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    Smokers love what they love and for them, it matters more than anything else. In other words, nothing can match the amusement they get out of smoking. Are you one of those smokers? If so, are you doing everything to take your experience to the next level? 
     
    Well, some of us in the smokers club do not know how they can enhance their smoking pleasure. Therefore, you do not have any choice but to find out how you are going to achieve it. 
     
    Here’s What A Smoker Should Get
     
    In recent years, a number of interesting gadgets have been rolled out that totally nail it when it comes to an ideal smoking session. Some of these smoking gadgets are tech-savvy while others are just cool no matter how many times you bring them out. Since we are on the same page now, it is worth every bit of it to take a look through some of the best gadgets you can buy in the market today to heighten your smoking experience:
     
    Wooden Or Metallic Stash Box
     
    Every smoker knows the pain of trying to keep all the smoking accessories together in one place. Sometimes, it is your rolling paper that goes missing, and other times you can’t find the main stuff no matter where you look. A stash box is definitely for you if you have several smoking accessories and materials. The stash box comes with compartments of different sizes - small and large to fit your glowing lighters and pipe. You can find a stash box in the style you like and undoubtedly it will be a great thing to flaunt in front of your smoking buddies. 
     
    Rolling Tray Is A Must
     
    A rolling tray is a true deal for bongers and vapers. Since you do not want a mess-session, rolling papers allow you to roll up your herbs cleanly and also assure easy clean-up after the long session. You can find rolling trays in tons of designs, colours, and styles. Rolling papers are available in the market and range from having extremely cheap to extremely expensive labels. All in all, you have the option to choose what you want and what will define your style. 
     
    Portable Vaporizer Can Do It For You
     
    A vaporizer, colloquially and popularly known as a vape is the best friend of every smoker. Those who know the difference between rolling and vaping will definitely appreciate what a vaporizer can do. A vaporizer allows you to smoke your herbs in the form of oil or wax which makes it cleaner than other smoking options. The best part is that the effect lasts longer with a vaporizer. 
     
    With the Enail, you can also set the temperature as per your preference. A passionate smoker can carry it around everywhere they go and take delicious dabs whenever possible. You know what we are talking about! You should look for the one that fits your smoking devices. The portable vaporizer can adjust to fit almost any size of bong and recycler models. 
     
    Automatic Grinder
     
    Do you also think grinding and rolling delay your smoking sessions sometimes? Well, most do feel that. Though almost everybody loves grinding their herbs, it takes a lot of time and energy, it cannot be denied. There you have it, get a grinder which is nothing but a miniature milling machine that grinds it and fills cones automatically. These little devices are battery-powered and once fully charged they can easily manage to go through multiple strong sessions. The grinding machine causes no spills or mess and gives you the perfect results as a vet smoker would do it. 
     
    Do Consider A Shredder
     
    Smoking clean means smoking nice and you do not want to compromise with that. A shredder is a grinding tool that is not automatic. Pour in your herb, close the lid, grind, and you are all set. It is as simple as that. This is the right tool for every smoker out there who does not have a lot of time to grind and wants to smoke the right clutter-less material. 
     
    Smoking is a pleasure - an outlet of feelings and emotions. But this is also an activity where there is no place for compromises with quality, so make sure you have the right tools and devices with you so that every time you smoke you make memorable moments for a lifetime. Pack up all your smoking kit and take a stroll to your favourite smoking spot, smoke, and enjoy.
  • The search for a new Centre Back has reportedly seen Liverpool cast their eyes to Italy with Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni linked. 
     
    The key defensive absentees have been well documented this season and a number of stop-gap measures have had to be put into place by Jurgen Klopp.
     
    Taking all the adversity into account, the back four have held up remarkably well with the emerging partnership of Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips impressing many observers.
     
    Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are set to return for the new campaign but with all three coming off long-term injuries, they will not be at their sharpest and their minutes may well have to be monitored to guard against the risk of muscular injuries on their return.
     
    Liverpool do have the option to sign Kabak on a permanent deal from Schalke in the summer while the future of Ben Davies is uncertain with the former Preston man not having played a competitive minute since arriving at the end of January.
     
    It is perhaps why, Liverpool are continuing to scour the market and Gazzetta dello Sport (via Metro) report that Bastoni is high on their list.
     
    Bastoni was signed by Inter for a fee of €31m (£26.5m) in 2017 and was immediately loaned back to Atalanta for the 2017/18 season. 
     
    The centre-back spent the next year on loan at Parma before returning to Inter last term to play a key role under Antonio Conte. 
     
    The consistent play of the 6 ft 3 in youngster who has already won three caps for Italy, has alerted many of the top clubs in Europe including Barcelona and Bayern Munich  and it is believed he will cost in the region of £43million.
     
    The scouting notes on the youngster say that he excels with the ball at his feet. He is eager to take risks and move the ball out of defence, and does so with sharp short passing and competent long passing skills. He loves to bring the ball out with mazing dribbles down the left flank and does so with confidence.
     

     
    Bastoni is viewed as an aggressive defender and isn't afraid to step out and tackle high up to snuff out any danger early on.
     
    Some of the things that Bastoni can work on include his quickness which cause his team problems when defending a high line, as he doesn’t have the lightning pace to recover and beat his opponent in a foot race. 
     
    In order to compensate for his lack of speed, he must improve when it comes to his positional awareness, namely, marking his opponent and following blind-side movements.
     
    Liverpool will be certain to be linked to more central defenders as we move closer to the summer transfer window.
     
    Bastoni looks like someone with a strong pedigree at a good age but on the other side of the coin, there have been countless tales of Italian defenders coming over to England and struggling to adapt to the pace of the Premier League. 
     
    So time will tell whether this move comes to fruition.
     
     
     
  • A good weekend as the Reds weren’t able to ruin it by losing and I was able to just completely avoid all footy until now, as I catch up on it by watching MOTD. I’d prefer to play on Monday nights all the time now until we’re allowed back in.
     
    I know I say this a lot, but until now I didn’t have a clue how most of these games finished. I knew Everton lost to Burnley because it was mentioned in one of the group chats. This did not surprise me in the least because Everton are fucking shit. I keep saying it and they keep proving it. 
     
    They’re fucking pathetic. The horrific run we’ve been on and the countless opportunities we’ve given them to pull away from us, and they keep shitting the bed. It offends me so much that we’ve let them get this close to us and I feel like slapping our players and saying to them “you should be fucking ashamed. Look how shit they are. Now look at the fucking table!!” 
     
    Their home form is almost as bad as ours. Burnley went in front very early when Tom Davies lost the ball and seconds later Wood was smashing it into the net. 
     
    Burley then wanted a penalty for handball. That would be given maybe 75% of the time as the defender’s arm is up above his head as the ball hits it. I don’t want to see that given as a penalty as his arm is up because he’s jumping, but  more often than not that would be given. Burnley don’t get pens though. Only when they play us.
     
    McNeill made it 2-0 with an absolutely brilliant goal. Nice drop of the shoulder to leave his marker for dead, then a perfectly placed curler from 25 yards right into the postage stamp. Goal of the month probably that.
     
    It will be enough to keep people talking about what an exciting young player he is when the truth is he’s a poor man’s Stewart Downing. I’ve said it before, but he gets overhyped because of two things. 
     
    One, Burnley don’t ever give any young players a chance so the assumption is that he must be special. He isn’t.
     
    Two, Burnley don’t have any players with pace or skill, so because McNeill has both it stands out way more than it would if he played for someone else. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s alright and I’m not saying he’s shit, but two goals a season from an attacking player is Downing-esque. That was a great goal though.
     
    It almost got even worse for Everton as Gudmundsen hit the post with a low shot from 20 yards. That would have been game over but the Blues took advantage of that reprieve and pulled one back through Calvert-Lewin. The absolute state of Nick Pope again though. Making himself small, Adrian style.
     
    He did make a good stop to deny Gomes soon after though. Mee hit the bar and Vydra was denied by some jabroni keeper they brought on to replace the injured Prickford and Burnley were good value for the points. Technically they’re still in the relegation discussion but there’s no fucking way they’re going to be caught by any of those below them.
     
    One of those teams are West Brom who were beaten at Selhurst by Palace. Dreadful game, very little quality from either side but Palace just about shaded it and deserved the points.
     
    They finally gave a pen for handball in this one. For weeks now defenders have been handling in the box without punishment and some of them have been pretty outrageous. If this one had not been given then they may as well scrap the rule altogether. 
     
    The West Brom lad leaned sideways to try and block a shot with his chest but it was too far away from him and it hit his arm. You’ve absolutely got to give that. The ref missed it but VAR told him to take a look and he pointed to the spot. Milovojevic buried the pen.
     
    Benteke went close with a rasping left footer that was superbly saved by Johnstone. The big fella is looking like he might be finding some form at long last.
     
    Zaha is no longer taking the knee which has upset some people. His reasons for not doing it seem perfectly valid to me but I can see why some people feel it’s not a good look. 
     
    I'm like Marvin in Pulp Fiction when Vincent asks him what he thinks of the 'miracle' they just witnessed. "Man, I don't even have an opinion". Who the fuck am I to be getting involved in that discussion? In fact I'm not Marvin, I’m the barman who doesn't want to get involved when Vincent and Butch are having a disagreement. “My name’s Paul, and this shit's between y’all.”
     
    Elsewhere, Fulham held out until the second half against City but then collapsed like a house of cards. It was all going fine until they allowed Stones to get on the end of a set-piece and that was the beginning of the end.
     
    Getting sick of City’s centre backs scoring loads now. It’s just yet another massive slap in the face for us really. Last season it was Big Virg doing that while City bemoaned the loss of Laporte. Now their defenders are scoring virtually every week while the last time one of ours even got a head on an attacking set-piece was probably around November.
     
    Jesus made it 2-0 when Fulham got caught playing around at the back. They’d worked it around brilliantly too and looked like they’d played their way out of danger but then Andersen got put in a bad spot and panicked. Aguero finished it off with a penalty that looked a bit harsh to me. 
     
    I want to like Scott 'Scotty' Parker, I really do. I like how Fulham play and I think he’s got the makings of a very good manager. Currently though I just can’t get past that fucking jacket. It makes me want to root against him. I’m not a fan of managers dressing like they’ve just stepped out of a Matalan catalogue. I blame Guardiola. He started this shitty trend, the bald little weirdo.
     
    Leeds v Chelsea ended goalless but Leeds edged it on chances. Roberts was within a whisker of putting Leeds in front with a 25 yard curler. It hit the bar and when you see the replay you can just spot a slight touch by Mendy. Fantastic save that. He made another great stop to deny Raphinha and Leeds ought to have won the game really.
     
    Worryingly, my boy Bamford was forced off after an awkward landing. He'll have been well up for this as he used to play for Chelsea. Well, he spent five years with them, on loan at other clubs. He had lengthy treatment from the physio and I'm willing to be my house that this is how he greeted the physio when he arrived on the scene….
     
    BamfordPain.mp4
     
    So yeah, I did actually download the full video of that song and then edited it solely for the purpose of making that gag. And you know what, it was worth it. I have no regrets at all.
     
    Aaaaaaaanyway, Chelsea have so many attacking players that Tuchel doesn’t know what to do with them. He’s just shuffling the pack every game now. Against Leeds he went with Havertz up front, Pulisic, Ziyech and Mount behind. He doesn’t seem to fancy Abraham much does he?
     
    My Mackem brother in law has had a good week as Sunderland won a trophy. He’s been to Wembley seven times and they’ve lost every one. The first time he wasn’t there they won, so he’s been jinxing them all this time.
     
    Anyway, the reason I mention him is he was telling me about a Newcastle fan who rang up the local radio phone in and kept referring to their striker “Linton”. He obviously thinks Joe is his first name, the absolute whopper.
     
    Newcastle’s plunge towards the bottom three looked to be continuing when they fell behind late at home to Villa on Friday night. A deflected header by Watkins looked to have condemned them to another defeat but they threw everything at Villa in the closing stages and Lascelles headed in an equaliser with the last kick of the game. Could be a massive point for them.
     
    Onto Sunday now and the North London derby, which Arsenal won 2-1 thanks to a, let's call it 'contentious' penalty.
     
    First though, the Lamela goal that put Spurs ahead. So many people were raving about it and the MOTD commentator called it “the best goal you are ever likely to see in a North London derby”. Fuck off. I saw it and had the complete opposite reaction. I’m going full ‘yer da’ here but if I was his manager I’d have that bum doing extra sessions to work on his weak foot. 
     
    Sorry to piss on anyone's chips here, but Rabonas are for one footed twats and show offs. I’ve never done a rabona in my life. You know why? If you read the Wolves match report the other day you should know the answer to this. I would just use my left foot because I’m not a one footed cunt or a show off. 
     
    Lamela deserves zero credit for that goal. Absolutely none whatsoever. 99 times out of 100 that doesn’t come off. He got lucky. He should just be bending that in with his right foot but he didn’t because he’s a one footed cunt. Apparently he hasn’t completed a pass with his right foot all season. I'm not even joking. That's an official stat. What a fucking useless sack of shit.
     
    That was the only effort Spurs had on target all day. Arsenal completely bossed them and had far more chances. They’d hit the woodwork twice before Odegaard’s deflected shot got them level just before half time.
     
    Lacazette won and converted a penalty to make it 2-1. Sanchez got nowhere near the ball and caught Lacazette, but the striker had already taken his shot and completely missed his kick. In fact, his follow through actually initiates the contact with Sanchez who is trying to make a block of a shot that never comes. 
     
    Michael Oliver further angered Spurs when he sent off Lamela for two bookings. The first one was a good tackle and even the second one was a bit soft as he tried to hand off Tierney who threw himself to the floor. You live by the sword you die by it though. Remember Lamela’s despicable antics to get Martial sent off earlier in the season? Twat.
     
    Kane thought he’d equalised with a brilliant header but he was offside. He then hit the post in the dying seconds from a free-kick he’d won with a trademark dive. Sanchez almost scored the rebound but Gabriel made a great block.
     
    A deserved win for Arsenal and Spurs are fortunate that fans aren’t in stadiums because their fans would be bored shitless by how they’re playing most weeks. As I write this they are 3-0 down to a team whose manager has just been sent to prison.
     
    Mourinho blamed Michael Oliver and Paul Tierney for the defeat because his take on the penalty was that the ball had gone when Sanchez made contact. That’s obvious but they occasionally do give pens even when the ball has gone when it suits them. It happened to us against Burnley for example. So it’s tough shit.
     
    Sheffield United sacked Chris Wilder last week. Fuck knows why they did it now. I don’t know if it was the right thing to do or not as I’ve not paid enough attention to what’s been going on. In fairness you could probably sack him for the Brewster signing alone. Solanke got Eddie Howe the sack and now history has repeated itself with this.
     
    One thing I would say is it doesn’t look like he had lost the dressing room based on how they played against Leicester. This was not a team that went out there with a fresh spring in their step because the man they were sick of had gone. They played like they were pissed off and miserable about it.
     
    They even let that Iheanacho cunt score a fucking hat-trick. Not only that, they let that Ayoze Perez loser score as well. No wonder they’re getting relegated.  
     
    Vardy thought he’d added a fifth but it will go down as an own goal as it wasn’t going in before it hit Ampadu.
     
    Leicester are in a real fight for second with the Mancs and hopefully they’ll get it. They deserve it I think, not least because of how well they’ve coped with an injury list that is second only to ours. 
     
    Iheanacho said he was “really emotional” and “I thank God that this day came”. Get to fuck you absolute shithouse. Thanking God?? You weren’t asking “what would Jesus do?” when you deliberately missed that sitter at the Etihad just to help out your old club. Jesus would have done the right thing and tucked that away in the corner and helped the Reds win the league. So fuck you. Twat. There are very few players I’d wish serious injury on. He’s one of them.
     
    Brighton beat Southampton in a cracking game at St Mary’s. Dunk headed them in front from about 12 yards following a corner. Forster went down like a roll of lino though, the Frankenstein looking cunt. 
     
    Adams equalised after Brighton failed to clear a corner but Young Farage (aka Trossard) won it for Brighton when he finished off a lovely move. Brighton scoring more than one in a game is almost unheard of but Southampton are in a wretched run so it’s hardly surprising. If they hadn’t started the season so well they’d be right in the shit with Brighton.
     
    Finally, United edged out West Ham at Old Trafford. No idea who scored, no idea who deserved to win. No interest in finding out. 
     
    The fixture list is a bit weird over the coming weeks but I'll continue with the round ups, even if they're shorter than usual due to the lack of games.
  • It wasn’t pretty but at this point who cares? Getting back to anything like what we have come to expect is going to be a process. It’s not going to be like flicking a switch and suddenly being boss again.
     
    The players have been through the ringer and confidence is fragile, but this was a step in the right direction.
     
    They battled hard and defended as a team. I thought we just about deserved to win even though it was a pretty even contest. Our football could have been better but we did well in flashes. The most encouraging thing was the clean sheet. We had a few minor scares but in general we defended superbly and once again great credit needs to be given to the two young lads at the back. Solid as fuck.
     
    In our situation it’s become more important than ever though that we score first. When we concede you can almost see the lack of belief coursing through the team. It’s like they know they won’t get back into it. When we score first and have something to hold onto it’s completely different, not least because it opens up chances to play on the break.
     
    In fact, if Salah had been half a yard deeper when Ox played him in late on this would have been a perfect second half. Defended well, kept them at arm’s length then killed them on the break. Exactly how you’d draw it up on the tactics board. Unfortunately Mo went a little too early and was offside.
     
    We’ve struggled to score goals recently but so have Wolves so this was always going to be a low scoring affair and therefore the first goal was going to be key. If Wolves had scored first I think we’d have lost, but we’ll never know that obviously. 
     
    Both teams had chances in the first half but the finishing wasn’t good. Mané had the best opportunity of the half when some nice play by Thiago and Gini sliced through Wolves and sent him clear. He did the right thing by going around Patricio but he didn’t execute it properly and couldn’t get a shot away. 
     
    My take on it was he just took a bad touch on his left foot and then couldn’t get it out of his feet, meaning he needed to take another touch and that threw off his stride pattern and prevented him getting a shot away.
     
    Thierry Henry’s take was similar but a little different. He said Mané should have used his right foot to go around Patricio and his left foot to shoot. Presumably that’s what Thierry himself would have done as he says when running at top speed you always use your stronger foot. I’m judging it by my own standards though, and with me being naturally two footed I didn’t think there was anything wrong with Sadio going with his left, I just think it was a poor touch.
     
    Sadio also missed with a diving header following a lovely move and he had about three shots blocked too. It seemed like every opening was falling to him but in this form he was the last person we wanted them falling to.
     
    Wolves had some moments of their own and could have been awarded an penalty early on when Alisson clashed with Samedo. Firstly, it was shite goalkeeping as he needlessly dropped a cross under no pressure. Whether it was a penalty or not I don’t know. It could easily have been given but that isn’t to say it should have been.
     
    Given the way our season has gone it is surprising that it wasn’t given but I said last week that we’ll start to get some decisions go our way now that our season is completely fucked. Have to balance up the numbers a bit to cover their tracks. Don’t be fooled though. This shit can’t possibly ‘even itself out’ and these games we have left basically mean very little now. Anyway, I’m not going to get bogged down with all that yet again. 
     
    Samedo then found himself in space on the right hand side but his shot was saved low down by Alisson. Neves had a similar chance from virtually the same spot but surprisingly he dragged his shot well wide.
     
    It looked like yet another first half without us scoring (and I think Wolves are even worse than us in this regard) but out of nowhere suddenly we made the breakthrough. It was a nice goal, albeit the finish was a little scrappy and I actually thought it had gone wide until I saw Jota celebrating.
     
    The way it was created was nice though. Big Nat won a header (of course he did) and the ball was worked to Mané. Coady came out to challenge but didn’t get there and Sadio spun away leaving us with three v two. Mo played a first time ball back to Sadio and he immediately helped it on to Jota who took the shot instantly.
     
    We had some luck there because the keeper probably should have saved it, but this is the benefit from having Jota up there rather than Firmino. 
     
    What do you think Bobby would have done in that situation? I don’t know exactly what he would have done but I do know what he would not have done. He would not have taken the shot first time and put it low in the corner with his left foot. Of that I’m certain. Jota did that and got his reward. He made his own luck if you like.
     
    The second half was weird. At no point did I ever think we would concede and I wasn’t at all nervous or stressed. Considering that the game was on a knife edge and Wolves did have some threatening moments I can only put that down to me not really being arsed anymore. 
     
    Ok, I probably need to phrase that better as it’s not that I’m not arsed. I wanted us to win and I’m glad we did. I think it’s just that we aren’t playing for high stakes anymore. If Wolves had equalised I wouldn’t have been booting the sofa and swearing my head off. I’d have just shrugged.
     
    That’s brought a strange calm to me now when I’m watching league games. In Europe it’s still nerve wracking and stressful, but I’m just not as invested domestically now. It’s a strange feeling though, watching a 1-0 game and not being even the tiniest bit anxious that we might concede.
     
    Wolves had a couple of good moments late on that could easily have produced an equaliser but at no point did I even flinch. They were never going to score. Usually I feel like that when it’s us and we’re losing 1-0, so it was nice for it to be the other way around for once.
     
    Those moments were self inflicted from our point of view though. I don’t know why Alisson isn’t coming and taking that high ball on the edge of the six yard box, but then he looked all over the fucking place at times. 
     
    Then we had Sadio spurning a shooting opportunity, turning away from goal and losing possession while we had six players up in attack. Within seconds the ball was with Traore and he was running away from three defenders and driving into the box. We managed to scramble it away but fucking hell Sadio, what’s with the decision making lately?
     
    He did some really good things in this game and he fought for everything. He’s just not himself at the moment though. Once again he didn’t go down in the box (when he took that bad touch against Patricio he could easily have left his leg in and gone down) but he has no qualms whatsoever about hitting the deck on the halfway line when he’s barely been touched.
     
    This game may prove to important in the process of getting back on track but it isn’t one we’ll remember for long. It keeps us just about in touch with fourth spot but does anybody actually believe we can make up five points on Chelsea the way both sides are playing? Stranger things have happened I guess but I really can’t see it.
     
    Another reason this was important is that we don’t have a game now for three fucking weeks. Imagine going into that break after yet another loss. So it was good we won this one. Can’t believe we’ve got three whole weeks without a game considering how condensed the fixtures were over the last few months. Stupid really.
     
    I see we’re above Everton again, albeit they have a game in hand. That’s pretty much my only target now. Don’t finish below them because it would be pretty fucking shameful as they’re shite. We’re still below West Ham though, who are also shite. We don’t share a city with them though so I’m less arsed about that.
     
    Star man is Trent. I thought he was quality and he didn’t allow Neto to do anything all night. That’s not an easy task as he’s a livewire him. Robbo did well against Traore on the other side too, although I thought going forward he wasn’t his usual self.
     
    Honourable mentions to the two lads at centre back once again. Very solid, very diligent. Three clean sheets on the spin for them now. Great stuff, they’re doing us proud.
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Kabak, Robertson; Fabinho, Thiago (Milner), Wijnaldum (Keita); Salah, Jota (Oxlade-Chamberlain), Mané:
  • Xherdan Shaqiri has experienced plenty of highs and lows during his decade long professional career and says that it dealing with disappointments is one of the challenges that you learn to overcome as a Footballer.
     
    The Swiss star came to Liverpool from Stoke City at the end of the 2017/8 season when the Potters was relegated from the Premier League.
     
    Speaking to Sky Sports, Shaqiri recalled that tough moment which in turn has helped him deal with the loss of form by the reigning Premier League champions.
     
    “They were not good times.  I know how it is when everything is not going well.
     
    "Here (at Liverpool), everything is bigger. People from outside speak a lot more. The club is so big that there are always people talking, left and right. 
     
    “This is normal. It is a big club and you have to deal with that because we are also a great team. Every team can have its ups and downs.
     
    "We are human beings. But we try to stay calm."
     
    While Footballers get paid incredibly handsomely compared to most in the community,  they are certainly not immune from the daily struggle that any that we all have to deal with, especially in these most difficult times. 
     
    The winger detailed the personal impact of what this gruelling season has had.
     

     
    “I have not seen my family for five or six months now. It has not been simple for me also because I am very close to my family. I cannot wait to see them again so hopefully everything gets better soon."
     
    The current home losing streak in the league has been discussed at depth, and while every club is dealing with the lack of fans due to the pandemic it has hit Liverpool more than most.
     
    “Everybody knows how our fans are when they push us. Everybody knows how many games we have managed to come back in if we concede a goal. I think there are many, many games where you can see that, many examples. Of course, we miss them a lot.
     
    "For the smaller teams, it is easier to come to Anfield with no fans. There is no pressure. You can see that in many ways and in many games. The smaller teams have more of a chance."
     
    Shaqiri believes that one of the main ways to get out of this form rut is to keep a positive mindset.
     
    “We need to get back on track and get the confidence back to win games. But we are a big team and I am pretty sure that we are going to get back to winning.
     
    "We speak a lot together and the coach gives us the right directions. I don't want to tell everyone what is said in our dressing room but we are speaking a lot and we know we have to come back stronger and give what he wants on the pitch. We have to stay positive."
     
    While falling victim to a number of leg muscle injuries during his Reds career,  the Swiss international is someone who the fans have a special fondness for.
     
    Be it his creative mindset, exquisite technical ability or his generally happy demeanour,  Liverpool look a better side when he is fit and firing. 
     
    Andy Robertson recently highlighted that fact by saying that Shaqiri has the best left-foot in the squad, even superior to Mo Salah.
     
    As someone who is on the fringes of the first team, Shaqiri knows he always has to be ready for his number to be called but knows what he can offer the team.
     
    “It is important to stay mentally strong and this is one of my strengths, staying focused on the game even when it is not going well. When the time comes, you need to be there.
     
    "I am a player who likes to take risks on the pitch. That is what I try to give the coach."
     

     
    While the team may not be in the best place at this point of time, Shaqiri looks to have put his injury woes behind him in 2021 and has been a consistent figure in the first team squad making 12 appearances in all competitions.
     
    Shaqiri will hope that his qualities are called upon this evening as Liverpool return to league action coming up against Wolves.
     
    They head to Molineux after a strong win against RB Leipzig in the Champions League and booking their spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.
     
    But he knows that performance must become the norm, not just a one-off.
     
    “We are going there with better confidence now, for sure, after the Leipzig game where we won and kept a clean sheet.
     
    "That can drive us on, especially in this game before the international break. If we win three points we can go to the national team in a good mood.
     
    “We are trying. We just need to improve performances and then I am sure we can succeed again. We have to stay positive and work hard.
     
    "This club has to be successful. It has to be at the top."
     
     
     
     
  • Thiago Alcantara feels he has played  below the standard he sets for himself since arriving at the club.
     
    The 29 year-old with one of the finest pedigrees in modern day football came to the Reds in October to much excitement from the fanbase.
     
    His first outing against Chelsea was just 45 minutes, but it was a cameo which certainly whetted the appetite in what he could deliver to a team that was already full of confidence and quality.
     
    He continued that form in his second game against Everton but towards the end of that contest, he was at the end of a highly reckless challenge by Richarlison which saw the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona man on the sidelines for over two months with a knee injury.
     
    Thiago returned to the side in late December but understandably took a while to get to speed.
     
    But as the form of the side started to dip, the frustration of his slightly underwhelming performances started to grow louder and critics were not shy in questioning whether he was a good fit for this side.
     
    Alcantara has been around the game long enough not to get swept up in any background noise, but as someone who takes incredible pride in his performance, knew that he had to raise his game.
     
    The Echo (via TNT Sports Brasíl) reported the midfielder as saying:
     
    “I don't read a word about what people talk about me.
     
    "I know that I receive some criticism about my performances, but I'm not happy with my performance since I came here.
     
    “A new club, a strange situation (COVID), I had a strong injury, so get to into the rhythm it was hard, but it's not an excuse.”
     
    A fallout of the defensive crisis meant that Fabinho and Jordan Henderson had to deputise in central defence, meaning that Thiago could not strike up a working relationship with the duo.
     
    Wednesday night was only the second time since he arrived that he had played with Fabinho in midfield, and certainly relished the opportunity to do so.
     

     
    “He(Fabinho) is a great player.
     
    “He gives us a lot of confidence in our backs, and it's awesome to play alongside him.
     
    "It frees me up a bit, I can move some lines forward and with that I can be more confident and player (nearer) with the strikers.
     
    “I enjoy playing a bit more advanced because you're always near the goal and you can create chances and score. It's a nice position."
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  • For those of you still reading these I salute you. Another grim weekend from our perspective and it’s now reached a stage where I no longer have any idea who we are in competition with and who we need to lose games. I guess it doesn’t matter when we lose every week anyway.
     
    The top four looks like it’s well gone now so we’re almost at the point where we need those above us to keep winning so we can avoid the Europa League spots. Playing on Thursday nights (or even worse, afternoons!) again? Nah, you’re alright. We’ll pass. 
     
    So barring an immediate upturn in results that keep us in contention for the top four, we’re close to being in the situation where we need those around us to win rather than lose. It’s been that kind of season though. Absolutely fucking insane. 
     
    Ok, let's get cracking then. Brighton played quite well again but were beaten by Leicester. Their problems are obvious. They just can’t score the goals to match their nice approach play. A mate said to me this week that they should sign Origi because he’s a good finisher. They could do worse and so could he. If they stay they should be looking at jibbing Welbeck and bringing in Div.
     
    They did take the lead in this game when Lallana ran onto a Maupay pass and finished well. He then hit the bar with a header that would have made it 2-0 and probably seen them pick up maximum points. He also set up a goal for Maupay that was ruled out for offside and generally he ran the show for an hour. His season with them has been pretty much what everyone would have expected. He’s played some decent stuff and been in and out with injuries. Such a shame how his body kept letting him down because an injury free, prime Lallana would get in any midfield in the country. Except one picked by my mum, obviously.
     
    I may have mentioned that she’s replaced Lallana in her disaffections (is that even a word?) with poor old Naby Keita now though. I got this the other day….
     

     
    She still calls him "Kiter" by the way because "a gust of wind sends him flying". Another update is that Gini is no longer the apple of her eye and Fabinho has gradually overtaken him as her favourite player. My dad on the other hand is currently worshipping at the alter of Nat Phillips who he says should be Virgil's partner when everyone is fit again. He also "trusts Adrian more than Alisson" so yeah there is that.
     
    Anyway, to get back on track. That Iheanacho twat equalised just after the hour mark but Brighton continued to press and Lallana was denied by Schmeichel late on. Leicester should have had a penalty when Dunk brought down Vardy. It looked like a good tackle initially but the replay from behind the goal showed Dunk didn’t get the ball. For some reason though the VAR replay they kept showing was the overhead view where it looks like he did get a touch. 
     
    I don’t understand this because he absolutely did not get the ball and he clearly brings down Vardy. He gets a touch to take it away from Dunk and he’s caught on the shin. At this point he just leaves his legs there to be taken away by Dunk who is sliding right across him. How the fuck is VAR not telling Oliver to go and look? It’s not Oliver’s fault as it looked a good tackle at first but it’s proper weird how they ignored the angle that shows it’s a clear pen and instead kept going over and over the one that was ambiguous.
     
    The decision didn’t cost Leicester because the Brighton keeper flapped at a corner and Amartey scored to win it. I genuinely can’t believe that non-penalty though. Fucking hell.
     
    Leicester had a Portuguese kid in midfield and he looked quite useful. They’re recruitment is pretty good on the whole isn’t it?
     
    Burnley and Arsenal drew in a game that will only be remembered for Lacazette’s amazing scream after being fouled. The way the MOTD panel ripped him for it was funny as fuck. He should never live that down, the soft cunt.
     
    Aubamayeng put Arsenal in front with a goal that should have been prevented. It was bad enough that the defender let him cut inside when it was obvious to anyone who has ever seen him play was literally the only thing he wanted to do. But then you’ve Nick Pope being beaten on his near post. This fucking cunt. Man of the match every single time he faces us and then fucking shit against everyone else. I’m developing a real dislike of this fucker.
     
    Burnley’s equaliser was just about as Arsenal as it gets. Fucking around at the back as Leno plays it to Xhaka who has a man right up his arse. He has to play a pass with his right foot, which is never going to end well, and he smashed it straight at Wood and the ball bounced off him into the empty net.
     
    In fairness to Leno he’s doing what he’s told to do and if Xhaka played it first time he had three team-mates in acres of space. As soon as he takes a touch he’s fucked though.
     
    VAR saved the day late on when Marriner gave a pen and red card for what he thought was a deliberate handball by Pieters to stop a goal bound shot. Turns out it hit his shoulder and Marriner overturned it. It’s decisions like this that the tiny minor of VAR supporters use as justification for its existence, but I’d live with the odd mistake like this rather than the constant stream of terrible decisions and stoppages to the game we’re getting from VAR. Not to mention how it has completely killed the moment. 
     
    Arsenal should have had a pen for handball but they just seem to have stopped giving them at all now. Burnley wanted one too when Vydra was clipped. Not for me, Clive. Dyche referenced that they get fewer pens than anybody. This is true. Unless they’re playing us they have no chance of getting one.
     
    Southampton might be the only team in worse form than us. They’d only taken one point from nine games but just like us they were able to pick up a win at Bramall Lane. Ward-Prowse set them on their way from the spot after Tella was fouled by Ampadu, and Che Adams leathered in a beauty to make it 2-0 after the break. Absolute belter that one. Taki should have made it 3-0 but hit the side netting.
     
    Still no goal for Brewster. He’s gone the full Dominic Solanke hasn’t he? Main difference was that I actually rated Solanke.
     
    Next up the Midlands derby between Villa and Wolves. Villa hit the woodwork twice in the first half, Wolves did twice in the second. Seiss also put one a mile over the bar from a yard out. 
     
    Villa are three points behind us with two games in hand. You know what’s really mind blowing? We’ve lost SIX home games in a row. If we’d won those, which let’s face it was a much more likely scenario than us losing all of them, we’d be second, six points behind City with a game in hand. It’s incomprehensible what’s happened to us. And it’s annoying as fuck.
     
    Onto Sunday now and United beat City in the Manc derby. Didn’t watch it, don’t want to watch any highlights and the only thing I have to say about it is that it was probably the best result just because it stopped City’s winning streak and because we aren’t catching United anyway so it had no bearing on us at all.
     
    City have been the best team by a mile this season but they aren’t as good as the great side they were two or three years ago. They don’t need to be though because we’ve been shite and lockdown footy has suited them down to the ground.
     
    The big worry I have is if they go out and buy Haaland this summer then he’ll score sixty goals a season in that side and no-one will get near them. 
     
    Sunday was fucking grim as Spurs beat Palace to leapfrog us in the table. Bale tapped in a Kane cross to put them in front and their celebration was nauseating. It was that whole “big star scores from a big star’s assist” thing where he points at him and he’s going “You! You!” while the other cunt is looking back at him going “No, you!” Fuck off.
     
    I can really do without them becoming a double act. A chimp and a simpleton. A Chimpleton if you will.
     
    Speaking of nauseating celebrations though, Palace levelled with a towering Benteke header and he did his shitty thigh slapping thing. I root for Benteke but I’ve got such an irrational hatred of that. When did he start doing it? Was he doing it when he played for us? Hard to remember because I can barely remember the fucker scoring. I want him to do well though. Just get a new goal celebration for fuck's sake.
     
    Kane then set up Bale for another one to restore Tottenham’s lead just after the break and Kane himself added a fucking brilliant third. I know we all hate him but he is one hell of a player. At this point he’s my choice for Player of the Year.
     
    Sub Zaha hit the post as Palace battled to get back into it but Son crossed for Kane to head in his second of the game to make it 4-1. No celebrations on that one as VAR did a lengthy check for offside and got the etch a sketch lines out. If that’s us that goal is ruled out without any doubt. I’m glad it wasn’t as no-one wants to see them disallowed even when it’s Kane scoring.
     
    Newcastle and West Brom drew 0-0, a result that helped Fulham more than anyone. With them beating us at Anfield they narrowed the gap to Newcastle and they’ve got a real chance of getting out of it now. Newcastle and West Brom were both fucking rubbish. That Joelinton is pathetic. One of the worst strikers I’ve ever seen. Doesn’t do anything well. Absolute shite.
     
    Onto Monday now when there were two games played. West Ham beat Leeds 2-0. Lingard won a pen, missed it but scored from the rebound. Dawson’s second half header wrapped it up. Dawson also hit the post with another effort. He’s not even big but he seems to get on the end of everything just by attacking it.
     
    My boy Bamford had a terrible day in front of goal. Any Other Day he would have had a hat-trick but this was no Bed of Roses for him. There should be No Apologies though, just Blame it on the Love of Rock and Roll Paddy lad. Anyone wanting to have a go at him just needs to Hush. Ok ok I’ll stop now.
     
    Finally, Chelsea beat Everton because…. that’s right, Everton are shite. Listen, just because we’re below them doesn’t mean I’m wrong. They are shite. It’s just that we’ve been worse. Doesn’t change that they’re shite though.
     
    Havertz set them on their way with a deflected strike from an Alonso cross. He thought he’d added a second but it was correctly ruled out for offside. He also won a penalty when he was flattened by Pickford. Jorginho converted and Chelsea won at a canter really.
     
    Of course Timo Walcott didn’t score and he missed yet another one v one. Their attacking depth is fucking ridiculous these days. When they beat us last week they did it with Giroud, Pulisic, Havertz and Hudson-Odoi on the bench. If they’d started the season with Tuchel managing them instead of Lampard there might still be a title race.
  • It’s like watching a different sport isn’t it? These games are like night and day compared to Premier League games. The way we play. The way the opposition plays. The way the game is officiated. Just completely different.
     
    We’ve been mostly shite for months but we have looked like ourselves in both games against Leipzig. This performance was better than the first leg but we played well in both games. It seems bizarre that we can completely outplay the second best team in Germany but continually lose to the worst teams in England, but styles make fights as they say.
     
    Leipzig’s approach suits us. What we’ve seen this season is that we really don’t have the creativity to break down teams defending the edge of their own box. I don’t even just mean the Burnleys and West Broms of this world either. Even teams like Chelsea who weren’t ‘defensive’ against us still defended in a specific way that we find hard to overcome.
     
    Leipzig were the opposite of that. They play from the back, they commit players forward, they leave gaps fucking everywhere! Our forwards just don't get to play like this of a weekend.
     
    We could have had a hatful. In the first half Jota had three good chances and Salah had two. Some of the football played to create the chances was lovely, some of it was route one. We had very little trouble getting in great positions though. Thiago also had a good opportunity but he opted to play a difficult pass instead of taking an easier shot. That was probably the only thing he did wrong all night though, he oozed quality. His best performance so far.
     
    It was from a brilliantly improvised pass from Thiago that Salah could have broken the deadlock with one of our trademark "Red Arrows" attacks. A Leipzig set piece was cleared, Thiago picked it up and saw that an early ball would release Mo. Rather than wait for the bouncing ball to drop and risk the window closing on Mo's run, he acrobatically jumped up and volleyed it over the top for Salah to run onto.
     
    Mo did everything right. Every touch he took was precise and the shot wasn’t bad. It was just too close to Gulacsi, but that’s a miss I can live with. Sadio’s follow up effort though was woeful. That was some Milan Jovanovic style misjudgement of a header! Even after that the chance was still there if Mo had swung his right peg at it. He tried to get it on his left and end up kicking a defender in the head and conceding a foul.
     
    Mo had another chance soon after when Mané played in Trent. He should have just taken a touch and leathered it into the far corner as we’ve seen him do before, but the team just isn’t doing things on instinct when they get in the final third anymore. Trent took a touch but then hesitated before cutting it back to Salah. In fairness to Trent the cutback was fine but it wasn’t an easy finish for Mo on his right foot with the ball coming at him quickly. It went over the bar but somehow we got a corner for that.
     
    Jota had been denied by a great save from Gulacsi early on when he rose highest to head a corner goalwards. The keeper thwarted him again when he dribbled through the middle and found himself free on the edge of the box. It wasn’t a bad effort but it was close enough to the keeper that he was able to throw out a hand and save it.
     
    All of these chances were ones where you wouldn’t necessarily expect to score. They were good chances but you’re not going to convert all of them. The one just before half time though, fucking hell. That’s got to be a goal.
     
    It was just a long punt upfield that Salah made something of by showing incredible strength and control of his body. I don’t know how he was able to bring that ball down on his chest with a defender all over him like that. It did get away from him before he could shoot but Jota was following up and had an open goal from only a few yards out. The angle wasn’t great but he had enough of the goal to aim at that this was a bad miss.
     
    Had we not been leading 2-0 from the first leg I’d have been massively concerned at half time as when you have so many chances and don’t score it usually doesn’t end well.
     
    Leipzig had a coupe of chances too. Alisson made a good save at the feet of an attacker and then he made a routine stop from a 25 yard curler. You could see they had a goal in them so at 0-0 it wasn’t entirely comfortable, but I thought we were defending superbly and had them at arm’s length all night.
     
    It’s easy to point to the two or three chances they had and say that it could have been different if they’d scored but some perspective is needed here. They’re a fucking good team. Since we beat them last time they’ve won every game and they’ve scored at least two in all of them. You’re not going to play the second best team in Germany and keep them well away from your goal for an entire game. They’ll have some moments, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t defending well. 
     
    I thought we defended brilliantly and a huge part of that was the work Fabinho was doing, breaking up play and just getting in the way of things. We’ve all missed him in midfield, but Thiago especially is probably made up to have Fabinho in there with him. He looked so much more comfortable and between the two of them it felt like someone was always getting a toe in to win back possession or to just stop their flow. Gini was excellent too.
     
    It felt to me like everyone just got a little bit better from having Fabinho in there. The defenders obviously benefited a lot too as it meant they had less to do. What they did have to do they both did with assurance and confidence. That’s two games as a pair for Kabak and Phillips and two clean sheets.
     
    Fitness permitting we need to just ride this out now with those two unless their form drops off a cliff. With this level of performance from them we can win games. They aren’t the problem. If we aren’t winning games it will be because the forwards aren’t firing. But with Jota back now I’m hoping that will kick start things again at that end of the pitch.
     
    The opening goal was a glimpse of what is possible with those three. It was a fucking brilliant goal. It started in our own defensive third but the way we moved the ball up the pitch was sensational. Trent’s ball down the line found Jota. He did well to hold it up and find Thiago who in turn moved it swiftly on to Mané.
     
    Jota had continued his run forward and arced it to stay onside. Sadio’s little ball with the outside of the boot was class, as were the two quick touches from Jota to draw in a defender and then reverse it to Mo, who sent Upamecano for the Echo before rolling it into the corner.
     
    You see them do that and wonder “how the fuck did you not score against some of the shite you’ve lost to recently?”. It’s just fucking weird. The change of competition seems to just rejuvenate them and put all the shite out of their heads. As soon as they get back to league action I worry they’ll go back to not even testing the keeper. We’ll see though.
     
    Prior to that goal we'd continued to miss clear chances. Jota went through one v one and hit the keeper again and Mo put the rebound high over the bar. Offside was given there but I'm not sure it was and VAR may have over-ruled the linesman there.
     
    We didn't see VAR all night though, not least because it wasn't needed due there being a competent referee on the pitch. You may not have noticed that but there was. We barely saw him but he was out there. Any time you see an official like this it just shows how fucking woeful and arrogant the PL refs are. The 'best league in the world' needs to start importing some better officials from around the globe.
     
    Mo’s goal technically didn’t alter Leipzig’s task as they still needed three to win, but it basically killed the game as there was never any chance of that happening. At 2-0 they might have scored one and then it would have been panic stations in case they forced extra time, but they were never getting three.
     
    They did go close to a goal before Mo scored but even that didn’t really feel like much of a moment of danger. They hit the bar but it kind took everyone by surprise that it was that close as it was a loopey sort of header that initially didn’t look threatening until it dropped and hot the top of the bar. Not unlike Sadio’s one at the weekend. It never felt like it was going in.
     
    Speaking of Sadio, it’s a relief for him to be back on the scoresheet. I didn’t think he was playing very well in this game. He wasn’t bad but he wasn’t anywhere near his best. He’s in a slump but hopefully this will help him get out of it. 
     
    Decent finish but it was all about the brilliant first time ball by Origi, who’d come on for Jota shortly before. He’s got that kind of cross in him as we’ve seen him do it several times before. Which makes it strange how he’s always used on the left where he can’t do that. He’s far more comfortable running at people on the outside and crossing with his right foot. When he plays left he’s far too easy to stop.
     
    So anyway, job done and unlike the first leg we created our own goals and didn’t need them to do it for us. All in all a lot to like about this performance. Fabinho dominated the game and I lost count of how many times Big Nat headed the ball away from danger. Absolutely buzzing for him.
     
    He’s been way better than anybody could have expected him to be. He’s always going to have a problem if anybody with pace can get him turned, but it hasn’t happened too often because his positioning has been sound and he’s marked people really closely to prevent them being able to turn him. 
     
    It’s going to happen eventually though and when it does I just hope people don’t start criticising him. He wasn’t supposed to be in this situation but he’s stepped in when we needed him and he’s been pretty fucking heroic all things considered. 
     
    I love how he plays. I love his concentration levels and his focus. He knows how difficult this is for him to be stepping up to this level and therefore he knows he can’t afford to switch off for a second. I love his aggression, how he tries to burst the ball whenever he heads it. I love that he knows who he is and who is he not and he plays within that.
     
    I’m not going to tell you he should have a future here but I do know that for as long as he is here he’s going to give us everything he has. If that persuades Klopp that he’s good enough to be a part of the squad next season then I’ll be delighted as he’s such an easy lad to root for.
     
    Not gonna lie though, I wouldn’t fancy him against Mbappe or Haaland in the next round. Same with Kabak too. He’s come into the team under the most difficult circumstances imaginable and he’s not been entirely convincing, but again, in context I’d say he’s done really fucking well all things considered.
     
    What does this win mean for the rest of the season? In terms of the league, absolutely nothing. Just like the first leg win meant nothing. We hadn’t won since that game so any thought that the players would take confidence from it and build on it was obviously misplaced then and it would be now too.
     
    You also can’t overstate the difference between playing Leipzig and playing Premier League opposition. They’re a good side and they’re pushing Bayern for the title, but fuck me they’re wide open and they leave spaces everywhere. The forwards had so much room to run in behind it’s almost like they were playing a different sport to what we see domestically.
     
    Even teams who don’t just sit back against us (the likes of Chelsea and Fulham recently for example) don’t leave this kind of room. We were regularly getting in behind Leipzig with one pass. So although it looked like players were back in form and the performance was more like what we want to see, I’m taking very little from it in the sense of what it means for Wolves next week.
     
    The result means we still have something to play for though and it keeps things interesting for a while longer. But that’s it. It doesn’t mean we can win it but it keeps us in with a shout at least. A lot of things would need to go our way for us to even reach the final, let alone win the thing. We need  a favourable draw. We’d need a big improvement in form. We’d need some players back.
     
    We could get the first two but the cavalry are unlikely to be riding over the hill in time. Maybe Hendo could get back to play a part but we’d surely be looking at the final as the earliest any of the centre backs could return, and even then it seems unlikely.
     
    So that means we go with what we have. Rio Ferdinand said that we can’t win the competition with Kabak and Phillips at the back and he’s taking some heat for that. That’s not an unreasonable take though. Be honest, prior to this game if you were asked if we could win the thing with that defensive pairing what would you have said? So does this one game really change that view? 
     
    Not for me. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible for us to win it with those two but it’s unlikely. Would you really fancy them against Mbappe and Neymar for example? So I’m not even really thinking that far ahead. Let’s see who we get next and take it from there.
     
    Star man is Fabinho with honourable mentions to the two lads at the back, as well as Thiago in midfield and to Mo who I thought was a menace all night and never stopped chasing. Everyone did their bit though and it was a good all around display.
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Kabak, Robertson (Tsimikas); Fabinho, Wijnaldum (Milner), Thiago (Keita); Salah, Jota (Origi), Mané (Oxlade-Chamberlain):
  • Fabinho relished the opportunity to playing in his natural position as the Brazilian produced a starring performance in Liverpool’s 2-0 win against RB Leipzig on Wednesday evening.
     
    The Brazilian has been adaptable and admirable during this campaign as he has had to fill in at centre-back during a catalogue of absentees from the defensive position.
     
    Fabinho has only played four games in midfield all season with his last coming on the 17th of October against Everton.
     
    Speaking after the game to the Official site as the Reds advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League after a 4-0 win on aggregate, Fabinho was thrilled to be back in natural surroundings as well as the team performance in general.
     

     
    “Yes, I missed it a little bit playing the midfield position. 
     
    “In general our quality was very good tonight, the communication from our two centre-halves, the pressing from the offensive players was working very good. Everyone was good, everyone enjoyed it, everyone pressed and we did the hard work.”
     
    “It was a great evening. We played against a really good team. We knew we had the advantage [from the first leg] and we played a really intelligent game, we had a lot of chances in the first half.
     
    "We didn’t score but we felt if we kept playing the same way we would score. We scored two goals and in general it was a very good, positive performance and very good for our confidence.”
     
    In the midst of a long losing home streak and generally inconsistent form in the league, the opportunity to leave the country and play in a elite knock-out competition would have felt like a breath of fresh air and embraced by the managers and players alike.
     
    “We just wanted to win this game. We knew we have opportunities to keep playing in this competition, this is a very nice competition so we know how good it is to play in this competition, to win the competition, we want to keep playing so we played really good football tonight. I hope this will help for our confidence as well.
     
    Jurgen Klopp was equally thrilled to have one of his key players doing what he does best.
     
    “It was my hope before the season [Fabinho playing in midfield] and during the season it didn't happen, so we have to see what solutions we can find for the next games – for Wolves first and foremost.
     
    "Of course, No.6 is his position, one of the best in the world in that position, it's clear. It was not only defending-wise really good from him, he played some good stuff as well. [He is] important for us."
     
    The manager was also incredibly proud of the performance by Nat Phillips who continued to be highly dependable when called upon.
     
    “Oh my God. What a boy he is, what player he is, what a night it is for him. That's absolutely great.
     
    "The concentration level he shows now week, in week out since he is playing for us is absolutely incredible
    .
    "He is doing exactly the right things at the right moment. In the air he is a monster and you could see today football-wise he is not bad. I couldn't be happier for somebody more than I am for Nat at this moment.
     
    "Not a lot of people get the honour to play a Champions League game and he has that now and he played a really good one and he won it and qualified for the last eight. That is really special."
     
     
     
     
     
  • Steven Gerrard has unequivocally put his support behind Jurgen Klopp to guide Liverpool out of their current form slump and lead them to further success.
     
    The current Rangers manager has shown his managerial skills by leading Rangers to their first league title in 10 years and currently has the Glasgow giants just six games away from a unbeaten league season as well as into the the last 16 of the Europa League.
     
    Football is rapidly turning into a sport of 'hot takes' and shock headlines where all the good work from the Incumbent man in charge seems to be forgotten in the blink of a eye for someone is deemed as 'flavour of the month.'
     
    The history of Gerrard with Liverpool and recent success in his managerial career means that people will take the step of coming up with 2+2=5 and the scenario that the Reds legend is the man in waiting for the Anfield hot seat.
     
    While you can only give credit to his very impressive work North of the border, the absurd notion that Klopp should be under any deal of pressure for his job needs to be put in its place once and for all.
     
    Being the incredibly astute football man that he is, Gerrard touched on this exact topic as the Echo reported:
     

     
    “The Liverpool fans don't want me to be the manager of Liverpool Football Club." 
     
    “They want Jurgen Klopp to continue as manager and I am totally with all of them. I wish you knew how much we loved Jurgen Klopp.
     
    "We have one of the best managers leading our club at the minute. 
     
    “I love him and we hope he stays for a few more years. I've got a job here, I don't think its helpful to talk about this - I hope Jurgen stays at Liverpool for many years.
     
    Gerrard has been around long enough in Football to know things can change in an instant.
     
    What could be the hottest thing on the planet today, could be tomorrow’s Fish and Chip wrappings tomorrow.
     
    That is why, while being incredibly honest about his goals, he is extremely pragmatic about the brutal nature of the industry he is in. 
     
    “Liverpool is my club. I had a fantastic journey as a player. I'm doing a completely different career path now. I'm happy in the job and role I'm in now.
     
    “Is it a dream for me to one day be the Liverpool manager?
     
    "Yes, it is. But not yet and who's to say I'll ever be good enough? Who says I'll be the owners' choice?
     
    "There's a lot of managers on this planet who would all like the chance to manage Liverpool.
     
    “I think we need to respect the guy that's in charge first and foremost because he's done an incredible job.
     
    "He's taken me to places in the last two or three years which have been incredible. The feeling. Me, my family and all the Liverpool supporters would all back that up.
     
    "For me, let's just get behind Jurgen."
     
     
  • Groundhog Day. It feels like we’ve lost every home game 1-0 for months. I actually said that to someone yesterday and they corrected me that the Derby actually ended 2-0. Not to me it didn’t. I’d blocked that second goal out because the penalty they got was so egregious. So the point remains. Every fucking home game seems to be the same now.
     
    We never score in the first half anymore and we barely score any in the second. As soon as we concede you know it’s over. We have plenty of the ball but give up more chances than we create. We usually have a bright ten minutes to start the second half but when that doesn’t produce a goal it all just fizzles out. Every. Fucking. Game.
     
    The worst part about this loss was that I absolutely expected it. We’re the Champions, we’re facing a bottom three team and I’m going into it absolutely convinced that we’ll lose. It wasn’t irrational either as there was absolutely nothing to suggest we would win the game other than wishful thinking.
     
    We’re playing so badly right now at Anfield that I don’t think we’re capable of beating anybody. I’m made up that Champions League tie has been moved because there’s definitely some kind of mental block with the players at Anfield now. Not that we’re much better away from home, but we aren’t quite as shit.
     
    I think the sight of the empty seats might just be depressing them and reminding them what they’re missing. They’re clearly feeling sorry for themselves, it’s blatantly obvious every time they go behind. It’s not that the lads aren’t trying, but they aren’t going out there with that mentality where they just refuse to lose either.
     
    Every team we come up against wants it more. Fulham wanted it more. Just like Brighton did. And Everton. And Burnley. And loads of other teams that have beaten us. I can’t even keep track now as we’re losing all the fucking time.
     
    It doesn’t matter who plays either, the performance is exactly the same regardless of personnel. You can bring in Shaq or Origi up top, Neco at full back or Keita or Ox in midfield, what does it matter? None of them are doing any better than the first choice players they’re replacing, who themselves aren’t delivering. It’s all fucked now and I don’t know how we get out of this. The hole seems too deep.
     
    Klopp doesn’t know how to get us out of it. I said that the other night but it’s just becoming more and more obvious. He just stands there, watching in stunned silence. Occasionally there’s a rueful smile when we miss a rare chance or a decision goes against us, but he was actually angrier when we were good. There are no bollockings, no calling players out publicly, he’s just backing them 100% nd taking all the blame himself.
     
    Not that I’m holding that against him. Who knows what his mental state is right now after what he’s had to deal with. I’d like to see him take the fucking stick to the players instead of feeding them carrots all the time, but he must have his reasons. 
     
    Some of this mess is on him but most of it is on the players. They were top at Christmas but now look at them? There’s just no way that can be pinned on Klopp. He might be unable to fix it but I’m not going to say he’s the one that broke it because he isn’t. The players’ toothless performances and general lack of fight in the face of adversity did that.
     
    And you know, I’m getting sick of hearing about how the lack of centre halves is the cause of this. Nah, it just fucking isn’t. We’re letting in one goal a game but somehow that’s enough for us to always lose. It shouldn’t be, but it is. Remember the days pre-Virgil when if we conceded three we’d go and score four? Now it takes three months to score four goals.
     
    The lads at the back have been pretty fucking heroic all things considered. Even in this game you’ve got Rhys and Nat doing a fucking stellar job. They aren’t top class players but we can’t ask for any more than we got from them. Before that we’ve had Hendo and Fab sacrificing themselves for the good of the team and defensively we’ve been mostly ok. 
     
    Frankly it’s insulting to reference the absence of the centre backs as any kind of justification for this defeat and several of the others for that matter. Rhys and Nat were fine. You can win with them playing the way they played.
     
    Can we say the same about everyone else? Can we fuck. Only Alisson gets a pass because he had no chance on the goal and didn’t really have anything else to do. Everyone else was varying degrees of dogshit. Again.
     
    Not only do we not score anymore, we usually don’t create much either. One or two good chances a game maybe, if we’re lucky. In this one we had a header from Mané that hit the woodwork and a volley from Jota that was saved. What else did we have? Not much.
     
    We can’t even blame the refs. Kevin Friend was fine other than continually allowing their keeper to waste time on every goal kick. The keeper would bring the centre backs all the way back to the six yard box as though he was going short, then we’d line the edge of the box and he’d then be like “no no no can’t risk it” and send them upfield. And each time it took around 45 seconds minimum to take it.
     
    He was clever though as occasionally he would take it short which kept the ref sweet. It was irrelevant because Friend could have added another 90 minutes on and we wouldn’t have scored, so I’m not using this as any kind of excuse. It was just pissing me off that he kept falling for it.
     
    I’m now at the point where I don’t care what happens for the rest of the season. Why should I when half the team clearly doesn’t? They’ve written this season off. As soon as it became clear they were not going to retain the title they just quit mentally. They’re just wanting this over with so they can start again next season with our injured players back and fans in stadiums. 
     
    Top four is 100% not happening now, it’s patently obvious. I’ve made my peace with that. Finishing below Everton is much harder to deal with. It’s inevitable now as we’re clearly not going to win enough games to prevent that. That really hurts. At least it hurts some of us. 
     
    No doubt Firmino will be liking Richarlison’s “the City is Blue!” Instagram post complete with screenshot of the league table after the final game. The cunt. Firmino I mean, not Richarlison. Although he’s obviously a cunt too.
     
    I'd be much more invested if we could go to the games. At least that way you feel like you can make a difference. I'd be there supporting the players and doing my bit to help them get out of the rut they're in. But we can't go to the game, we can't help them and they clearly don't have the fight in them to help themselves now.
     
    I forgot to mention this the other night but a mate brought it up and it's very valid I think. Kovacic smashed the ball into Sadio's face as he lay on the ground and one of our players did anything about it. They left Sadio to deal with it on his own. There was a time not so long ago when that would never have happened. Remember "Don't worry Sadio, I'll get him for you". Feels like a lifetime ago.
     
    I remember Carragher saying back when he was playing that "team spirit is always great when you're doing well. It's only when you aren't doing well that people question it". That applies perfectly right now. They aren't in it together and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they're in little groups now pointing the finger at other groups and blaming them. I have nothing to base this on other than the complete lack of unity and fight I'm seeing on the pitch. 
     
    The only silver lining to this black cloud is we’re so bad that there’s very little chance that we’ll finish in the Europa League spots, which at this point is actually some consolation to me. Fuck Thursday night football. That’s the last thing we need with our lack of depth. We’ve already ran our squad into the ground these last few years so a season without midweek football may help them get some kind of spring in their step again.
     
    Of course the owners will use no Champions League as reason for not spending, but we spent fuck all after winning the thing so how will we tell the difference?
     
    The players may be thinking “we can still qualify by winning the Champions League” but it’s not that simple. You can’t flick a switch from being shit to playing well enough to beat the best teams in Europe. Imagine us having to play PSG, City, Bayern etc with Big Nat and Rhys at the back and the shower of shit we’ve had masquerading as our midfield and forwards since the turn of the year. It would be ugly.
     
    Of course for that to happen we need to overcome Leipzig this week. We’ve got a two goal lead but is anyone confident we’ll see the job through? They won’t be as bad as they were in the first game and it’s unlikely they’ll gift us two goals again. If they score early I fully expect us to collapse like a house of cards.
     
    As for the star man…. fucking hell. I could go Rhys Williams but I’ll give it to Fabinho for his little cameo as it was the only remotely positive thing I saw all day. He looked completely re-energised at the chance to finally play in midfield again and was using those telescopic legs to get his foot in and win it back in their half. I don’t want to see him at the back again, regardless of who we need to play back there instead.
     
     
    Team: Alisson; N Williams (Alexander-Arnold), Phillips, R Williams, Robertson; Wijnaldum (Mané), Milner (Fabinho), Keita; Shaqiri, Salah, Jota:
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