me it’s grim. I sort of knew about bits and pieces of what went on there because of my Mackem brother in law but watching this is utterly depressing. The poor bastards. Seeing what those fans have gone though just puts everything into perspective. We drew with Spurs and might have to settle for second place and maybe a European Cup to go with two domestic ones. None of us even give the League Cup we won a second thought anymore but for fans of most teams that would be the greatest achievement in their history. Sunderland went 12 months without even winning a home game!
     
    I love all this fly on the wall stuff as you see just how incompetent loads of people in football actually are. There’s a bit in this when Sunderland are about to start their first season in the Championship and the head of recruitment has compiled a list of potential loan signings for the chief exec to look at, and he looks at it and says, incredulously, “why am I seeing Ibrahimovic on this list? Do you think we’ve suddenly come into a load of money?”
     
    Imagine them calling Zlatan and asking him if he fancies coming to play alongside James Vaughan in the Championship! There was also a bit where their chief scout ruled out a potential signing because he was wearing gloves when it wasn’t cold. Not gonna lie, I have to admire that level of old school pedantry.  
     
    Seriously though, when I used to cover the ressies for the Echo sometimes I’d be sat in the director’s box surrounded by scouts, and you’d hear the conversations they’d be having and it was a massive eye opener. You assume these fellas know what they’re doing and are looking at things that us fans don’t really see, but they aren’t. 
     
    Some of the absolute bollocks I heard some of them saying was mad. It’s the easiest job in the world. Purely about who you know and not what you know. Or at least it used to be, in fairness it’s changed a hell of a lot now with all the data nerds involved. But lower down the leagues where they still do it old school, honestly it’s a complete farce.
     
    Anyway, speaking of Sunderland, they beat Sheffield Wednesday tonight to reach the playoff final. Made up for them, partly for my brother-in-law and also because watching that show really highlighted how bad they’ve had it. Plus they have to deal with those Newcastle fucking wankers on their doorstep. Hopefully they beat Wycombe and get promotion, but my brother-in-law has now cancelled a holiday so he can go to Wembley, which is a big mistake. He’s seen them play at Wembley eight times and they’ve lost every single one. He’s a jinx.
     
    Tuesday May 10:  
     
    Villa 1 L 2. Not great, very edgy, don’t care. I’ll take those 3 points and happily forget all about this one. It was never a night for boosting the goal average, just getting the points was going to be difficult enough but we did it and I’m delighted. Villa’s crowd and players put more effort into this than they have any game in months, but that goes with the territory now doesn’t it? All these knobheads want to be the ones to end our title bid and if these Villa pricks had done it we’d never hear the end of it. They’d defo have a song about Gerrard fucking us over.
     
    Thankfully it never happened. Tell you what’s really weird, when I look at Stevie the Villa manager I feel absolutely nothing. I have no affection for him at all, but I don’t have any negative feelings either. It’s weird because I love Stevie, but just not at the moment. I don’t wish him well there at all but I don’t root against him either, I’m just completely not arsed about him anymore because of where he ended up. I’ve said before that I don’t want him to be a future Liverpool manager because I don’t think he’ll ever be good enough and I’d hate him to fail here. Nothing I’ve seen at Villa makes me think differently. He talks a great game and looks the part but Villa haven’t been very good have they?
     
    The only bad thing about tonight was Fabinho’s injury, which hopefully isn’t too bad but at this stage of the season even a minor injury is a big deal as it means missing three or four games. As long as he’s back for Real Madrid I’ll settle for that. If he isn’t then that’s a massive blow for us as he’s a big game monster.
     
    Meanwhile, he’s talking about us again. And one again it’s completely inaccurate and lacking in any kind of reality. It’s irritating that no-one ever pulls him on this crap. He compared City’s spending now with what we did in the 70s and 80s. I mean, we weren’t even the biggest spenders during that period and anything we did spend was down to selling players for big money or just a natural result of our success. City probably spent more than us even then. They blew a million quid on some jabroni named Steve Daley who I don’t ever remember even seeing play.
     
    This cunt knows EXACTLY what City are doing and why it’s completely different to what we did or are doing now, but he’s part of the whole sports washing project. In fact, he’s more than that, he’s basically driving the bus now. At least that worm Eddie Howe just says “I’m just a football manager”. This fucker is doing all of their PR for them. Biggest cunt in football. 
     
    Wednesday May 11:
     
    Well that’s that then. Wolves were pretty much my last hope and although they gave it a go and didn’t roll over, they decided to give Prince Harry the fucking run of the stadium and he single handedly destroyed them. And us. We can’t win the title now, it’s gone. Even if West Ham beat City we need to beat Southampton about 15-0 to have any chance, because City will run all over those Villa losers on the final day. 
     
    Not gonna lie, I’m pretty gutted. I know I’ve said for months that if we don’t win it I’ll look back at that Leicester game as the moment that cost us, but now that it’s happened I don’t really feel that way. I do think that’s by far the worst result we had all season but if you finish on 90+ plus points you deserve to be winning the title and looking back at the odd game where it wasn’t perfect just seems churlish. This team have been incredible and I’m not going to pick holes in anything they’ve done.
     
    The problem here is twofold. Firstly, City are just cheating year on year and being allowed to do it. Even this Haaland deal. You’ve got pundits and media talking about the bargain fee, completely overlooking the fact they’re paying the agent (who is dead) £40m or something. I don’t believe the reported salary for one second either. Last summer Chelsea went for him and balked at the agent fee and the 750k a week wage demands. Yet City can get the deal done. Wonder why?
     
    It’s sickening that we’re having to compete with this because you need to be virtually perfect to keep pace. And you also need to take at least four points from the two games with City. We didn’t do that and that’s the difference between first and second. The demands are fucking ridiculous though because you’re competing with some juiced up cheating fuck. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We’re the cyclist finishing second to Lance Armstrong. 
     
    The other thing that came into play this season is the officiating. I said that we needed to be almost perfect to stay with them, but you also need more than that. You need unbiased officials too and unfortunately that’s not always the case. When it’s as tight as this and neither team are dropping hardly any points, every major decision in games is crucial. We were robbed of two points at Spurs while City benefited from the two single worst handball decisions / non decisions of the season. They were given a scandalous pen at home to Wolves in a tight game and then Everton were denied the most blatant of handballs late on at Goodison. 
     
    Ultimately mistakes like that decide titles. I say mistakes but they weren’t mistakes. They were deliberate decisions because VAR sees these incidents from every conceivable angle and slowed right down. You can’t make ‘mistakes’ when you’ve got access to that. What makes it all the more fishy is that on the two most egregious of those occasions (Spurs for us and Everton for them) the VAR was Chris Kavanagh, from Manchester. It fucking stinks, we’re playing against a loaded deck and performing miracles to even be competing. Tonight is really demoralising.
     
    Thursday May 12:
     
    Arsenal hahahaha! The fucking losers. Giving away a penalty and then having a man sent off just after is peak “big game Arsenal”. I knew Spurs would beat them because there’s no comparison between the two teams at the moment. I knew Spurs would be a tough game for us last weekend but if we had been playing Arsenal I’d have expected us to twat them. They’re not very good. Spurs aren’t brilliant either but they’re much better than Arsenal.
     
    Arteta took the result with his usual good grace. “I can’t say what I think or I will be suspended”. He had numerous other whines too which prompted Antonio Conte to say “He complains a lot and needs to stop, it’s not good” which for some reason is just fucking hilarious. He also said “He (Arteta) said he doesn’t lie. What happened in January?” That was a reference to Arsenal getting the North London derby called off due to a Covid outbreak. Big fan of this beef, it could be great fun watching it over the next couple of years. Needless to say I’m “Team Conte” on this one. 
     
    Friday May 13:
     
    City unveil an Aguero statue and it’s pretty vulgar, as you’d expect. It doesn’t even look like him and they’ve not gone with the traditional bronze most statues are made of. It got me thinking though. If I could go back in time and change that moment, meaning City didn’t win the title and have their “greatest ever Premier League moment”, would I do it? The consequence of that would be an extra title for United but even worse, we would be robbed of that glorious sight of Phil Jones and his confused face when news filtered through of what happened at the Etihad.
     
    The truth is, I don’t know if I’d change it or not. Right now I feel like I would, but that’s just the current sense of injustice in me talking. It feels like a waste that Aguero is only ever going to be thought of as a City player. He was too big to have spent so much of his career with them. I know he won loads, but a player of his standing should have been at Real or Barca. By the time he ended up at the Nou Camp he was washed up, and then he had that heart problem that forced his retirement. As I say, it’s a waste.
     
    Meanwhile, Ronaldo is the PL Player of the Month after scoring five goals. Gabriel Jesus also scored five, so City once again got to play their “why is everyone against us” card, particularly as City won all of their games, United only won one. Does that diminish what Ronaldo did though? Not for me. I reckon I could score five playing in that City team, but I wouldn’t even get a touch of the ball if I was in that United clown show so on that basis Ronaldo fully deserves this I’d say. 
     
    Jesus filled his boots in big wins as City beat up on bums. Ronaldo was actually playing on a team worse than most of those bums City were spanking. Scoring five goals in that terrible team is an achievement he should be proud of. Like when Mourinho said the second place with United was one of his finest accomplishments. We all laughed at that but when you see how shit they actually are, he was right.
     
    Meanwhile, Klopp says Fab is definitely going to be fit for the CL Final so that’s a relief. We’ll miss him tomorrow and while I’m not worried about Hendo filling in for him, I do have concerns about which Keita is going to turn up. It always feels like when he starts that I’m looking at the clock expecting him to be subbed on 65 minutes. I’m sure that’s not always the case, it just feels like it. I reckon we might see something mad off the bench tomorrow, like Harvey or Ox.
     
    Sadio is still being linked with Bayern. I’m not worried about this as I don’t think we’re stupid enough to let him leave, but you do have to wonder why this hasn’t been sorted yet. We know with Mo there’s problems with the salary, but what’s the hold up with Sadio? Tell you what stinks, when this rumour was first reported on twitter, Mo’s cunt of an agent liked it. In what world is that even remotely acceptable conduct? I’m getting sick of this shit now. If they can’t agree terms then fine, but this childish shit his agent keeps pulling needs to stop. Tit.
     
     
    ….and that was the week that was
  • World-renowned teams like Liverpool are responsible for inspiring several people and even influencing certain industries. This includes the casino industry, where football-based casino games such as those on Platin Casino in the UK  have been created to attract the huge football fanbase.
     
    It is clear that football is important to many fans around the world, and therefore teams are constantly trying to improve themselves, gain a bigger fan base and ultimately win games and trophies. One major way teams improve season after season is by making the right call during transfer windows.
     
    Liverpool are currently trying to complete what would be a historic quadruple. The Reds have a long history of success, including winning the English league title 19 times and the Champions League 6 times. The 1970’s and 80s’s were particularly dominant times for Liverpool and the club is hoping to replicate that success in the 2020’s.
     
    To do that, they must continue to add quality to the squad, and we assess some of the players they should look to sign in the 2022 summer transfer window. 
     
    Jude Bellingham
     
    Jude Bellingham is one of the brightest English prospects in world football. The central midfielder currently plays for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and is one of the first names on the team sheet for the German club. Bellingham can play anywhere in central midfielder, perfectly capable of operating from box-to-box and that is an immediate tick in the box as far as Jurgen Klopp is concerned. Best playing in a midfield three, with two more defensively minded players, Bellingham receives the ball nicely between the lines, ready to hurt opponents.
     
    Raphinha
     
    Should Liverpool lose one of their wide attacking players this summer, Raphinha would be the perfect replacement. The Brazilian has excelled for Leeds United in the Premier League, even when the team has been struggling. Despite having the pace and shooting ability to create and score goals, Raphinha has proven he is not afraid to work hard for the team when required, a trait that will not have gone unnoticed by Klopp. Raphinha would fit in immediately at Liverpool considering his quality. 
     
    Aurélien Tchouaméni
     
    Aurélien Tchouaméni plays in midfield for Monaco in Ligue 1. The 22-year-old is expected to leave the Stade Louis II this summer and has already made his debut for the France national team. Tchouaméni is an athletic defensive midfield player and could compete with Fabinho for the job of protecting the Liverpool back four. Tchouaméni could give Klopp a new option in the midfield, to not overwork any players. Additionally, Tchouaméni also likes to drive forward with the ball, but is also great at intercepting plays, and tackling.
     
    Darwin Nunez
     
    There have been rumours linking Roberto Firmino with a move away from Anfield this summer and that could leave an opening for Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan international striker plays for Benfica in Portugal and has had a tremendous 2021/22 campaign. Nunez has scored over 30 goals for Benfica and boasts the exciting combination of strength and pace. At 6 foot 2 inches, Nunez is a presence at the top end of the pitch and would offer Klopp something different to what he already has at his disposal.
     
    Gleison Bremer
     
    Liverpool have been linked with Torino centre back Gleison Bremer for several months. The Brazilian is expected to leave Turin this summer and has risen to stardom in Serie A this season. Gleison is close to the top of the rankings for both interceptions per game and clearances in Italy but is more than comfortable with the ball at his feet. The only issue regarding a potential move to Liverpool would be how Gleison fits into a back four and the options already available to Klopp in central defence.
     
    Conclusion 
     
    Regardless of the number of trophies won by Liverpool at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, there is always room for improvement. The most likely addition will come in midfield, but we could also see a new forward, should one of the existing players move away from Anfield. It is an exciting time to be a Liverpool fan and some of the world’s top talent could arrive in the summer.
  • Thiago Alcantara has put his own personal disappointment on missing one of the showcase events on the domestic calendar in context.
     
    On the verge of kick-off for the Carabao Cup, there was raw emotion kickoff by the Spanish international when he had to pull out of the contest after suffering a hamstring injury.
     
    After a difficult first season for the club, the injuries (and illness) had continued into the new campaign.But after returning from a nagging hip injury in early February, the 31 year-old had finally had put some momentum together with his quality clear for everyone to see.
     
    Alcantara has played on much larger stages that a League Cup final, but while personally shattered in the moment of his injury, what instantly came into the mind of 31 year-old was the hardship that fans had been through during the pandemic which saw them missing out on seeing their team play for over a season.
     

     
    Jurgen Klopp has often touched on the trials and tribulations of everyday life in relation to Football during these times, and Alcantara has the same kind of thought processes as he explained to the Official Site.
     
    “It came to my mind that the last season was very hard for myself to try to be here and not having the fans in the stadium, not having this fun that this sport gives to you.
     
    “Lifting a trophy is a special moment but it was more for the frustrating situation that everybody had the last few years. It was because of what we have been through and was a kind of celebration of overcoming that situation."
     
    The veteran midfielder said one of the main things about missing a final is not to make it all about you despite how naturally disappointing it would be.
     
    “We fought a lot to arrive in that moment, that you can play in a final, and then suddenly because I had a bad thing, a bad neck problem and it caused just like a chain of movement that in the end caused me an injury in the hammy.
     
    “It's a moment where you are just frustrated. You just calm down a bit, you try to be cold enough to face the final. It was as it was. 
     
    "We won it and, for sure, it's bittersweet that you don't play that game, but you're happy for the team.”
     
    Barring any late hitches, tomorrow afternoon will see Thiago walk out for his first Cup final for the club and being a connoisseur of the game, knows what the FA Cup means.
     

     
    “We came from other countries – not just me but other players – and just met this amazing competition, the oldest in the world. We are really excited to play – not just the competition itself but a final. We're ready for it. 
     
    "It doesn't matter if we didn't win [it] before or for a long time. It's just about a trophy that we can win and we add in our backpack this new challenge. We're looking forward to it. Wembley is an amazing stadium. It's special itself but then you know that Wembley is used for special moments. There's different context and we're ready to go to London."
     
    Despite losing touch with the top two in the league and going through a considerable did of form, no one associated with Liverpool will underestimate the size of the challenge against Chelsea, who have not given a inch in their three meetings this season.
     
    “It's a new game and we will prepare it as it must be prepared, nothing else. "[We] understand that we are playing against one of the best teams in the world and we know it will be tight, we know it's always difficult. 
     
    "They want to take something that we want to take as well. It's a continuous fight with this kind of team. The best team will win."
     
     
  • What a shit week. Virtually nothing good has come out of it at all. We dropped points and City not only didn’t but they piled up their goal difference by such an extent that they can even afford to lose a game now and it won’t matter. 
     
    That isn’t even the worst of it though, as it was kind of expected. The worst thing that has happened is that Everton are virtually safe now after picking up four points as Leeds vomited all over themselves. I’m proper gutted about that as a couple of weeks ago Everton were virtually down. I mostly blame Chelsea, but Brendan can fuck off too.
     
    Leicester have been dogshit this season, which makes it all the more galling that we let them fuck up our title hopes back in December. Having been knocked out of Europe by Mourinho last week there was no way on earth they were going to lift themselves for a game with Everton.
     
    It’s sickening, everything has fallen nicely into place for Lampard in recent weeks. Playing teams at just the right time while Leeds are losing players left right and centre to injuries and red cards. 
     
    Everton will stay up now and as I said, I’m proper gutted about. Way more gutted than I thought I’d be. It’s on Chelsea, Leicester (who let’s not forget the other week choked and conceded a stoppage time goal at Goodison), United and Arsenal. Those are the cunts who have allowed this to happen, the Lampard enabling wankers. Fuck each and every one of them. This is a grudge I won’t forget any time soon.
     
    Let's begin with a positive though. The continuing clownshow that is Manchester United. United are now at a level where I don’t even know how to describe them. It’s beyond shit. Beyond embarrassing. There’s just no way they should be THIS bad. I know it’s all relative and when we call these players shit it’s fair comment. But they’re all international footballers. They shouldn’t be as inept as this.
     
    Something is rotten there though. The whole culture is fucked. There’s an entitlement about them that they haven’t earned. Just because you play for Manchester United doesn’t make you a Manchester United player. The attitude of some (most?) of them fucking reeks.
     
    Ronaldo doesn’t exactly help the situation but he’s one of the few (De Gea would be another) who can say he couldn’t really have done any more than he has. He’s done his job on the pitch and you know he’s also done all he can to set an example with how he approaches training and looks after himself. He’s surrounded by fucking clowns though.
     
    Look at his face when the third goal went in. He just started laughing. Not because he doesn’t care, but it’s one of those “if you don’t laugh you’ll cry” type things. He’s not used to this, he’s been a winner his entire career and now he’s having to be a part of this fucking shambles.
     
    Mind you, he’s not really in position to talk too much when he keeps launching free-kicks into orbit. Is there a more pointless exercise in football than his pre-shot routine on free-kicks? It'd be like me taking 5 minutes to line up a six foot putt. I'm missing it regardless, may as well do it quickly.
     
    We all know Ronaldo is not going to score those free-kicks, the preening tit. That being said, he's quite literally the only thing United fans have had to feel good about this season. He's been their best player by a mile, because all the others are shit.
     
    Going to Anfield and losing 4-0 was bad enough but it’s understandable to some extent as we’re boss. Going to Brighton and losing by the same score though, I just don’t know you justify that except to say that the players have clearly just given up. You could say they aren’t listening to the manager anymore, but there’s been nothing to suggest they ever have done. He’s the godfather of the genenpress but at no point have those players shown anything like that. Lazy fucking chancers.
     
    Caicedo fired Brighton ahead from 25 yards. Usually I’d be looking at the keeper on those but I don’t think De Gea can do anything about that. It’s low and right in the corner and I think he saw it late. That was just the start of it.
     
    Maguire has been dropped recently and he must have been smug as fuck sat on the bench watching this shit. He’s taken the brunt of the blame for how bad they are at the back but they can’t pin this on him. He’ll have been sat there looking like the Di Caprio meme watching Varane clowning his way around. The one time “world’s best defender” put one on a plate for Danny Welcrap, but obviously it went over the bar. 
     
    Welbeck averages about four goals a season yet still has a career in the top flight. That offends the fuck out of me if I’m being honest. He’s so fucking shit that his mere presence in that squad makes me doubt my high estimation of Graham Potter. I think he’s a really good manager, but he keeps picking that bum so can he really be that good?
     
    Brighton were well on top though and they ran riot after the break. My boy Cucurella added the second goal with a brilliant finish after a great move. He then cried afterwards. Settle down lad, it's only Man United. Everyone is scoring past them these days. Their goal difference is +1, which surely has to be some kind of record low for them. The way they're going it might be negative after their final game.
     
    Not sure I’ve given Cucurella 'my boy' status prior to this week but I know I have been singing his praises regularly throughout the season so it's been coming. I’m making it official now anyway, he can join his fellow full back Lamptey in the ‘my boy’ honours list.
     
    Gross made it 3-0 when he just waltzed through the middle of their defence and rolled it past De Gea, and the fourth arrived via young Farage who saw a rebound hit him on the chest and ricochet in. 
     
    One of my mates fancies him you know. I’ll spare his blushes by not naming him here, but I know he’s reading this and he’ll be irked at me once again slagging off his crush. Tough shit, Roger. If you want to fantasise about someone who looks like a 1980s Nigel Farage then this is on you. Own it.
     
    Why is it that gays seem to just have weird taste in fellas. The ones who I would think are obviously handsome bastards tend to not do it for them, but odd looking fuckers like Trossard do. Mind you, women are just as bad. My missus genuinely doesn’t think Paddy Berger in his pomp was anything special. Can you believe that shit?
     
    I’ve just read that back and I’m impressed with the arrogance of me there dictating to women and gays about what is a handsome man and what isn’t. Some next level shit that. Like a rugby coach trying to educate Klopp about football. Or Harry Maguire telling Van Dijk how to defend.
     
    Anyway, moving on. This game offered more evidence of just how far away United are. Forget the scoreline. If you remove the goals and just watch this game you’d see one team that knows exactly what they’re trying to do and that plays as a unit with and without the ball. The patterns of play are obvious, as is the movement off the ball from players who are so obviously well drilled.
     
    Then there’s United, who literally have none of the above. They look like a pub team with a few ringers in who are clearly way more talented than everyone else. If I took them over on footy manager I’d keep Sancho and sell everyone else. I’d let De Gea stay if there was no-one out there who would take his wages off the books, and I’d keep Fred and McTominay as at least they give a shit and will put some effort in. You can use them until you reach a level when you can do better, but the rest of that squad are either proper fucking wasters. Great isn’t it?
     
    Burnley’s revival under Mike Jackson ground to a shuddering halt as they got tonked at home by Villa. That was a game I thought they might win but they got off to a bad start and never recovered.
     
    Ings put Villa ahead against his old club, but Burnley were playing alright and had a couple of chances to level before Buendia made it 2-0 on the half hour mark.
     
    Even then, Dwight McNeil then had a great chance to pull one back but hit a tame shot straight at the keeper. I used to call him Dwight Downing but that’s genuinely unfair on ol’ Stewy that is. McNeil is useless, he just never scores which is unforgivable in an era when most teams rely on their wide attackers for goals. 
     
    Remember when wingers played in a 4-4-2, with left footers on the left and right footers on the right, and some of them would go entire seasons without a single goal? That’s McNeil that. He looks like he’s been transported from 80s football. Mind you, so does everything else about Burnley, including the town itself.
     
    Watkins added a third after the break before Cornet came off the bench to grab a late consolation. Burnley have lost Tarkowski to injury now, which combined with the loss of Ben Bee means they’re basically fucked. Lucky for them that Leeds are even more fucked.
     
    Interesting that Coutinho was left on the bench for this one. He’s been shite away from home and the early flourish he had when he first went there has well and truly fizzled out. He did fuck all against us in midweek too before they subbed him. They’re making that deal permanent, which is good for them but really fucking sad if you’re Coutinho. He should be entering his prime years as a footballer now, but he’s going to do it at Aston fucking Villa. I know he brought it all on himself but it does make me a bit sad.
     
    Palace beat Watford as Roy Hodgson returned. Zaha’s penalty was the only goal of the game but Palace should have had six as they battered Watford. At the end Hodgson went to the Palace crowd instead of the Watford fans. Could be his age, could just be him being a twat. Some of the shit he came out with afterwards about what a good state he’s leaving Watford in was amazing even by his standards. Fucking hell.
     
    Ben Foster on the other hand, absolutely ripped his team-mates afterwards, saying they’re going down because too many players only perform for 70 minutes and then can’t be arsed playing the rest of the game. It was pretty scathing stuff but I bet he’s dead right about it. I’ve been watching that Sunderland documentary on Netflix and it’s a similar thing there. Too many bad apples and the senior pros really struggle to accept it.
     
    Will Hughes was making a rare start for Watford, which made me a bit emotional. Why? Because of my mum. One of the last footy related conversations I remember having with her was when I was in hers and SkySportsNews was on. Out of nowhere she just casually remarked “oh there he is, Catweasel. Can’t stand him”. I looked at the screen and there’s Will Hughes with his white hair and beard. 
     
    I have no idea what her beef with him was but the Catweasel reference absolutely creased me up. Some of you won’t have a clue what that is, but Catweasel was a wrestler in the 80s. This is him….
     

     
    Anyway, *emotional sigh*, moving on.
     
    Lukaku is back in the Chelsea side and he’s scoring goals, which is a little ominous ahead of the cup final. He bagged twice against Wolves, the first from an iffy penalty. I’m  not saying it wasn’t a pen but you probably aren’t getting that more than half the time. He put the spot kick away well and then quickly added a second with a fine finish.
     
    Chelsea were sloppy in the second half though, missing chances and looking vulnerable at the back. Trincao scored a belter on the counter attack and then seven minutes into stoppage time Coady snatched a point when he went forward in open play and got his head on the end of a cross from Chiquino, who looks like he might give them the pace and thrust they’ve been lacking since Adama Traore left.
     
    Chelsea were wide open to counter attacks though and if we can get ourselves ahead at Wembley we could pick them off to our hearts content if they play like this. They won’t though because they always play well against us, the Everton enabling cunts.
     
    Remember not so long ago when Brentford looked like they were in trouble? Look at them now, safe as houses. They’ve won six of their last nine games. Who saw that coming? Goals from Jansson and Wissa in quick succession gave them an early lead over Southampton and they ran out comfortable winners as Ajer added a third late on.
     
    They’ve had a great first season in the top flight and hopefully they can go and win at Goodison this weekend just to keep the Blues sweating a bit longer.
     
    How weird are Southampton though? You just have no idea what you’re going to get from them. They drew twice with City but if they were to lose 10-0 at the weekend no-one would even bat an eyelid. Completely mad team that is.
     
    Have you seen the chin on that Broja? Jesus Christ. I can’t believe I’ve gone a whole season without noticing it because that thing is fucking huge. He looks like the love child of Jimmy Hill and Ming the Merciless. That chin should have its own post code.
     
    Sunday saw the inevitable City bounce back game. Anyone thinking there was any chance that Newcastle were getting anything other than a massive hiding at the Etihad hasn’t been paying attention. There are some games where there is at least some potential that City might be caught out, but there are others where the only question is how many will they win by. This was one of those.
     
    They won by five. I didn’t watch any of it and don’t even know who scored. Fuck City and fuck Newcastle.  As mentioned above, Everton won at Leicester. Again, fuck Everton and fuck Leicester. Fuck Brendan too and his inability to set up a team to defend corners.
     
    Unlike Leicester, West Ham bounced back from their European disappointment by thumping Norwich at Carrow Road. Benrahma scored twice and Antonio added another to give the Hammers a big half time lead. They eased off after the break and had to settle for just the one more goal, a pen from Lanzini.
     
    Moyes spoke afterwards about how desperate they are to qualify for Europe again and I actually found that quite refreshing. His players have obviously bought into it too as this was a good professional display from them. Moyes is probably going to finish above the Mancs this season, which is fucking great.
     
    Arsenal solidified their grip on fourth spot with an edgy 2-1 win over 10 man Leeds. They were gifted the opener by that shit Leeds keeper who took an age to clear and was closed down by Nketiah who gleefully accepted the gift. That keeper is a fucking liability. Seems to make howlers every other week. He makes loads of boss saves too but what’s the point when you’re throwing them in as regularly as he is? 
     
    Nketiah didn’t celebrate because he had a loan spell at Leeds. Soon after he scored again and this time he did celebrate. Make your fucking mind up. 
     
    Ayling was then red carded for a wild two footed challenge on Martinelli. Raphinha was booked for arguing about it and needed to be dragged away from the ref twice more to prevent him getting a second yellow. I wouldn’t mind if he had a point, but fucking hell that’s a red card all day.
     
    Llorente pulled a goal back to set up a tense finale where Leeds went close to drawing level. Arsenal blowing that would have been beyond funny and would have at least added a little something for us to enjoy on what has been a shitty week.
     
    Onto midweek now. Leicester won when it no longer matters and they were only playing Norwich anyway. Even they couldn’t fuck that one up. Pricks.
     
    Vardy’s deflected strike set them on their way and he added another not long after. Maddison wrapped it up with a goal against his old club. Initially he put the hands up to say he wasn’t celebrating, then he just couldn’t help himself. I’d have been more shocked if he hadn’t to be honest.
     
    Wednesday night was depressing as fuck. City beat Wolves easily. I watched most of it but have nothing to say. Watford’s reserves held Everton to a goalless draw which is probably the best we could have hoped for there. At least the Blues didn’t get a win, but they still extended their advantage over Leeds by another point because Leeds got spanked by Chelsea after once again going down to ten men. 
     
    Jesse Marsch had told his players prior to kick off to draw inspiration from Ghandi and Mother Theresa. Somehow that message of love must have got lost in translation as Dan James was sent off for trying to chop Kovacic in half (Kovacic is now out of the final, which is good news as he’s fucking ace). 
     
    That tit cost them £30m. Daylight robbery that. Usually it's the mancs being robbed, not doing the robbing. I’m not saying he’s shit because he isn’t, but he looks like a Championship player and they’ve massively overpaid for him.
     
    Chelsea ran out comfortable winners and Lukaku got himself in the goals again. For all his struggles this season he worries me more than any other Chelsea forward this weekend.
     
    Leeds are fucked now because James is suspended, Raphinha and Harrison both went off injured and my boy Bamford is only just back in training. How are they even going to pick up another point, let alone enough to save themselves? Sad times. Not because Leeds are going down, but because Everton will stay up because of it.
     
    Thursday night at ;east brought me some cheer as Arsenal went the full Arsenal in the North London derby. They’re shit and nothing will change my mind on that. Playmobil Pep had a right titty lip on afterwards and went down the "I prefer not to speak" Mourinho route. He had no case whatsoever to be pissed off at the decisions that went against them. The ref was right.
     
    Kane scored twice and Son got one to draw within striking distance of Mo fo the Golden Boot. He proper saw his arse when Conte subbed him though. Smiley happy Sonny let the mask slip there. Cunt.
     
    If it's annoying to me that Spurs are behind them when they’re so clearly a better side, then Spurs fans must be fucking infuriated by it. I can relate. It’s like a few years ago when we were behind Mourinho’s United even though they were nowhere near our level. I kept looking at the table and wondering "how??". Spurs fans must be like that right now.
     
    Spurs are clearly better than Arsenal but they took too long to get going and now they need a favour from someone else as the top four isn’t in their own hands. Those teams they're relying on? Newcastle and Everton. Yeah good luck with that.
     
    It's Arsenal though so they'll probably fuck it up.
     
    But then it's Spurs, so they'll probably fuck it up. 
  • There is nothing like going to Anfield to watch Liverpool on the pitch in real life. The excitement of game day cannot be beat, but it is unfortunately not always an option. In between our busy schedules, and away games, we need other ways to continue to enjoy and support our beloved team even when we cannot do so in person. 
     
    Luckily the internet gives us an increasing number of ways that we can continue to be the best fans for Liverpool, either by participating and enjoying the actions, or showing our support in more concrete ways. Here are some of the sometimes surprising ways we can continue to fly our colours proud. 
     
    Soccer’s Growing Presence in Web3
     
    We should start with the newest possibility on this whole list. For many of you, this is probably a completely new thing to do on the internet. Web3 is the decentralized version of the internet enabled by the technology behind Bitcoin. This includes everything from the metaverse, to non-fungible tokens and cryptocurrencies. 
     
    Soccer has been entering the metaverse in a big way. Some teams have been building their stadiums in the metaverse. Some teams have their official fan tokens, and some are even launching official governance tokens. This is to say that they are creating new ways for their fans to enjoy their team. 
     
    Liverpool has been less active than Manchester United or Manchester City football clubs. This is not to say they are not making moves! Their main sponsor, Nike, acquired a virtual shoe and clothing company called RTFKT. This is a great opportunity for Liverpool’s potential expansion into the metaverse and NFT markets. 
     
    Liverpool’s five-year deal with Nike comes to a close in 2025, so there is still plenty of time for this partnership to produce a clothing line or some other sort of collection of tokens. 
     
    Showing Concrete Support for Our Team
     
    Enjoying walking around a virtual stadium is a great way to enjoy being a Liverpool fan, but it is also nice to show some concrete support. The same way fans in the real Anfield Field lend their voice and lift Liverpool to victory, there are concrete ways on the internet we can lend our support. 
     
    Betting on the team is one way to show real support. SBO will help connect you to the best online sportsbooks. They have spent hours creating nearly 300 reviews of these online sports betting sites. You can select your country, and they will make a list of great options for you. Plus, they will show you how to get your account setup, as well as give you some strategies to make the best sports bets. 
     
    Another way to show concrete support for Liverpool is to show them some love on social media. If you follow them on Instagram and Twitter, it is a way to show them and your community who you support. Plus, you can retweet and like their posts, helping pump them up before their big games. 
     
    When You Miss the Game on the Telly
     
    We are used to watching the games of our favourite team on the television. Of course, we do not always go to the stadium for every game we watch. But the TV is also not always available.
     
    Perhaps we are on vacation or we no longer have cable in our homes because we are more used to watching movies on the internet. This is where our trusty internet connection comes in. You can stream Liverpool games from a number of sites.
     
    There will be few to no options for streaming these games free of charge. However, you can check out many pay per view sites that will let you stream the games right into your living room. 
     
    While our laptop screens are technically good enough, it is a good idea to also have a connection to a larger external monitor. This is especially true if you are watching the game with some buddies. You will not all be able to crowd your little monitor so make sure you are investing in your friends and Liverpool, as they will make sure you never walk alone.
  • Liverpool FC is about to contest another FA Cup, playing against Chelsea FC this Saturday, and things are looking up for the Reds. After Chelsea reported several injuries, Liverpool is looking in a particularly strong position to press on and take the title, as they have done many times before.
     
    The FA Cup final is much like roulette with high limits where the rules are fixed and while there is a chance factor, being smart in your gameplay would usually yield better results. But, what makes Liverpool’s bid for the FA Cup finals so strong in the first place?
     
    Consistently Good Performance
     
    Look at it any which way you will, and you will reach the same conclusion – Liverpool FC is incredibly capable of delivering on some of the most worthwhile experiences and performances out there. The club has been going through Premier League as the #2 Seed and while Manchester City still holds a slight advantage Liverpool has a very good chance to contest the Premier League title as well as the FA Cup finals on Saturday.
     
    But why is this the case? Liverpool has been thriving under the management of Jurgen Klopp who has no doubt been given a generous purse to tinker around with and buy some of the best and most talented soccer players in the UK and beyond. This has not been all of the club’s success, as the team has learned to work well together and play around with its weak links. This has enabled it to lose fewer games in the 2021/2022 season and has made the overall pace of play dynamic, but not at the expense of exposing the team’s defences too much.
     
    Liverpool has been simply consistent in the way it delivers on wins or fends off a tougher team. And yet, there are a few “tougher” teams. The upcoming bout with Chelsea will indeed prove to be one of the most exciting things to watch on your TV sets this weekend, especially if you are a huge soccer fan. 
     
    But Liverpool is not very likely to stop there. For the club, it will be equally important to use its good track record and secure more than just the short-term success of the FA Cup. The Premier League is really where the prize is at as Manchester City is a team that has been hard to dethrone from the premier spot. However, Liverpool has a lot of hard work to do before it can get there.
     
    Can Liverpool Grab 2021/2022 Premier League?
     
    This will partly depend on how the team does this Saturday. On the one hand, Liverpool FC has all the reasons to be gunning for both the FA Cup and Premier League titles, but there are other factors to consider as well. For example, Manchester City may have more losses than Liverpool, but the bottom line is that City has played five wins in their past five games. 
     
    Liverpool drew a single game, which is not much to go on but still an important factor to consider. Plus, facing Chelsea with the stakes that high will surely have its toll on Liverpool which will need to play toe-to-toe with the Blues for the FA cup and then face Southampton next Tuesday with barely enough time to recover. The good news is that Liverpool will have somewhat easier games ahead of schedule so if it pulls through successful on Saturday, this should give it all the fighting spirit it needs to contest the Premier League.
     
    Of course, part of Liverpool’s success will depend on how far Manchester City makes it. If they continue to maintain their healthy lead, then the title may just slip between Liverpool’s fingers like it has done so many times in the past. However, fans and analysts are optimistic about the club’s real chances of securing several trophies this year and we will be tuning in to see if this would indeed be the case. 
  • Online casinos are a fun pastime, so it’s no surprise that the global market is thriving. In fact, in the past 10 years, online casinos have had up to $290 billion US dollars in profit!
     
    Everyone wanting to get into this market has probably considered opening up their own online casino. And most of them actually do. It’s as easy as setting up a website, buying a license, and a few games.
     
    With that in mind, players have never had a bigger choice when it comes to the online casino they’ll be playing in. However, not all of them have done the necessary steps to become reputable and trusted online casinos. This leads to an abundance of scams.
     
    How can players protect themselves from fraudulent online casinos? We’ve outlined a few tips below!
    Check the terms and conditions
    Most online casinos try to scam people through terms and conditions that ask more than the player can handle. That’s why it’s always important to read more about the bonuses, how they work, and of course, look into the fine print. 
     
    Overall, it’s not too hard to spot when online casinos are shady. However, the terms and conditions when registering for a casino are also a dead giveaway. 
     
    We know that not many people will bother to actually read them, but they really can be a lifesaver!
    Read reviews
    Checking out the user experience with a certain online casino can reveal a lot about its trustworthiness. Customers won’t miss a chance to call out a casino for their scammy behaviour, and this is only an advantage for you.
     
    Reading reviews is helpful even if you aren’t looking at the reliability of a casino. From customer support to game choice, you can find out all there is to know about a casino through reviews.
     
    However, you should always take these with a grain of salt. An experience one customer has had may not be the one you have and vice versa. They are simply there to give you a general idea of what to expect.
    Check the payment options
    If a casino has shady payment options that don’t get much use on other websites, it could be a part of a scam.
     
    More notably, if an online casino offers PayPal as a payment method, that’s a big green flag. Even if the casino turns out to be a scam, you can always contact PayPal to solve the issue for you. PayPal and other similar websites that offer Buyer Protection take this very seriously!
  • This was never going to be easy and the only thing that mattered was the points. Yeah, we might need to claw back that goal difference at some point but this wasn’t the night for that. A rabid home crowd and an energised opponent all wanting to have their ‘Crystal Palace moment’, coupled with a lot of changes in our side guaranteed this was going to be a grind. And it was.
     
    Villa have been shite for months. They’ve won a few games recently but only against bums. Maybe if they’d been as up for all of those games as they were for this one they’d be pushing for a European spot. It’s embarrassing seeing how fired up some of these fans are when they play us. But everyone wants us to win the title. 
     
    Villa started the game really well and we didn’t. Even before the goal it was clear they were at it and we would need time to settle. Then they scored after just a few minutes. The goal should never have stood of course, but it was also alarming how ragged we looked. 
     
    Watkins was offside and should have been flagged, but the ease with which he beat Virgil to get a shot away was surprising. Alisson saved it and the ball went out wide. No flag from the lino, which was surprising as they don’t usually miss ones that obvious. The cross comes in and isn’t cleared. It ends up on the other flank, another cross comes in and they score.
     
    Now here’s the thing. We never got the ball back after that initial attack, so how is that a different phase of play? The entire thing only happens because an offside player runs through and has a shot. Did the lino not see it or did he just think VAR would sort it out?
     
    I’m fine with him making a mistake but why did VAR not go back and correct it? It’s bad enough when it actually is another phase of play but this clearly wasn’t. The only Liverpool player to even touch the ball from when Watkins ran through to when Douglas Luiz scored was Alisson, who made two saves. How the fuck was that allowed to stand? 
     
    Officials can make mistakes and that’s fine. But VAR is meant to be the safety net for that. Shit like this can decide where the title goes. In fact, it probably has already if you look at the staggering decisions City got against Wolves and Everton, not to mention what happened to us at Spurs. It’s not good enough.
     
    Thankfully we weren’t behind long, as that might have been decisive. Drawing level so quickly took the wind out of Villa’s sails and got us back where we’d started. I really wouldn’t have wanted to be trailing for a long period as that’s when the nerves and tension really kick in.
     
    Joel got us back on terms with a close range finish after Villa failed to deal with a set-piece. Jota made himself a nuisance and Virgil was alert to get the ball back into the danger area, and ol’ Big Bird was on the spot to draw himself level in the goalscorers chart with £100m man Jack Grealish.
     
    We never really looked settled though even after the equaliser and we had some proper ropey moments. Alisson passed the ball straight to Watkins and was incredibly lucky to get away with it. Just sloppy. 
     
    And how leggy did Fabinho look? He was second to everything, committing fouls all over the show, losing the ball and eventually he did his hamstring after getting caught in possession. It looked like a twinge rather than a pull but these things are usually a couple of weeks minimum so this is a problem.
     
    Hendo came on and we looked better after that. Probably partly due to his calming presence and also just the speed of the game eventually settling down. We had more control of the game but we weren’t creating much. Sadio had a headed sail just wide but apart from that there wasn’t much.
     
    The second half was similar. We had control, we kept Villa quiet for the most part but we just didn’t really look like scoring. I couldn’t see where a goal was coming from and I’d have brought Salah on for Jota probably on the hour or even before.
     
    Klopp went with Thiago instead, replacing the ineffective Jones. It can’t be easy coming in for one game a month and it’s not a co-incidence that his best form came when he was playing semi-regularly. We’ve seen it with Ox too. When he had a run in the side he started to play well, but we can’t get these lads enough minutes because we need to play our best team.
     
    I didn’t think Curtis was bad but he just didn’t make any impact, and with his skillset he really ought to be doing things in the final third. Mind you, Naby wasn’t much better and he’s been playing regularly. He did some good things and overall I thought he was ok, but we need more from him than this. 
     
    The chance he missed in the first half was pathetic, but his play in the build up to that was quality. He’s just frustrating as we see glimpses of what he can do but glimpses is mostly all it is. We need him to step up now as Fabinho will be out and Keita is likely to start out games. Time to deliver.
     
    Thiago did make a difference, as you’d expect, and he actually started the move that led to the winner when he won the ball on halfway. Jota played a clever first time ball over the top to send Diaz away. He drove at the full back and played an early cross in which Sadio headed home.
     
    It wasn’t a great cross and Sadio did incredibly well to adjust himself to guide the ball into the corner. He made it look easy but that was a difficult chance.
     
    Having got the lead I never had the feeling that we’d lose it. Villa had a couple of dangerous moments, usually through the lively Ings, but if anything I thought we were more likely to kill them off with a third goal. Especially when Mo came on. He nearly scored with his first touch when he ran in behind but wasn’t able to get the ball under control.
     
    That was as good as it got for him though. Basically he lost the ball every time he got it. It’s not a good period for him but the cup final on Saturday is the perfect stage for him to get back on track.
     
    We’ll see what the rest of the Premier League season has in store for us. We may not win it but I desperately want us to win our games even if it turns out to be in vain. I just don’t want sad little wankers like Aston Villa fans having their little moment in the sun where they can say they were the ones to stop us winning the title.
     
    Southampton would love to do it next week as payback for all the players we bought from them. Then there’s Wolves, the banter kings who were cheering Man City goals on the final day of the season a few years ago. I don’t want anyone having the satisfaction or the opportunity to come up with shitty little songs to taunt us with. Imagine if Villa had done it, they'd be fucking unbearable. They already are, giving it the "Sign On" chants when their manager is Steven fucking Gerrard. Wankers.
     
    They all want their own Demba Ba moment, or their ‘Crystanbul’. Let’s not let them have it. Just win and see where it takes us. These lads look like they’ll do exactly that, despite the congested fixture list which means we either have to make loads of changes or play lads who are leggy.
     
    Very few of the team were at their normal level in this game. Sadio fought and battled and took the game to them. Diaz had moments. Hendo made a big difference when he came on, as Thiago later. Trent was decent (free-kicks aside that is. Time to let Virgil have a go) and Kostas improved as the game went on. Joel was fine too, but Virgil didn’t look fully on it.
     
    Alisson made some good saves including one key block when Ings when clean through, but he also had a couple of wobbles. So overall Sadio was probably the star man. He’s been fucking massive for us since he got back from AFCON. Mo has gone one way since then but thankfully Sadio has gone the other.
     
    So next up the cup final. Losing Fabinho is a really big blow but the main thing is getting him back for Real Madrid. Hendo can play the six in the remaining games so we should be ok for those, but you’d desperately want Fabinho available for the big one so fingers crossed on that.
     
    We’re still chasing the title but need help. We might get it too. I’m not sleeping on Wolves or West Ham. My gut feeling is City won’t win both games but that doesn’t mean that’s enough for us. We just have to hope something goes our way and we can take advantage.
     
    In the meantime, let’s go and get another trophy this weekend. Up the still quadruple chasing Reds!
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho (Henderson), Keita, Jones (Thiago); Diaz (Salah), Mané Jota:
     
  • Jamie Carragher has paid tribute to the consistency and overall quality of Sadio Mane after the Senegalese superstar proved to be the match winner in Liverpool’s vital 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday evening.
     
    Despite missing the large majority of January due to taking part and leading his country to their first African Cup of Nations triumph, the 30 year-old has scored 13 goals in this calendar year and for this whole campaign has scored 22 goals including 15 in the league.
     
    In a era where the individual is often feated for their exploits on the pitch, Mane displays a incredible amount of selflessness more than happy to play his role and in turn see the team get the rewards.
     
    As someone who has being around the game for a great period of time first as a player and now a pundit, Carragher puts the career of Mane on a pedestal as he told Sky Sports.
     
    “Sadio Mane is my favourite player, There is just something about Mane. He's sacrificed himself at times and the shift he puts in.
     
    “He, along with Salah, has been doing that for five years - they are never injured! They are there week in, week out for 90 minutes, getting the numbers up there every week. What they have done for this football club is unbelievable.
     

     
    “I love him, absolutely love him to bits. And not just because he's a great player and what he's done for Liverpool.
     
    Carragher also highlighted the adaptability of Mane to play across the front line.
     
    “He initially came in on the right wing then moved to the left when Salah arrived. Diaz comes in on the left and Mane goes to centre-forward.
     
    "He's always moving for someone else but his performances never drop. It doesn't seem to matter where Mane plays, you get exactly the same from him, the same cannot be said for the rest of the Liverpool attack."
     

     
    While the future of Salah is often a discussion point, Mane is also out of contract come the end of next season and despite a link with Bayern Munich coming to light this week, he is not even thinking of what might happen in the future, in his thoughts is purely about the team.
     
    “I think I just try to enjoy every moment and try to score and assist for my teammates. I think it is all about the team or nothing, the boys make it easier for me so I am obviously very happy.”
     
    And you get a sense that Jurgen Klopp will not even contemplate life at Liverpool without one of his main men.
     
    “He's a machine, I told him after the (Villa) game,"[He's a] massive player, his physicality is brutal. The mix of technique, desire and physicality. You can see [he has] a few yards in the legs, we can see it to be honest. He's a fantastic, world-class player.”
     
     
     
  • Sadio sunk Villa with a second half header once again to keep the pressure on City at the top of the table.
     
    The Reds weren't at their best but the 'mentality monsters' found a way to get over the line and responded well after going behind early.
     
    Chris Smith, Julian Richards and TLW Editor Dave Usher look back on a scrappy win for the boys and also preview this weekend's FA Cup final.
     
     
     
  • Jurgen Klopp says the extreme emotions after the game lead managers to say things that perhaps they would not in normal circumstances.
     
    After Man City’s thumping 5-0 victory over Newcastle on Sunday which gave the defending champions a major boost to their title defence after crumbling in the final stages of their Champions League semi final tie against Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola went off on a tangent that can only be described as a bit odd.
     
    “Everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone.
     
    ‘Of course because Liverpool has an incredible history behind them, in European competitions. Not in the Premier League, because they’ve won one in 30 years.”
     
    Despite the intense and captivating rivalry of the two clubs in this era, the public dialogue from both Klopp and Guardiola have been nothing but respectful, complementary and very rarely gone off script.
     
    Speaking ahead of the Reds midweek trip to take on Aston Villa (per Metro), Klopp explained what goes through the mind of a manager after a frenetic 90 minutes of action and did not take those comments by Guardiola to heart saying that he too has been at fault in this sense.
     
    “As manager, and I had this experience recently after a game (Tottenham), we are massively influenced by the game, the situation, I said - would I say it again, no - after the game 'they play like they play and are still only fifth'. It was just my feeling in that moment and I couldn't respect Antonio (Conte) more and what he's doing.
     

     
    “But after a game like that… I don’t know exactly what kind of situation Pep was in, but after getting knocked out of the Champions League, that’s already difficult enough to take, but then of course Liverpool made it to the final.”
     
    As for the statement that the “whole country” is behind Liverpool to win the title, Klopp was more than a little sceptical.
     
    "I have no idea if the whole country is supporting us, it's not the feeling I get when we go to places, it's actually the opposite. Maybe he knows more about that than me.
     
    “I live in Liverpool so, yes, here a lot of people want us to win the league, that's true, but even here it's probably only 50 per cent.”
     
    Despite the blow to their title chances on the weekend, in normal Klopp fashion he is maintaining a positive outlook.
     
    “It's clear it is not over because we both have three games to play and my concern is how can we win our games. We have absolutely no hand in how City play their games but before they are played, we should not add on points. 
     
    “We don't do that and I'm pretty sure City is not doing that. [Until] it's not reachable anymore, why should we stop believing?"
     
     
     
     
     
     
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