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    With no games this weekend due to the international break and with a re-union with Luis Suarez on the horizon, now seemed like a perfect time to discuss the legacy of the controversial but brilliant Uruguayan, as well as other former players who left under a cloud. Are they still Red, or are they simply dead to you?
     
    Chris Smith is joined by TLW Editor Dave Usher and Julian Richards for a lively back and forth on how Suarez, Phil Coutinho, Raheem Sterling, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano, Michael Owen, Steve McManaman and Xabi Alonso should be viewed; while also asking; Red or Dead?
     
     
  • Barcelona have been linked with Liverpool striker Divock Origi according to a new report.
     
    The Catalan giants are going through one of the more challenging periods in their illustrious history both on and off the field.
     
    Current manager Ronald Koeman is the definition of a dead man walking with the reports indicating that club power brokers are working behind the scenes to remove the Dutchman from his position.
     
    Names such as current Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, former Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo and club legend Xavi Hernandez are in the frame to take over the hot seat.
     
    The signs of decline have been evident over the past 18 months but has come to the fore in the early stages of this campaign where they currently sit ninth in La Liga, and have had a horror start to their Champions League campaign losing their first two games which  is their worst in club history.
     
    The days of old would see club bosses find a way to bury a crisis by poaching a big name from a rival.
     
    However those days are seemingly also a thing of the past with the club said to be £1 billion in debt and club icons such as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez moving on to pastures new and in the case of the Uruguayan, flourishing at Atletico Madrid.
     
    There is no club in World Football that would shed a tear over the current predicament of Barcelona and certainly not anyone associated with Liverpool who have lost both Suarez and Philippe Coutinho at the peak of their powers.
     
    Spanish newspaper Sport (via The Echo) have listed some names that cut-price options that Barcelona could be looking at in the winter window and next summer.
     
    They include Edinson Cavani, Lorenzo Insigne, Raheem Sterling, Andrea Belotti and Maxi Gomez, along with Origi.
     
    Just the mere name of the Belgian must give those involved with the Spanish club cold sweats after his heroics at Anfield two and a bit seasons ago.
     
    However for a number of reasons, Origi has not been able to kick on from the finest period of his career to date and is therefore at the crossroads of his career.
     
    Jurgen Klopp recently admitted that he was surprised that the 26 year-old did not leave in the window just gone with starting options few and far between due to the quality of those in front of him.
     
    Klopp is the definition of a ‘players manager’ always supportive of his squad in the public eye and has regularly looked to keep Origi’s confidence high by referring to him as a sensational striker and a ‘legend’ of the club.
     

     
    It is believed that Origi has a couple of years to run on his current deal and while he must love being part of a succeful team environment, perhaps the time is right to look to carve his own path.
     
    It may seem to be a bit of a unusual link but these are indeed strange times in the Football world and it wouldn’t be the first time they make a left-field signing with former Middlesbrough striker Martin Braithwaite joining the club in 2020.
     
     
     
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  • Ronaldo was left on the bench as United took on Everton at Old Trafford. Hilarious how some people tried to make out that was some kind of controversial thing that Ronaldo wasn't on board with and that it was solely Solskjaer’s decision to leave him out. As. If.
     
    The only way he’s left Ronaldo out is with Ronaldo’s consent. Yes, I did just use the words Ronaldo and consent in the same sentence even though those those words are usually only uttered together in police interview rooms or in witness statements.
     
    Ronaldo can’t play every minute of every game (no-one really does any more, do they?) but anyone thinking Solskjaer is the one who decides which ones he sits out must be living in dreamland. Besides, Ronaldo can do a better job managing the team when he’s sat on the bench so it makes sense.
     
    Why is he wearing a big fuck off ear-ring while he’s on the bench though? He knows he’d need to take that out before he went on the pitch, so why not leave it in the fucking dressing room? What a preening twat. Just the worst isn’t he?
     
    If I looked like him I wouldn’t give a fuck about wearing jewellery because what’s the point? You know you look great anyway, it’s not needed. Admittedly I’d be shirtless all the time, showing off the abs, but I wouldn’t be wearing no stupid ear-ring. 
     
    He had a face like a smacked arse all day but it won’t have been because he was left out. It was probably the realisation of just how fucking average his new team is and that they were being outplayed by Everton.
     
    Martial had already missed a sitter before he eventually gave United the lead. It was totally against the run of play though as Everton had been comfortably the better side in the first half. They were in the second too for that matter and should have won the game.
     
    Andros Townsend equalised and did the Ronaldo celebration in front of the away end. As far as alpha moves go, it’s up there. He’s marked his territory there. Not quite as dominant a move as pissing on Ronaldo’s boots but its definitely a statement and I respect it.
     
    He gave it some bullshit afterwards about how it was a tribute to his hero rather than any show of disrespect, but nah, we know what it was and that’s fine, no need to moonwalk away from it Andros.
     
    Ronaldo wasn’t amused and wouldn’t shake Townsend’s hand afterwards. It’s easy to rip him for that and call him a spoilt brat but I get it. If I’m Ronaldo I’m thinking “who the fuck is this cunt?”. He could have celebrated that goal in any number of ways but he chose to taunt United and Ronaldo and no amount of "it was meant as a tribute to him" will wash. 
     
    Personally I love it, I’m just saying that I get why Ronaldo didn’t want to shake his hand afterwards as I wouldn’t have either.
     
    United were shit and Everton should have won it late when Davies went though but he decided to square it to an offside Mina instead of burying it himself. He’s a prick that Mina, I can’t stand him. Dancing like a fucking clown when he was offside. Tit.
     
    I think I have to reassess my Demarai Gray takes though. He’s good. I need to give him due credit as he’s playing well week in week out now and looks a player. 
     
    United under Solskjaer is one weird fucking situation isn't it? They're always just one bad result away from meltdown. They’ll win six games on the bounce, score loads of goals, and then all it takes is one bad result for #oleout to be trending on Twitter and all the debate about whether he’s up to the job or not starts up again. In fact, sometimes it doesn’t even take a bad result, just a bad half.
     
    They’ve been unbeaten away in the league for fuck knows how long, but a home loss to Villa was all it took for all hell to break loose. Then this weekend they drew with Everton and the pressure is right back on him again. They’ll have a thumping win soon and everyone will be back on board watching "Ole at the wheel, doing his thing".
     
    I hope it stays like this forever.
     
    Elsewhere on Saturday, Chelsea had lost to City and Juve but you’d think a home game with Southampton would be just the tonic for that. It was in the end, but for a long time this wasn’t looking good for Tuchel’s side. It needed a late sending off for Ward-Prowse before Chelsea were finally able to end Southampton’s dogged resistance.
     
    The Saints had drawn at City two weeks ago so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that they made it so difficult for Chelsea. Yet it was. I thought this would be an easy win for Chelsea and in the end it turned out to be, but if Ward-Prowse hadn’t lost his fucking mind then who knows? 
     
    Chalobah gave Chelsea an early lead with a back post diving header. He looks good him, although dribbling past three players on the edge of his own box isn’t something I’d be wanting to see him do again. Not even Big Joel would attempt that. I mean it worked and it looked great, but it’s not a high percentage play is it? He does look decent though.
     
    It was all Chelsea in the first half as Lukaku had one ruled out for offside and Hudson-Odoi was denied a solo goal by a fantastic challenge by Tino Livramento. Early days but he looks fucking boss him. For some reason I thought he was Argentinian but I just googled him and he’s an 18 year old English kid that Southampton picked up from Chelsea. Basically like Brighton did with my boy Lamptey (where the fuck is he these days by the way? Haven’t seen him for what seems like years).
     
    There are so many really good English right backs around at the moment though and Chelsea seem to have produced around half of them.
     
    Werner then had a goal disallowed due to a foul by Azpilacueta in the build up. Correct decision. 
     
    Livramento then won a penalty when he skinned Chilwell and was brought down. Ward-Prowse buried the pen by sending the keeper the wrong way but then blotted his copybook with a reckless lunge on Jorginho. Initially Atkinson gave a yellow but after being advised to take another look he switched to a red.
     
    Right so. Ward-Prowse’s studs went right into the achilles of Jorginho. The thing that I find funny about incidents like this is when the ref has gone to the screen and had a proper look, and then he comes back onto the field and he’s got players who were 40 yards away from the incident and haven’t seen the replays kicking off and telling him he’s got it wrong. 
     
    After that Southampton folded like a cheap suit. Even Timo Walcott scored against them. Chilwell eventually scored after Lukaku and Azpilacueta had both hit the post with a second of eachother.
     
    I’d never heard him speak before but Timo Werner’s voice does not match his face. It’s a bit like how I felt the first time I heard Daniel Farke talk. Very disconcerting.
     
    Ross Barkley is still at Chelsea, which took me by surprise as I thought he’d joined Villa permanently. What a fucking waster he is. He should have been one of the best players in the country but he’s no better now than when he was 21. Usually this only happens when players join Arsenal. 
     
    Moving on and Wolves went in front at home to Newcastle when Jiminez released Hwang and he finished well. What’s with the really shit music they play after goals there? I hadn’t noticed before, but then they hadn’t scored at home before so that will be why.
     
    Newcastle equalised through Hendrick, but my first thought was just what the fuck was the keeper doing? The ball goes in and he’s not even in his goal. They showed the replay and he’d come out to dive at the feet of Joelin Ton and apparently hurt his shoulder. He was lying on the ground wanting the game stopped but play rightly went on. When he realised he got back to his feet, saw the shot coming and ran back to try and save it.
     
    But the ball went in so he went back down again making out he was injured. Wolves wanted a free-kick but there was fuck all wrong with that and it was embarrassing how the keeper was carrying on. Saint-Maximin should have given the Geordies the lead but Sa reacted well and made the save. Not bad for a lad who was half dead not long before. 
     
    Hwang won it for Wolves after another pass by Jiminez. Looks a promising partnership that. You know what they need? They need a Minamino to complete the trio. Remember how boss that Salzburg front three was with Taki, Hwang and Haaland? If Wolves want to talk swap deal with Traore (or Neto), I’m all ears.
     
    As for Newcastle, they seem to be edging closer to that Saudi takeover. There’s an awful lot I have to say about that but this isn’t the time. The one thing I would say is why the fuck would the other clubs agree to allow owners with TEN TIMES MORE WEALTH THAN MAN CITY come into our game?
     
    That’s a fox you don’t want to let in the henhouse and if this happens it might be the final nail in the football coffin. I hope they get relegated but if this goes through it won’t matter anyway as they’ll spend so much money they could attract Messi and Ronaldo to play in the Championship if they wanted.
     
    Watford lost at Leeds and sacked their manager. It’s hard keeping of track of their managers isn't it? As soon as I finally learn the name, they’re gone. I still don’t know this fella’s full name. I know it was Xisco something. Doesn’t matter now.
     
    They’re appointing Ranieri to replace him. Why? Just what’s the point of that? No wonder they’re a fucking yo-yo club.
     
    Llorente put Leeds ahead from a corner but Watford thought they’d equalised when Meslier dropped the ball into his own net from a corner. It was disallowed by VAR for an alleged foul by Kabasele, but frankly that’s a fucking scandalous decision.
     
    It’s as much a foul by the Leeds defender if anything. The two of them are wrestling, but they aren’t even a factor in the play as neither of them are getting the ball and it had nothing to do with the keeper dropping it. 
     
    Leeds deserved to win but that decision robbed Watford of a point and probably cost the manager his job. Although clearly he was only ever going to be one game from getting the boot anyway, as Watford’s owners are fucking loons.
     
    Brighton played some lovely stuff against Arsenal but it ended goalless in the "Ben White Derby". Both teams had chances but Brighton were the better side. Typical Arsenal. Smelling themselves after beating Spurs last week, but never forget who you really are, Arsenal. Fucking bums.
     
    The new Brighton left back is boss. Really elegant little footballer him. Cucurella he’s called, and if the Brighton fans don’t have a song for him to the tune of La Cucaracha then what are we even doing here?
     
    Norwich finally picked up a point with a goalless draw at Burnley. Predictably dire stuff and a point isn't really any good to either side.
     
    Ozan Kabak was on the receiving end of a really heavy challenge by Wood that saw the frontman yellow carded. His studs went into Kabak’s shin, so not sure why that’s not a red as it seems to be a standard sending off these days.
     
    Thankfully Kabak was ok and he almost got revenge in the most spectacular fashion when he set off on a Maradona style dribble up the field that took him past sixteen players and would have ended in the greatest goal in the history of the world if he hadn’t been cynically hacked down on the edge of the box. 
     
    I may be over-egging that, but only by a smidge as it was genuinely fucking boss. I like that lad, I wish he was at a better team than Norwich as I want him to do well.
     
    There’s not really anything else to say about the game. It was fucking terrible. Norwich stink and Burnley aren’t much better.
     
    Dyche described it as a ‘strong performance’ and remarked ‘sometimes you need a refereeing decision at some point’. Well he got one when his centre forward wasn’t sent off. His grievance was that Krul came out and punched Vydra in the head with two fists when they challenged for a high ball.
     
    He’s right. That was a foul. Vydra got the ball first, Krul then punched the ball a split second after it came off the striker’s head and he then connected with both fists and knocked him down. Should have been a pen but more often than not you don’t get them. 
     
    He’s clutching at straws using that as an excuse and it’s not a ‘strong performance’ when you barely create a chance against the worst team in the league (and potentially one of the worst teams in the history of the league).
     
    I think this is the year Burnley don’t put together a run to get themselves out of the shit. They’re going down with Norwich. And hopefully Newcastle.
     
    Onto Sunday now. Leicester have been in ropey form of late and they lost in Europe in midweek before heading to Selhurst to face Palace. It started well and ended terribly.
     
    That cunt Iheanacho put them ahead when he robbed Anderson and rolled the ball in. Vieira signed two ball playing centre backs so he had transform how they play, so this is an occupational hazard that he’ll probably be philosophical about. I don’t know if he is because if he was asked about it afterwards I couldn't tell you. He started talking and got as far as "It was a little disappointing not to win because...." zzzzzzzz I nodded off. 
     
    Vardy made it 2-0 but didn’t do the eagle celebration, which was extremely disappointing but given what happened afterwards was probably the smart thing to do. He's learned his lesson from last week clearly.
     
    Palace were getting spanked and it seemed like it was just a case of how many Leicester would score. Then Eduoard hit the bar and it woke Palace up. Substitute Olise volleyed in to get them back in it and another sub, Schlupp, headed in the equaliser. Palace went close to winning it a couple of times as Brendan’s boys wobbled all over the fucking place.
     
    Leicester are missing Fofana and Evans and it’s really showing. Takes a really good team to be able to lose their centre backs and still perform at a top four level.
     
    How about Brentford eh? Winning at West Ham isn't easy these days but the Bees are flying (see what I did there?). Mbuemo broke the deadlock with a rebound after a Sergi Canos shot was saved by Fabianski. My boy Ivan Toney (I made it official this week) created that with a lovely through ball.
     
    West Ham responded well to going behind and had a really good spell. Bowen should have scored but headed wide. Feels like every time I watch West Ham he looks really lively but is always missing chances. Like Timo Werner, only much cheaper.
     
    The sun even shines on a dog’s arse somedays though and he did bag one in the second half to level the scores. His first goal in 17 games. Not good that though, is it?
     
    Brentford won it with the last kick of the game when Wissa (who scored against us and did that yoga celebration) rifled in after Fabianski had made a save. A real sting in the tail from the Bees. Yeah ok, that's shite. I haven't got my A-game today but I can't be Mo Salah all the time. Sometimes you'll need to settle for me being Sadio - a bit hit and miss.
     
    Finally, Spurs. They won their first three and Nuno was being hailed. They lost their next three and he was being slammed. Now they’ve beaten Villa and they’ve got 12 points, they’re in 8th spot and just two points off the top four. That’s basically where I’d expect them to be. Somewhere between 6th and 8th and a million miles off the level of the top clubs.
     
    This was a pretty good win for them as Villa are in fine form. Hoijberg stroked one in from 18 yards midway through the first half after a one two with Son.
     
    Watkins levelled when he finished off a lovely move. No more than Villa deserved at that point as they’d made most of the running and Spurs were just playing on the break with Son’s pace.
     
    And that’s how they won it. Son broke clear down the left, skinned Konsa (for the umpteenth time) and crossed for Moura. It looked like he got the final touch but it’s gone down as a Target own goal.
     
    All Spurs have got are counter attacks but they are fucking good at them when Son's in the mood. Lo Celso should have made it 3-1 after a brilliant break by Son and a sensational back heel by Kane. Some goal that would have been.
     
    Kane went clean through late on but couldn’t finish and still hasn’t scored in the league. Fortunately for him he’s still on course for a 50 goal season as long as Spurs stay in that fucking UEFA Farmers League thing. That's the worst idea since Everton sent Gylffi to visit the local schools. 
  • The English Premier League is already seven matches into its 2021-2022, and some of the results thus far have been a little surprising.
     
    While Manchester City, the defending champion, was heavily favoured coming into the season, they do not find themselves at the top of the table as of yet. It's still early in the season, of course, but there is at least a little bit of movement that some people might not have expected.
     
    The online betting action has been hot to begin the season, and it's not likely to back down as the Premier League continues marching on to the end of the year. 
     
    Let's take a look at where things stand now in the Premier League, and what the updated betting odds are to win the league as of early October.
     
    Premier League Standings
     
    Through the first seven matches of the season, Chelsea find themselves at the top of the standings. The club has earned 16 points thus far, with five wins, one draw and one loss. The club's only loss came to Manchester City, who have won three of the last four Premier League titles.
     
    Despite that big win over Chelsea, though, Manchester City find themselves tied for third place in the standings with 14 points. 
     
    In second place is Liverpool with 15 points. The club hasn't lost yet this season, with four outright wins and three draws. Liverpool fought to a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in late August and a 2-2 draw with Manchester City on October 3.
     
    Along with Manchester City, there are three other clubs that have 14 points in the first seven matches of the Premier League. Those clubs are Manchester United, Everton and Brighton.
     
    City has four wins, two draws and one loss -- a rather surprising one to start the season against Tottenham, who themselves have 12 points.
     
    United, Everton and Brighton all have identical records of four wins, two draws and one loss. United dropped a match to Aston Villa on September 25. Everton lost to that same Aston Villa on September 18, and Brighton lost to Everton on August 28.
     
    Surprisingly, that Aston Villa club that defeated both Manchester United and Everton finds itself tied for 10th place in the early season standings. While they have three wins and one draw, they also have three losses to their record -- to Tottenham, Chelsea and lowly Watford. 
     
    In fact, that Watford victory was one of only two that club has so far this season, as it has only seven points in the early going.
     
    Rounding out the top 11 teams in the Premier League standings as of October 5 are Brentford and Tottenham with 12 points each, West Ham with 11 points, and Aston Villa and Arsenal with 10 points each.
    With the standings as tight as they are in the early going, it's shaping up to be a truly great Premier League season.
     
    Updated Betting Odds to Win the Premier League
     
    Despite not being in first place in the standings, there has been no change to the betting favourite to win the Premier League from the start of the season. The overwhelming betting favourite is still Manchester City, which has odds of 5/6.
     
    That's not a huge surprise, of course, seeing as City is the defending champion and have won three of the last four Premier League titles. While they aren't in first place in the standings, it's not like they are too far behind.
     
    Their 14 points through the first seven games is only two fewer points than Chelsea. Depending on the outcome of the next set of matches, City could actually find themselves back in first place.
     
    Chelsea's early-season success has seen it shorten its betting odds to 9/4 to win the Premier League. Even though they lost to Manchester City already this season, Chelsea is still poised to be a strong contender all the way until the end.
     
    Third-place Liverpool has updated odds of 9/2 to win the Premier League as of early October. The club is looking to win the league for the 20th time this year, which if they did it would tie a record for England's top league.
     
    The club is off to a great start. Even though they find themselves one point behind Chelsea in the standings, they have yet to lose a match.
     
    Fourth-place Manchester United, which received a lot of the praise in the offseason with the return of Cristiana Ronaldo, finds itself in fourth place in the standings and with the fourth-shortest odds to win the Premier League.
     
    Their updated odds to win the league are 12/1. That puts them at a pretty big gap between the top three clubs in the Premier League. Still, they are well within actual reach of the title early in the season, as they're only two points back of league-leading Chelsea (14 to 16). 
  • There are few bigger football clubs in the world than Liverpool. Over the last couple of years, the Reds have won the top prices that fans of the club would have been expecting to win, including a first league title in 30 years back at the end of the 2019-20 season.
     
    With that dominance on the pitch, a growing number of fans have been going online to place bets on the Reds in order to gain profit from winning wagers on the Reds. But, what are the most popular betting markets among Liverpool fans, and how do the club rate in the odds for some of the biggest trophies?
     
    Outright Trophy Odds
     
    Liverpool’s prolonged period of success under Jurgen Klopp, which has seen the club win both the Champions League and Premier League title in recent years, always ensures that they are among the favoured sides in the betting when it comes to the outright markets.
     
    The league title and the Champions League markets are typically where Liverpool will be among the favourites, with only Manchester City and Chelsea above the Reds in the race for the Premier League title, according to the odds at present. Some of the best bookmakers can be found at Bookmakers.net. These sites will all offer the best odds for Liverpool when it comes to the outright markets.
     
    Match Result
     
    When it comes to placing a bet on a single match, the full-time result odds are the most popular with the leading sportsbooks. This is the best betting market for newcomers to betting on the sport, as it is the most straightforward to understand. A bet simply needs to be placed on the team that will win the match after 90 minutes.
     
    Due to the Liverpool dominance in the league and in Europe, this market can often not be as lucrative would hope, as the Reds are typically odds-on to get wins throughout the season. However, there are a number of different single-game betting markets available to fans.
     
    Other Single-Game Betting Markets
     
    Due to Liverpool often being odds-on to win matches throughout the season, fans can instead explore the wide range of other markets available with some of the leading sportsbooks. A popular selection is the both teams to score market, where fans will simply be placing a wager on whether both teams involved will find the back of the net in the fixture. Other goal markets include the over/under, where fans can place a wager on there being more or fewer goals than 2.5 in the match that they are watching.
     
    More specific betting markets can also be found in this section, including the first goalscorer, to be booked and player to be carded. Of course, these markets require the most research, as bettors will need to study the players of both teams to ensure that they stand the best chance of getting a winner. However, with so many betting options available, it’s clear to see why sports betting among Liverpool fans is extremely popular.
  • Betting on sports is popular around the world, and one of the best ways to get involved is by taking advantage of a welcome bonus after signing up for a new sportsbook. Welcome bonuses are offered by all of the leading sportsbooks. Available betting bonuses for Coral can be found on BettingBonus.online. But, what factors should customers looking to take advantage of welcome bonus bear in mind?
     
    What is a welcome bonus?
     
    Welcome bonuses are one of the ways that sportsbooks are able to stand out from the crowd. They will offer something in return for customers when they register an account and make their first deposit or place an opening bet. The amount that is offered is different depending on the sportsbook offering the bonus, and the terms and conditions will also differ.
     
    However, all welcome bonuses are a must for new customers, as it ensures that they get something in return when signing up for an account online.
     
    Types Of Welcome Bonus
     
    As mentioned, there are a number of different welcome bonuses that customers can take advantage of online, but some of the more popular we will go into detail about below.
     
    Matched Deposit
     
    One of the most prominent welcome bonuses that can be found online is the matched deposit. This promotion is eligible for players to take advantage of when they first open their account and add funds to their account. Typically, it will see the sportsbook offer a 100% promotion, which will give customers double the amount of money to play with when making sports bets.
     
    However, the terms and conditions are important reading when it comes to this offer, as there will be a maximum deposit amount as part of the offer. Therefore, if you exceed this amount, then you won’t get the welcome bonus.
     
    Free Bets
     
    Another of the most popular welcome bonuses that customers can expect to find when betting online are free bets. This is a prominent promotion, as bettors can get free bets to use on wagers after meeting the qualifying criteria.
     
    Most sportsbooks will need customers to make a £10 wager on one market in order to get the free bets as part of the bonus. Once again, the terms and conditions are important before making your qualifying bet, as the sportsbooks will require the bet to be placed at minimum odds in order to get returns.
     
    Risk Free Bets
     
    The final most prominent betting bonus that can be found online is risk free bets. This type of bonus does exactly what it says on the tin, as customers will get their stake given back to them in free bets should their first wager be a losing one.
     
    This has turned out to be a very popular betting promotion over recent years, with some of the leading bookmakers offering it. It ensures that all customers can have a positive first betting experience, without getting a losing bet. Once again, read the terms and conditions before taking advantage of this promotion.
  • Mo Salah continues to receive plenty of wide acclaim for his superb start to this season.
     
    After signing from Roma in the summer of 2017, Salah produced one of the all-time great seasons in when he scored 44 goals in all competitions including 32 in the Premier League.
     
    While his feats were remarkable, there were plenty in the football landscape that thought that he would be little more than a flash in the pan.
     
    While it was inconceivable that he would stay at that level, his performances in the following three seasons have contradicted that theory well and truly. He has averaged 21 goals in the league, and in all competitions has tallied 27, 23 and 31 goals respectively in that timespan.
     
    Consistency is one hallmark of a great player, and so is producing in the big games.
     
    One of those such fixtures was on Sunday against the reigning champions Man City where Salah produced a virtuoso performance setting up Sadio Mane for the opening goal in the contest, and then arguably one of the finest solo Premier League goals leaving a bamboozled City defence in his wake.
     
    That strike meant that the Egyptian has kept up his ratio of averaging a goal per game in the opening nine fixtures this season and it has also opened up a discussion of where Salah currently sits in the pecking order of World Class talent.
     
    According to former Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea and Celtic striker Chris Sutton he has no doubt in his mind as he told the BBC Sport Monday night club.
     
    "His numbers have been sensational the last few seasons. At this moment in time, he's better than [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo. To do it on that stage, which he has done for so many years, it just sums up how brilliant he is.
     
    "Consistency is what you look for and he is doing it season after season after season where others are falling away and Liverpool still haven't signed him up.
     
    One player who has saw Salah first hand prior to his Liverpool days is former Man City and England defender Micah Richards who played with the Egyptian at Fiorentina.
     
    He is not surprised in the slightest with what he is seeing the Egyptian produce.
     
    .
     
    "I've been saying Salah is world class for years. Everyone laughed at me. I've been singing his praises since the Fiorentina days. When I saw him in training, I was like, 'this guy isn't real'. He could dribble past five players and then chip it over the keeper.
     
    "You could play the ball to him as hard as you want and the first touch would be there. He was greedy in training as well because he just knew he was going to score. I tried to tell people years ago but no-one wanted to listen to me - I saw it - and now, I'm not surprised what he's doing."
     
    It is one thing to get the credit from those in the studio, but it is another to get praise from someone who was directly involved in the fascinating contest, like Pep Guardiola who spoke in glowing terms about the quality of Salah.
     
    “I’ve never seen anything like it. He has to be the best winger the league has ever seen and the best player in the world at the moment. No one is doing it like him.”
     
    High praise indeed and just another reason why those associated with the club cannot wait to see him sign on the dotted line.
     
     
     
     
     
  • It seems strange to say after we twice failed to hold onto a lead, but that was definitely a point gained rather than two lost. We were fortunate to still be in the game at half time and that first half showing was really concerning. I’d have snatched your hand off for a point at half time and again when it went to 2-2 late on. By the end I just wanted the whistle to go.
     
    That wasn’t how I anticipated this game going at all which is why this was probably more jarring to me than it will have been to others. Before the game most of the lads were predicting a draw. Not me. This was a big game at Anfield, against the team that have been our biggest rivals in recent years. A team with a horrific record at Anfield (last season doesn’t count). I was confident, probably bordering on cocky.
     
    So that first half was a chastening experience. It started well enough though. The opening 15 minutes were good and then it just went downhill fast. City started to get on top and we couldn’t redress the balance. The longer the half went the worse we got. It was really unsettling. I don’t remember the last time anyone was able to do that to us. City just strangled the life out of us and we couldn’t do anything about it. Not a nice feeling and not something we're used to these days.
     
    It wasn’t just the danger they posed us, it was the way they completely snuffed out any potential threat we might have offered. The main reason I’m always confident when we face City is that despite how good they with the ball, they’re often wide open to counter attacks and that is tailor made for us. Yet I can’t remember even one counter that we had in this game. It’s partly us playing shit, but it also has to be something City are doing to prevent it. 
     
    Their full backs barely seemed to cross the halfway line, so that’s part of it. They’ve learned lessons from past defeats and now we’re going to have to come up with another way of hurting them, because all we had here was Mo sticking his Superman cape on. Without him we had nothing.
     
    We couldn’t lay a glove on City in that first half, while they carried real menace throughout. Alisson made at least two big saves and City wasted other chances with really wayward finishing (De Bruyne missed a header and Grealish hit the corner flag with one chance). We were all over the place and because of how they were passing through us we just lost all cohesion and confidence when we had the ball.
     
    Klopp was screaming “BE BRAVE” at one point and he emphasised this afterwards too. “We forgot to play football” I think his exact words were. Or certainly something to that effect.
     
    I was wanting the half time whistle to blow from around 25-30 minutes as I didn’t think we would survive the half without conceding at least once. Somehow we did, and that was a huge victory for us all things considered. 
     
    I was really stressed out at half time though. We’d been repeatedly punched in the face and weren’t able to fight back. I didn’t know what the problem was as those kind of deep dive tactical solutions are way above my pay grade, but I knew Milner had to come off. Beyond that the only thing I could think was that something needed to change tactically because we looked inept all over the park.
     
    The ball wasn’t sticking with the front players, the midfield couldn’t get any kind of foothold in the game, Robbo and Milner couldn’t get forward and for some reason we kept trying to hit long balls in behind Kyle Walker, the fastest player in the entire fucking league. Sadio is quick but he had no chance of beating Walker for pace.
     
    It was a fucking shambles. Just terrible, and I didn’t know why. My best guess was that because City were playing Grealish as virtually an extra midfield player, they just had too many bodies in there for us and they were able to pass their way through to then release Foden in behind. All of their attacks came down that side and Milner was having a torrid time. 
     
    I don’t even think it was anything he was doing wrong either. He kept getting exposed because City were able to keep playing the ball in behind him for Foden to chase. What’s Milner meant to do there? I’d have brought Gomez on firstly because Milner was on a booking, and secondly because if our right back was going to be chasing backwards after Foden all afternoon then at least Gomez can outrun him.
     
    Milner had been lucky not to concede a pen when he clipped Foden as he ran into the box. Foden jumped up immediately and tried to play on, but that was clearly a foul. The only question was whether it was maybe just outside the box, but it’s definitely a foul. Paul Tierney gave nothing, which staggered me to be honest. VAR wasn’t interested either, which was even more surprising. VAR probably ducked out of it because he couldn’t tell if it was inside or not so he just let Tierney deal with it.
     
    Milner was having to resort to fouling quite a bit and after he had picked up an inevitable yellow card, subbing him at half time was a no brainer. We’ve seen Klopp do that with other players, specifically Neco Williams, and while Milner is a different kettle of fish as he’s so vastly experienced, in this instance I don’t care.
     
    He had to be brought off because City were so obviously targeting him and he was one foul away from a red card. Or at least that’s what we thought. Klopp left him on, foolishly in my view, and although Milner started the second half well he was incredibly lucky not to pick up a second yellow for leaving a leg out for Bernardo to fall over.
     
    I feel certain that the referee must have given the free-kick against Henderson so what happened after that was irrelevant. That’s the only thing that saved Milner, but the replays suggest that Hendo didn’t make any contact. Yes, Bernardo is already on the way down but Milner has recklessly stuck his leg out and even if Bernardo wasn’t already falling that would have been enough to bring the City player down anyway. 
     
    It defo should have been a second yellow but we got away with it purely because it looked like Hendo had committed the foul when he actually hadn’t. If Milner had been sent off that would have 100% been on Klopp though, and he knew it because as soon as that happened he turned to Gomez and told him he was going on. Better late than never I guess.
     
    Guardiola lost his fucking mind at that decision. I’m fine with him kicking off and being pissed off about it, but the way he dragged it out and the fucking carrying on out of him was pathetic. That wasn’t a manager angry about a decision, that was just a weird little cunt putting on a show. Fake as fuck that was, all the arm waving, dancing, taking off the coat and bouncing around like a twat. God I hate him.
     
    What was funny was when it initially happened and he started screaming for a second yellow card, Pep Ljinders flew out of his seat and went to run at him. Klopp had to grab him and shepherd him back in his seat. It was like when Fred or Shaggy would grab Scrappy Do and hold him while he’s kicking and screaming and giving it the “let me at ‘em, let me at ‘em”.
     
    Unusually, Klopp stayed really calm and didn’t get involved with Guardiola at all. He was probably thanking his lucky stars he’d gotten away with his fuck up of leaving Milner out there.
     
    Gomez was soon on (immediately after it went 2-1), but that’s not an idea solution either as he’s just not good at right back, especially going forward. The one thing I did think he’d do was shut down that side defensively, but that never really happened either. 
     
    It was 1-1 when the Milner thing happened. We’d started the second half much more positively and managed our first shot on goal when Jota turned well and fired goal wards forcing Ederson to make a save. That got the crowd back into it because it went seriously fucking flat when City were just bossing us.
     
    While it’s usually the crowd and players feeding off eachother, sometimes the players really need a helping hand from the crowd and I didn’t think they got it in that first half. I just think most of us were stunned by what we were seeing. We were shite and City should have been up by two or three goals.
     
    The crowd needed to see signs of life from the team and we got that after the break. We weren’t on top exactly, but it was an even contest now. We took the lead with a stunning goal. Honestly, that was so fucking good and it’s not being talked about enough because all the attention is on our second goal. 
     
    The second goal is amazing, but so was the first. That assist by Mo is every bit as good as the goal he scored. He comes back into his own half to collect a hopeful ball chipped down the line by Matip who was being put under pressure and needed to get rid. Mo’s awareness and touch were superb, he popped it off to Hendo and then set off back up the field. Hendo gives it to Fab who knocks it around the corner first time to Mo.
     
    He then goes past Rodri as though he’s not there, drives at the defence before playing a perfectly weighted through ball to Sadio who finished it superbly. Just a great fucking goal that, and the kind of thing Mo’s clearly made a conscious effort to improve on this year. In the past he’d have used Mané as a decoy and cut in for a shot himself. 
     
    Not this year, he’s been creative as fuck, playing team-mates in for chances every week as well as still getting goals himself. He’s gone up a level this year, no question about it. 
     
    City were soon level though. Really good goal from their perspective but shit from ours. Alisson’s positioning is probably his biggest strength, but he got it badly wrong here and was way too far over, allowing Foden a big gap to go for across goal. The strike was so accurate Ali might not have been able to save it anyway, but his positioning gave him no chance.
     
    The bigger problem I had with it was Curtis not fouling Jesus in the build up. He actually did everything he could to not foul him, which was a bit naive and hopefully something he’ll learn from. You can commit a foul there and probably avoid a booking, but even if you get a yellow it’s worth it.
     
    Curtis couldn’t really make any attacking impression but he did record an assist with the ball that Mo turned into goal number two. That’s why the assist stat is so over-rated. Curtis gets one for a pass into a player who is marked by three opponents, miles from goal. Mo’s skill, control and balance in that situation was as close to Messi as you’re going to get. Messi is the only other player on the planet who could have scored from there in that fashion. Just a sensational goal.
     
    I didn’t think the game was over at 2-1 but what I was thinking was that we might be able to ride the wave of emotion from the crowd to get another one quickly which would have killed the game. I think the players had been sensing that too, because it was a bit weird seeing some of them calling for more noise after both goals.
     
    Sadio and Virgil were trying to ramp up the noise after the opening goal, and then Mo was doing it when he scored. I was a bit disappointed in the atmosphere if I’m honest. It was good, but it wasn’t special. And we probably needed special, which is why the players were trying to whip it up a bit.
     
    When we didn’t immediately get a third I knew it was going to be a long final 10 minutes or so. I didn’t think we’d keep City out because they were finding too many gaps in the final third. We just weren’t compact at all. Sterling had come on through the middle for the invisible Grealish (are we sure it wasn’t Jamie Tartt up there? One for any Ted Lasso fans there) and immediately made City look much more threatening. 
     
    It wasn’t a surprise when they equalised again although I was half expecting it to be disallowed as I thought De Bruyne’s shot deflected off Sterling, who was offside in front of goal. There was also a possibility Foden had been off with the initial pass. We’re all standing around waiting for an announcement of a VAR check, and the next thing the ref is blowing his whistle to restart the game.
     
    That really popped the balloon as Anfield was flat as fuck for a couple of minutes after that. We nearly won it when Ederson flapped at a cross and Fab found himself all alone with an open goal, but as he took his shot Rodri appeared from nowhere to make a great block. Fab could have scored if he’d taken it first time on his left foot, but I can’t judge him too harshly there as he’s a defensive midfielder, not an elite finisher.
     
    City could have won it too when Jesus got free in the box but smashed his shot into the back of Robbo. I just wanted the ref to blow the whistle as it felt like if any more time had been added City would have scored. This just wasn’t how I expected it to go at all and by full time I was mostly relieved, partly disappointed and a little bit worried. 
     
    The only reason I had been so confident prior to this game was because of Anfield and how we’ve blown them away here in the past. After this, that’s gone I’m afraid. I won’t be this confident again when we play them because City look like they’re over that now. They weren’t scared this time. The edge we had over them in games like this isn’t really there now as they’ve come to terms with it.
     
    They were prepared for it and even when we looked like we had them on the ropes when we scored and the crowd were at their loudest, City weren’t fazed at all. They didn’t wobble like they have done in the past, they just gritted their teeth and went and forced an equaliser. We probably contributed to that by not being at our rampant, high pressing best, but City didn’t panic.
     
    That’s my biggest take away from the game and it’s not a pleasant one. We’ve mostly had our own way with City at Anfield but that no longer applies. We may still beat them, but it’s not going to be because they wilted in the atmosphere. And without that advantage it’s going to be a lot harder beating them now.
     
    So this was a chastening experience for me personally because I really expected us to win and have been quite bullish about it. I wouldn’t have guaranteed a win as I wasn’t THAT sure (and sometimes you can play incredibly well and still not win) but the one scenario I definitely didn’t envisage was us being totally outplayed like we were in the first half so that was tough to watch and was a bit of a reality check for me. 
     
    Not specifically because of how good City were (and they were really good) but because we looked so lost. That’s not something I ever associate with this team. Klopp’s team always have a plan, they’re well drilled, mentally strong and can usually deal with most situations they come up against. 
     
    This was the opposite, we were crying out for half time just so Klopp could get hold of them and sort this shit out, because they couldn’t do it themselves on the pitch. That worries me a little, because you’ve got Van Dijk, Milner and Hendo all out there and between them they couldn’t sort out just what the fuck was going wrong.
     
    Klopp more or less said afterwards the problem was the defence dropping off which forced the midfield back and allowed City room to play. Is that not where you’d expect Virgil and Hendo to be getting a grip of it and sorting that shit out? Coming a week after the shitshow at Brentford this isn’t a good sign.
     
    I’m not going to over-react to it because the second half showed what we can do even against a really good side, but it’s hard not to be at least a little bit shaken by how timid and disorganised we quickly became as soon as City started to play a bit.
     
    We’ve got some things that need figuring out and we’ll be better when Trent is back. It’s easy to say he’d have struggled as much as Milner did in that first half and I agree with that for the most part, but the main difference would have been the quality we get from Trent in possession. That might have helped us offer more of a threat than we did.
     
    I don’t want to focus too much on that though because Milner was put in a horrible spot by City’s tactical approach and our inability to react to it. The midfield were pretty poor all day, even in the second half when we were much improved I still thought Fabinho and Henderson were way off what we normally see from them. You know who’s usually boss in these situations? Big Game Gini. His calming influence was badly missed and I’ll argue that point all day.
     
    Curtis wasn’t able to influence the game much at all but he didn’t do much wrong either. He was certainly not as culpable as the other two when it came to letting City players just run away from them but there were some moments when I just wanted to him to bring someone down (the first goal for example). We didn’t do anywhere near enough of that. Fab was on a booking so couldn’t, but Hendo and Curtis allowed Silva to run past them unimpeded far too often. They should have been booting that non-clapping little bastard six feet into the air.
     
    Robbo seemed to be the only one who really wanted to be getting stuck in and leaving his mark on people. He was really good I thought and but for Mo I’d have given him the star man.
     
    But it has to be Mo doesn’t it? It wasn’t that he was brilliant from start to finish, but he’s produced a fantastic bit of play to create one goal and then he’s scored one of the best goals we’ve ever seen in a big game at Anfield. It’s all well and good doing things like that against Watford or Fulham, but this is the highest stage he’s delivering on it. Just sensational.
     
    So all in all, very mixed feelings about this game and about our start to the season in general. We’re unbeaten, which is great. We’re flying high in our CL group and we’re within touching distance of top spot in the league, so lots to be pleased with.
     
    The flip side to that is we’ve faced City and Chelsea at home and haven’t beaten either, which is a concern because that now means we really can’t afford to lose either of the away games or we’re putting ourselves behind the 8 ball. Defensively we’ve been shit these past couple of games but it isn’t specifically the back four. It’s the organisation and shape of the entire team.
     
    That’s definitely fixable though. The top end of the pitch on paper is functioning great and I read that after nine games this season we had equalled our best ever start to a season. Yet other than Mo can we be truly happy with what we’ve seen from the others? 
     
    I’m happy enough with Jota because I think he’s playing to his level. He’s not going to look the silkiest and his link up play isn’t ever going to be Dalglish-like. I think he’s much better coming from wide than through the middle, but wherever he plays he’s always a goal threat.
     
    Sadio though. I dunno, his goal return so far is good but does he look like the old Sadio? Maybe he does and I’ve developed a rose tinted view of what he was. He’s always been a bit erratic and would have games when nothing would be going right but then he’d just do something boss. That’s kind of what he’s doing now, so maybe I’m judging him a little harshly. 
     
    I just seem to remember a spell when it felt like he was our number one forward. There was a legitimate “Sadio or Mo?” discussion at one point and for a little while I’d have come down on the side of Mané, but now there’s just absolutely no argument. That’s partly because Mo has raised his game even further, but it’s mostly because Sadio hasn’t.
     
    Then there’s Bobby. Fucking hell, he was SHITE when he came on. Seriously shite. Worryingly shite. He couldn’t do a thing right. He was either giving it away or holding onto it forever and not looking like he had any idea where to go with it. The only mitigating circumstances here is that it must be really fucking hard to come into a game being played at such breathtaking pace, but then Sterling didn’t have any trouble immediately making an impact so it’s not really an excuse. He has to be better than that. 
     
    I still believe we’ll win the title but I’ve gone from being “sure” of it to just being “confident”. And I don’t know if this international break has come at a good time or a bad time. Probably a bad time for Klopp, but personally I can do with a weekend off after the stress they’ve inflicted on us the last two weeks.
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Milner (Gomez), Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Salah, Jota (Firmino), Mané:
     
     
  • Honours even after a pulsating second half at Anfield. The incredible Mo Salah scored one of the best goals seen in L4 and also had a sensational assist to go with it, but twice City came roaring back and both sides could have nicked it at the end.
     
    TLW Editor Dave Usher is joined by Paul Natton and Stu Montagu to dissect a dramatic afternoon full of incidents and controversy. What went wrong in the first half? Was this the best City have ever played against us? Does it change your view of the title race? Is Mo currently the best in the world? Should Milner have been sent off? Exactly how much of a tit is Pep Guardiola? 
     
    Tune in for all this and more.
     
     
  • If the last year and a half has taught the global population anything, it is how nothing can be taken for granted anymore.
     
    The feeling of meeting with family and friends, having a beer down the pub or going to a Football match and singing at the top of your lungs just came instinctively to many of us.
     
    And then in a blink of a eye it was gone and when it would return was a considerable unknown.
     
    Virgil Van Dijk went through his own trauma last season dealing with a season ending knee injury.
     
    While he had a timeline to full fitness, the things that came naturally to him were also instantly stripped away and speaking to the Official Site, Van Dijk explained how difficult it was to not be part of the match day squad, and how lucky he is to do something he truly loves.
     
    “I missed just being out there, feeling the buzz on a matchday, travel to games, getting [stick] from fans of opponents that we face. Just feeling that you're playing for something again, it's just a nice feeling. Obviously you work towards something during the week [so] that you can perform and hopefully get a good result.”
     
    “I feel very privileged and blessed to be playing on the highest level and [in], I think, the best league in the world, especially with everything that happened over the summer, with signings that certain teams made. Everyone wants to come to the Premier League, I think. So to be playing here is a blessing and I enjoy every second of it.
     
    The talismanic Dutchman has made a very solid return to heart of the Reds defence, playing every league fixture to date. While Van Dijk says he feels good physically, he admits there is a bit of improvement to come.
     

     
    “I think there's still loads to come (from me). Anyone who knows about having a knee injury and being out for such a long time knows that it will take up to, even after you're back playing, another year maybe before you are fully, fully recovered. But everyone's body is different, everyone's knee is different, everyone's recovery is different. 
     
    “So far I feel good and I'm just happy that the manager is putting his trust in me to put me out there, giving me the opportunity to get better as well. I feel good but there is always room for improvement, and I feel like it's on the way. “
     
    It is clear that Virgil has a close bond with Joel Matip and says that the laid back nature of the 30 year-old has a effect on the whole squad.
     
    “He’s a special, special character and we all appreciate him in our group. Not only for his qualities – because he's an unbelievable defender – but as a human being as well. He's how everyone should take life, I think – very easy, be nice and put a lot of things in perspective. We all appreciate him.”
     
    The games against rivals like the one today against Man City are what players, mangers and fans alike live for.
     
    Van Dijk knows first hand the challenges that the reigning champions present, however coming off a impressive Champions League result midweek and general form in the league means that confidence within the Liverpool camp is high.
     
    “Obviously talking about that game (Porto), it was a very, very good game for us. Great result away from home, six points out of two games in the Champions League – so far, so good in that case. 
     
    “But obviously we know how tough a game it's going to be against the reigning champions. So, we have to be very good to beat them, to get a good result. But we're looking forward to it. A full stadium, a full Anfield, it's going to be a special one.
     
    “There's going to be a lot of intensity. Obviously they are such a good football-playing side and we have to be ready to suffer at times. We will respect that but we're going to try to do everything to make it as difficult as possible for them on the day.”
     
     
  • Monday Sep 27:
     
    Watched an interview on LFCTV with Trent’s Barca ball boy, Oakley Cannonier, who was been banging in goals for fun this season. He doesn’t lack confidence, I’ll give him that. He said Alex Inglethorpe asks all the kids to write down what they think they can achieve in their career and he wrote “four or five balon d’ors”. Lofty goals indeed, although to be fair he will have to do something like that before the likes of me stops referring to him as “Trent’s Barca ball boy”.
     
    In transfer talk today, after what he did to us at the weekend we’re now being linked with Ivan Toney. I’m a big fan based on what I’ve seen so far, but he’s not a good fit for how we play. If there’s any truth in the link (which I’m assuming there isn’t) it would be because Klopp is tweaking how we play, otherwise it makes no sense. He’s boss though and probably won’t be at Brentford beyond this season. I can’t believe Newcastle let him go. Actually I can, because they’re Newcastle, but even so they must be kicking themselves, especially considering the money they wasted on that Jo Elinton bum.
     
    Toney is a Red and he loves Big Virg. He said this today “It was pure madness, coming up against one of the best centre-backs in the world. You know it will be a battle. He certainly gave me that. The chance I had at the end, any other defender and I’ll get onto the end of it, but not Van Dijk. He just opened up and shoulder barged me.” 
     
    Ok I’m now making it official - ‘my boy Ivan Toney’.
     
    You know what I’m fed up of? Lazy bastard ‘news’ outlets saying we’re in for Coutinho because Barca want to sell to avoid having to pay us the rest of the money. We’ve already had the money. We sold the debt to some finance company and that’s who Barca owe the money too. And we won’t be signing him because Klopp has had the chance to do it and wasn’t interested. And if he wasn’t interested then, why would he be now? He’s going to ride with Harvey and Curtis and bringing back Phil would just eat into their minutes.
     
    What a fucking nightmare that has turned into for him though. He left to go and play with Suarez and Messi, but his form vanished and they sent him out on loan for two years. By the time he was back Suarez had gone and Messi was soon to follow. Now he’s still there with a bunch of nobodies and everyone hates him because his high salary and transfer fee has been used as the main reason they’re so fucked. I shouldn’t feel sorry for him given the way he forced his way out, but I do. I have no ill will to him. We bought him for £8m, sold him for £140m and he gave us fucking loads of boss moments when he was here.
     
    Meanwhile, Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is complimentary about what a great team we are but says “they have weaknesses too”. He’s been talking to Patrick Vieira hasn’t he? Probably should have spoken to Thomas Franks, as he actually found a weakness and exploited it rather than just talking about it in his press conference. I’ll say it now. Porto have no fucking chance of beating us, whatever team we put out.
     
    Tuesday Sep 28:
     
    Porto 1 L 5 See? Porto are terrified of us, we’re completely in their heads now. It’s like Watford and Man City, it’s over before it even starts. Porto’s record against everyone else is really good but as soon as the Reds show up at their gaff they turn into a quivering wreck. We’ve scored six, four and five, and in each of those games I felt like we could have scored double without having to even do much more. 
     
    We were very good tonight but it never felt as though we were having to do anything special. It was routine, and that was enough to smash them everywhere. Mo bagged another couple and I’d have left him on and told him to fill his boots. If he’d scored one I’d have subbed him, but with him being on a hat-trick I’d have encouraged him to score as many as he could as these kind of games don’t come around too often. It would almost have been a reward for how he’s played this season.
     
    Sadio got one and Bobby came on to score a couple, so it was a good night for the font lads. Not Jota, it wouldn’t go in for him on his homecoming but hopefully his time will come on Sunday. How fucking good was Curtis tonight though? Wow. This is the kind of performance I’ve been waiting for from him. He’s been good, occasionally very good, but tonight he was brilliant. And that’s what he’s capable of. I expect him to really kick on this season as he’s going to be a superstar.
     
    Also tonight, City lost 2-0 at PSG with Messi scoring a cracker. Ordinarily my attitude would be “fuck Messi, the little tit” but tonight I’ll allow it. PSG are marginally less odious than City, but probably only because we don’t have to deal with them on a weekly basis. That, and the fact their manager is Pochettino and not that little fucking weirdo Pep.
     
    On a more sombre note, Roger Hunt passed away today. Very sad and just the latest in a growing list. Our success started with the teams in the 60s so those fellas are much more relatable to us than those who went before. We’re now at the point when a lot of them will be passing away and it’s not going to be too long before we’re losing more of the 70s stars too. Getting old is fucking shit. RIP Sir Roger, you’ll get a good send off on Sunday I’m sure.
     
    Wednesday Sep 29:
     
    When our game finished last night BT went straight over to the San Siro where Atletico had been awarded a penalty with the last kick of the game and the score at 1-1. I should have been wanting them to miss because I have no love for them and the draw would have suited us best. Suarez was taking it though and I just couldn’t root against him. I would it he’d been taking it against us, obviously, but I still love him even though it’s wrong. There’s a song by the Proclaimers called “Hate my love” and it could have been written about me and Luis….
     
    “I like the smell of petrol
    I love the taste of booze
    But I hate my love for you
    Yeah I hate my love for you
    I like Johnny Cash
    Singing "A Boy Named Sue"
    But I hate my love for you
    Yeah I hate my love for you
    You're worse than drink
    You're worse than crack
    For you they should bring hanging back
    And I should be the one to string you up
    I hate the sound of cliche
    As it begins to call
    But I hate my love for you
    Most of all”
     
    On the pitch tonight, United came from behind to beat Villarreal and a video went viral of a load of their fans doing Ronaldo celebrations outside Old Trafford. The video ended up being deleted because the piss taking was relentless, but live and let live I say. If they want to copy things Ronaldo does, there are much worse things they could be doing than that. 
     
    Chelsea lost at Juve and it’s noticeable that the media fawning over them has gone awfully quiet this week. All it will take is a couple of wins to start it up again, but I suspect that whoever wins our game on Sunday is going to have a shitload of media bandwagon jumpers on board. City have had them all season anyway, but if we win on Sunday it’s going to be nauseating seeing how many pundits will suddenly be talking up for the league when virtually none of them were giving us a chance when it started.
     
    Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand says he’d take Mo over Suarez. He’s not the only one, lots of people would. If it’s because Mo’s a better person, more stable and not a complete fucking head case on the pitch, then yeah that’s completely understandable. Suarez is still the best footballer I’ve ever seen playing for us though (then he left and his prime years were spent elsewhere, and he was arguably the best player in the world for a spell). As great as Mo is, he isn’t that close. Not yet anyway. The way he’s started this season, it’s possible I may have to rethink if he keeps this up all year. 
     
    Thursday Sep 30:
     
    So I just read that Klopp increased the ‘leadership committee’ to six players. It was four, but Gini left and because of all the injuries last season there were times when none of the ‘captains’ were available. So Klopp asked the players to vote for three of their team-mates and they went for Trent, Robbo and Alisson. I can imagine that Mo won’t have taken that well given how he reacted when he didn’t get the armband in Denmark last season, and the way he’s played this season I probably would have had him in my three, at the expense of Alisson maybe. We’re blessed with a shitload of options though aren’t we? We’ve come a long way since Hendo got it by default. 
     
    Bobby was asked about losing his place to Jota and said “I’m chilled. Everybody that plays they always look to give their all to Liverpool and those that have been playing, they have been doing a fantastic job. That has to continue from everybody, with the aim of helping the team to secure wins, helping each other to form a victorious team” 
     
    Good answer, because it’s not him v Jota. It’s four strikers going for three spots. At the moment Mo is untouchable so it’s three into two and Sadio is as much at risk as Jota. And we’ll have so many games they’ll all get plenty of games. After that it’s down to who plays best and that’s how Klopp will decide who plays in the more meaningful games later in the season. Sunday will be interesting, as Bobby got the nod against Chelsea despite Jota having scored in the previous games.
     
    Kane bags a hat-trick for Spurs in this Mickey Mouse Euro thing they’re in. I think he scored a couple last week too, but he doesn’t have any in the league yet. If Spurs don’t win this cup they’re never going to win anything ever again. I mean fucking hell, they were in the final of the Champions League not long ago so they should be able to win this thing without even breaking sweat.
     
    I keep seeing shit on twitter about this Saudi / Newcastle thing and honestly it’s making me far angrier than it should. The problem is my Mackem brother in law keeps sending me links to tweets, either from Sunderland fans taking the piss, or from Newcastle fans acting like bad cunts. Apparently over 33,000 of them watched some stream of their appeal to a tribunal about the Saudi takeover and Newcastle fan twitter is an absolute fucking car crash. They’re desperate to whore themselves to the Saudis and their all talking about that Amanda Stavely fucking creature like she’s their mate. “Amanda says this” and “Amanda said that”. They make me sick.
     
    The only fanbase in the country worse than Everton’s. I badly want them relegated, even though I don't think there's any chance of it as Steve Bruce knows how to stay up and they've goals in that team. Honestly though, if they went down I'be fucking overjoyed just coz of all this Saudi shit.
     
    Friday Oct 1:
     
    There are two young strikers we’re supposed to be after and they both did well in the Champions League this week. There’s the German kid we were linked with last week, Adeyami, who plays for RB Salzburg, and there’s a Uruguayan wonderkid at Benfica who everyone is scouting. They both look boss but give me the Uruguayan kid as there’s a massive Uruguayan striker sized hole in my heart that needs filling. 
     
    The club release a video with Robbo and Virg showing the lads their ratings on the new FIFA game. Virtually all of them have been downgraded a little because we had a below par season. Sadio was pissed off at dropping by a point despite he himself saying he was shite last year. They were all moaning about their ratings (except Curtis who is resigned to FIFA giving him low ratings) but Virgil was moaning about Joel’s. He’s obsessed with Big Bird. Every video the club put out now you’ve got Virgil stalking Joel around the training ground telling the camera how wonderful Joel is. I love it. I thought I was Matip’s biggest fan but I’ll take a backseat to Van Dijk.
     
    Finally, how great is this from Curtis…. “when I think back to that MK Dons match I’ve come a long way in terms of my whole game. I’m talking dribbling. I just don’t go mad and run off with the ball and try to shoot and score now. I try to assist. Defending wise – second balls, headers and positioning…I’ve improved over the two years and as a person I feel like a man now as well.”
     
    “I spoke to Kaide before the Norwich game and I just said ‘everybody knows why you’re here – you’re a great player – so don’t think you have to go out there and beat the world or try to score a hat-trick. I said, ‘if you do score a hat-trick then fair enough! But just play with a smile on your face and enjoy the game’. I told him to take it all in because your debut is a proud time.
     
    “I just didn’t want him to think he had a point to prove. It was more about him going out there, enjoying it and getting that experience. He did really well – all three of them did actually – and he was better than me on my debut anyway! Kaide is very good, but they’re all good. That’s why they’re training with the first team.”
     
    I fucking love that, he’s only 20 himself but he’s sounding like Milner!
     
     
    ….and that was the week that was.
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