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    Another fucking miserable weekend. It could have been worse but when we have a nightmare like that there’s very little consolation to be had in any other result that goes our way.
     
    The result at Old Trafford was as good as we could have hoped for. We couldn’t afford either of them to win so this was a relief. It was also funny the way it ended. Goldbridge’s reaction alone was worth Everton having their moment of joy.
     
    Just look at this (from 6:15 onward) ….
     
     
    I know I’m stating the obvious here, but I think maybe we find it easy to forget as this is becoming the new normal now. But it isn’t normal. Watching MOTD and seeing United and Everton players walking out in deathly silence is just fucking weird. 
     
    This no fans thing is so shit that I even miss hearing United fans at Old Trafford. Seriously. I’m looking at this now and it’s just grim. Maguire leading United out and there’s just complete silence from an empty stadium. I hate it. Like I say, I know that’s an obvious thing to say but I do think maybe we’re becoming desensitised to it after so long?
     
    I don’t miss their away following though, there’s literally no worse sound in the world than the nasal drone that emanates from a United away end. If they were never allowed inside stadiums again it would still be too soon. Horrible cunts.
     
    Anyway, Cavani headed United in front from a peach of a cross by Rashford and then Fernandez added a spectacular second from 25 yards. Great strike but he was given all day to line that up. Everton players just stood and watched. It was bizarre to see.
     
    United hadn’t even played especially well to lead 2-0 but that’s fairly standard. They rarely look that impressive but they don’t need to because they’ve got goals in them. Cavani, Rashford, Fernandez, Martial and Greenwood are more often than not going to produce some individual moment of quality and that can do a lot to offset a lack of great team play.
     
    They should have gone on to win by a landslide but because they’re not that good and have significant flaws throughout the side (and in the dugout) they threw it away (twice) in the second half.
     
    The Blues pulled one back in fortuitous circumstances when De Gea pushed out a harmless Calvert-Lewin cross directly to Doucoure who had an open goal. Shite once again from De Gea.
     
    Rodriguez then equalised three minutes later. United had gotten complacent but once it was level again they started playing once more and began creating chances again. McTominay restored their lead with a back header that Olsen should have saved. 
     
    Then with the last kick of the game Calvert-Lewin prodded home after United didn’t deal with a free-kick. Dogshit again from De Gea who stayed rooted to his line until it was too late. Mad that a game was strewn with shite keeping yet Pickford was nowhere in sight.
     
    Everton are shit. I’m sick of saying it. It’s true though. But don’t blame me if they finally win at Anfield. If that happens it isn’t because of anything I’ve said. It’s because Everton are shit and for some reason, all of a sudden we can no longer beat shit teams. And they fall into that category because they are, without question, shit.
     
    Speaking of shit, Southampton bounced back from their 9-0 loss at Old Trafford by…. losing 3-2 to ten man Newcastle. Taki scored a lovely goal though and frankly that’s all I care about now where Southampton are concerned. I’ve sort of rooted from them this past year or so because of how well they rebounded from losing 9-0 to Leicester and because of Danny Ings. And the kit too. I love the kit.
     
    But they can fuck off now. I don’t care that they had two men sent off against United. You can’t lose 9-0. And you certainly can’t do it in consecutive seasons.
     
    They should have beaten Newcastle though. They battered them, especially after the Geordies went one and then two men down in the second half. Newcastle led through on loan Joe Willock and doubled their lead when Almiron’s cross shot was deflected in by Bednarek.
     
    Taki pulled one back with a blistering finish on his left foot. I know it’s easy to say this but he wouldn’t have scored that playing for us. He’s only had limited opportunities but when he has played he’s never shown that kind of purpose or confidence. It was one touch and then BANG. A fucking belting finish. Playing for us he wouldn’t even have attempted it.
     
    We know he’s quality because we saw what he did against us for Salzburg. Maybe it was just too much for him coming here and joining the then European Champions. He’s never looked comfortable from the moment he arrived so hopefully he can restore some self belief by doing well for the Saints.
     
    Almiron made it 3-1 when he latched onto an Alisson style sloppy pass by McCarthy and finished confidently. Ward-Prowse did what he does and buried a 30 yard free-kick right in the top corner to make it 2-3 and Hendrick was sent off for a second yellow card (both for fouls on Taki).
     
    It was a total bombardment of the Newcastle goal after that but somehow they held on for the points, even though Schar was stretchered off and they had to play 15 minutes with only nine men.
     
    You know what’s really galling? Southampton beat us. The cunts. Mind you, Newcastle got a draw against us too. God we’ve become fucking shit haven’t we?
     
    Saint-Maximin’s twitter game continues to excel. He changed his name to Sam Maximum this week after hearing that was how Paul Merson pronounced his name. Then he trolled Sunderland with a funny tweet after one of their fans had called Newcastle shit. I like him a lot. Good player, funny lad. In fact, he’s now “My boy Saint-Maximin”.
     
    Arsenal were without David Luiz after his ridiculous red card was upheld. I’m still pissed off about that. What a fucking disgrace that was. They fell behind inside two minutes at Villa Park as Watkins converted a cut back by Traore.
     
    That was the only goal of the game although both sides had plenty of chances. Villa are decent and Grealish was boss again, but Arsenal played pretty well and those kids up front caught the eye once more. 
     
    They were denied a stonewall pen too when Lacazette was pulled down by the keeper on a corner. He was just stood next to the keeper, minding his own business, and then next thing he’s being dragged to the floor. The ref gave Villa the free-kick, which was understandable from his vantage point but what the fuck was VAR doing?
     
    Brighton and Burnley met at Turf Moor in the battle of the Anfield victors. Yeah, shit name that I know. I’m struggling for anything better though. Dunk’s header gave the visitors a first half advantage but Gudmundsen lashed in an equaliser after the break. Burnley should have won.
     
    We’ve got Fulham to thank for West Ham not overtaking us. I don’t think I’ll ever get over having to look over my shoulder at West Ham. It makes me sick to my stomach even thinking about it but this is where we are.
     
    Soucek was sent off in stoppage time for an accidental elbow on Mitrovic. Fucking unbelievable decision. Mason and Dean, the chuckle brothers, strike again. These two have been fucking rampant these past couple of weeks. I’ve got two words for you to explain this - spread betting.
     
    Dean is sitting out games this weekend because of ‘death threats’ made to his family on social media. Fuck off. If a football fan is going to kill you or a member of your family he isn’t going to warn you on twitter first.
     
    As if Mike Dean cares about something like this anyway. You know what would upset Mike Dean? If people weren’t talking about him. He fucking loves all this shit.
     
    Soucek’s red card was rescinded, which means that Dean and VAR have had two red cards overturned in a week. It’s rank negligence. You’ve got access to all the replays and angles you need and you’re still getting it so wrong that the decision is being overturned, even though we all know that overturning decisions is something they are absolute loathe to do.
     
    Even Mitrovic was appealing to Dean not to send him off, but let’s not fucking anoint him a saint just yet as if he hadn’t flung himself to the floor in the first place this wouldn’t have happened.
     
    Chelsea won again and now I’m officially concerned. Massively concerned. Red alert concerned. They’re one point behind us now. At this point I can’t say with any confidence we’ll finish above them or Leicester, let alone United. 
     
    Mount’s sharp finish put them ahead but a comical own goal by Rudiger got the Blades back on terms. Chelsea’s lead was restored via a fucking scandalous penalty awarded by VAR. Again, I can’t believe that was given.
     
    Timo Walcott raced onto a short backpass and then completely shit his pants when the keeper came on. He had no idea what to do and ended up knocking the ball one way and then running straight into the keeper. If anything he committed the foul there. 
     
    It’s just not a penalty. You could tell at first view but it was even more obvious on the replays. These cunts all need sacking. None of them are any good and the scary thing is they’re getting worse. Fucking Shearer said it was the right call. Wouldn’t have been saying that if it was Mo. Cunt.
     
    Speaking of cunts, Harry Kane was back this weekend. Back with a goal, too, predictably. Could have had more as he was brilliant. Son got the second when he finished off a typical Spurs counter led by Moura.
     
    Here’s something you probably haven't realised and it’s going to ruin your day. Spurs are four points behind us with a game in hand. Can you believe that? I honestly thought they were about ten behind us. This is fucking grim and getting worse by the week.
     
    I remember being staggered when I heard United were only a couple of points back. Then it was Leicester. Then Everton. Then West Ham. Then Chelsea came from nowhere and now it's fucking Spurs. Oh, and don’t forget Villa. Five points behind with two games in hand.
     
    I’m half expecting West Brom to suddenly appear in the rear view mirror in a few weeks time. They’ll win one game and suddenly the gap will be two points or something mad. Ok, maybe not them as the Baggies are fucking woeful. Of course we couldn’t beat them, but that merely proves it. When it comes to facing us, the shitter they are the less likely they’ll fall.
     
    As I said earlier though, if you disregard our horror show against City things didn’t go too badly for us on the whole this weekend. United, Everton and West Ham all drew on Saturday and Leicester followed suit by failing to beat Wolves on Sunday.
     
    Really poor game. Wolves had the better of the chances but Vardy came off the bench and almost won it late on. He’s fit again at just the wrong fucking time for us.
     
    We’ll get beat by them this weekend. They’re in great form and we’re in free-fall. If we win that game I’ll be fucking stunned to be honest.
     
    Finally, Monday night football and my boy Bamford hit his 100th career goal as Leeds beat Palace 2-0. Harrison opened the scoring with a deflected shot that gave the keeper no chance.
     
    Bamford twice went close before he eventually found the net. His performances in the last few weeks have been phenomenal. He looks as good as anybody in the league at the moment. It’s incredible what confidence can do for a player. He got off to a good start this season and it’s just snowballed from there.
     
    We’ve been linked with that Raphinha this week. From the little I’ve seen he looks good. Not sure he’s better than Harrison but he’s on loan from City so we wouldn’t be going for him anyway. Maybe Bielsa will take Firmino in a straight swap for my boy?
     
    Relax, I’m joking. Or am I? No, I am. I’m not being serious. Well maybe a little. But no, I’m joking. Honest. Maybe.
     
    Hold on, I’ve just a had a horrible thought….. *checks table* phew, that’s a relief. Eight points back with one game in hand. We don’t need to worry about Leeds until the week after next.
  • Along with signing Ben Davies from Preston North End on Deadline Day, the reigning Premier League champions also secured the services of Ozan Kabak.
     
    Brought in on loan until the end of the season, the Reds have the option to recruit the 20-year-old permanently for £18 million in the summer transfer window. As such, the onus is now on Kabak to prove that he’s capable of playing Premier League football for Liverpool for years to come. So, is he the short-term solution to ongoing defensive issues?
     
    How Does He Compare?
     
    To declare the 20-year-old a panic buy is somewhat unfair given that he was on Liverpool’s radar before the start of the 2020-21 season. Although he played his part in a Schalke defence that conceded 49 goals in 19 matches, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Regarding how he compares to Joe Gomez, Matip, and Virgil van Dijk, the statistics make for interesting reading.
     
    According to Squawka’s comparison matrix, in 2019-20, Kabak completed 42.8 passes per game. In relation to Gomez, this is considerably less, as the Englishman played 78.8. Of course, it’s worth remembering that Liverpool often dominated the ball last season, whereas Schalke was less commanding. Moreover, the 20-year-old also won 3.9 aerial duels, 0.7 more than Gomez.
     
     
     
    Crucially, the Turkish-born defender isn’t shy to play long passes, attempting 8.8 per 90, just 1.1. less than Van Dijk. One area that stands out concerns ground duel success. Although tasked with defending more, Kabak enjoyed a ground success rate of 68.32 per cent last season. By comparison, Gomez, Matip, and Van Dijk recorded 52.5, 54.29, and 69.57 per cent, respectively.
     
    The Importance of a Partnership 
     
    At face value, Kabak’s arrival could be seen as a panic buy following a lack of movement in the early stages of the winter window. It appeared that the Reds weren’t going to dip into the market until Joel Matip suffered a season-ending injury in Liverpool’s 3-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As per reports, the six-time European champions enquired about numerous options, including David Carmo, Duje Caleta-Car, and Samuel Umtiti. However, in the end, they opted for the financially-sensible solution in Kabak.
     
     
    In Kabak, the Reds have acquired a defender capable of playing on the right side of the defence. Davies, on the other hand, is left-footed. Between the pair, this will bring much-needed balance to the champions’ backline.
     
    During his time at Preston, who are 40/1 in Championship betting to finish in the top six in 2020-21 as of February 8th, Davies established himself as one of the best ball-playing defenders in the division. As such, with Kabak’s aerial dominance and the Englishman’s passing ability, as well as their combined pace, the Reds now have the tools to form a natural defensive partnership.  
     
    Playing for His Future 
     
    Although Kabak has only just arrived on Merseyside, his future in Jurgen Klopp’s squad isn’t guaranteed. With an option buy, the Reds are under no obligation to spend £18 million on the 20-year-old come the end of the season. That said, should he play to his potential, then Liverpool may have a gem on their hands. Given that he's comfortable on the floor and in the air, Kabak’s assertiveness may be exactly what Liverpool are missing.
  • Are you an injured athlete who’s been experiencing chronic pain for a while? Worry no more! In this article, we’re going to tell you what chronic pain is, its symptoms, types, possible causes, and natural remedies that can help reduce your chronic pain.
     
    So, What is Chronic Pain?
     
    Chronic pain is an ongoing pain that lasts for more than 6 months. This pain continues even after the illness or injury that caused it has gone away. Pain signals stay active in the nervous system for more extended periods.
     
    According to a 2019 study by CDC, the overall prevalence of chronic pain is 20.4%. The study found that chronic pain was highest among those aged above 65 years by 30.8%, non-Hispanic white adults by 23.6%, and women by 21.7%.
     
    According to the AAPM, chronic pain is the leading cause of long-term disability, affecting more than 1.5 billion people worldwide.
     
    What are the Symptoms of Chronic Pain?
     
    Chronic pain affects both your mental and physical health. While the pain can be constant, activity and stress can cause more intense pain. Some of the symptoms include:
    Mood issues, such as irritability, anxiety, and depression. Loss of flexibility and stamina due to reduced activity. Burning pain. Joint pain. Fatigue. Insomnia. Muscle aches.  
    In one study, 60.8% of the subjects who reported chronic pain also had depression. Most of them experienced severe symptoms.
     
    Types of Chronic Pain
    Psychogenic pain – pain that isn’t caused by nerve damage, injury, or illness. Headache Cancer pain Neurogenic pain – caused by nerve damage. Arthritis pain Post-trauma pain Post-surgical pain Lower back pain  
    What Causes Chronic Pain?
     
    Initial injury, such as pulled muscle or back sprain, causes chronic pain. Chronic pain usually develops after nerve damages. Nerve damage is what makes pain long-lasting and intense. In such cases, treating the underlying cause may fail to resolve the chronic pain.
    Some people can experience chronic pain without any prior injury. Chronic pain may also result from underlying health conditions, such as:
    Vulvodynia – Chronic pain in the vulva without any apparent cause. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction – A condition that causes painful locking, popping, and clicking of the jaw. Chronic fatigue syndrome – A condition characterized by a prolonged and extreme weariness that’s usually accompanied by pain. Interstitial cystitis – A condition characterized by bladder pain and pressure. Endometriosis - Occurs when the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus. Inflammatory bowel disease – A condition that causes chronic inflammation and pain in the digestive tract Fibromyalgia – Chronic pain in the muscles and bones.  
    Factors such as being obese or overweight, female, having surgery, injury, and age can increase your risk of developing chronic pain. Chronic pain changes the way neurons transmit and process sensory input. It makes them hypersensitive to pain messages. 
     
    Ways to Help Reduce Chronic Pain
     
    1. Meditate
     
    Meditation addresses both mental and physical aspects of chronic pain. Meditation increases flexibility and strength. It also helps you to relax your muscles. This is especially helpful when the pain makes you tense up. Meditation, accompanied by deep breathing, can help you ignore thoughts that trigger the emotional response to pain.
     
    2. Massage
     
    Massage is the manipulation of soft tissues, such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Therapeutic massage can help calm your mind, allow blood flow, and loosen your tight muscles. Like many complementary therapies, you may need to try more than one approach to find what works best for you.
     
    3. Exercise
     
    Exercising is an effective way to reduce chronic pain. It helps you strengthen and stretch your muscles, reduce joints stiffness, and improve circulation. If exercises like running might fail to work for you, sports like cycling and swimming can offer the same benefits without the high impact.
     
    4. Vaping
     
    Cannabis has been used for centuries as a pain-reliever and an anti-inflammatory agent. Today, there is substantial medical evidence that proves cannabis to be an effective pain reliever.
     
    If your pain is linked to depression, vaping could be enough to re-energize you. Vaping cannabis will deliver immediate pain relief. Cannabis eases chronic pain, including that resulting from inflammation and nerve damage. 
     
    Today, chronic pain affects more people than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. When you vape cannabis, it’ll stimulate your brain’s cannabinoid receptors. This activates the reward system of your brain, which reduces pain levels. 
     
    The psychoactive compound THC, found in cannabis, binds to cannabinoid receptors and produces an elevated state of mind. Its interaction with the brain's pain receptors has pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects. 
     
    In Zamnesia's Headshop, Vaporshop, Seedshop, Smartshop, Shroomshop, and CBDshop, you can find a whole range of products, like CBD products and famous cannabis strains like the Amnesia Haze, to mention a few. 
     
    Conclusion
     
    Since managing chronic pain involves both your mind and body, you’ll need a team of psychologists, physical therapists, neurologists, and a primary doctor. They’ll be dedicated to helping you find a solution to your chronic pain. 
     
    The most critical part of your treatment is always to stay optimistic. Remember that you’re not alone, and your team will help you get the relief you need.
  • Jamie Carragher believes three new quality additions should see Liverpool become true title contenders next season.
     
    The depth of the reigning league champions has been a constant talking point throughout this season and the stark reality hit home after Sunday’s humbling 4-1 defeat to Man City.
     
    While these are undoubtedly challenging times for anyone associated with the club, the former club legend speaking on Sky Sports (per the Mirror) believes that there can be a solution.
     
    “Liverpool haven't got the squad and quality of back-ups of other clubs. I'm convinced they'll be back. I still think they need three players.
     
    “They need that centre-back, maybe he's joined now in [Ozan] Kabak, they need someone to replace Wijnaldum and they need someone in the front three.
     
    “And I'm not talking about players on the bench. I'm talking about players that come into the team like Matip, Wijnaldum and Mane did - and like Salah, Van Dijk and Alisson did.”
     
    Liverpool have already been linked to a few players including Leeds winger Raphinha and Sporting Lisbon central midfielder Pedro Goncalves, each who have been in fine form for their respective sides during this campaign.
     

     
    The title is now looking like a one horse race after Manchester City embarked on one of their trademark winning runs while those around them all stumbled. In horse racing terms, City are approaching the last fence while their rivals still have two or three to go. You wouldn't bet on any of the challengers catching them but if the sport of kings is your thing then check out Sky Bet horse racing offers.
     
    Carragher says that City’s response after a well below-par season is one that Liverpool can most certainly replicate.
     
    “Manchester City are a massive example for Liverpool this season.
     
    “Man City lost nine league games last season. They were 25, 30 points behind Liverpool - and look at them now. That can easily happen to Liverpool next season, there's no doubt about that.
     
    “What Man City are doing right now should be an example for everyone in that Liverpool dressing room, and Jurgen Klopp, that it's not the end of the world what is happening right now.
     
    “They've got more than enough to come back.”
     
    It is a sentiment that former Fulham and Wales manger Chris Coleman completely agrees with and also feels the Reds have lacked the respect they deserve this season.
     
    “I’m amazed listening to some of the criticism of Liverpool. This is a team that won the title, Champions League title, been labelled as one of the best team in the Premier League - which absolutely they are. 
     
    “This season they have had crippling injuries to important players. Also the style of football Jurgen Klopp likes - heavy metal football - that they have been doing for two or three seasons and sooner or later that will catch up.”
     
    Just like Carragher, Coleman believes that this is not the end of the cycle.
     
    “They are a great team, they are in a sticky moment. Will they win the league, no. 
     
    “I think they need to add some players and they need to back Jurgen in the transfer market. 
     
    'No team can maintain those standards, but can they come back again? Of course they can. 
     
    "A lot of their players look a bit tired and jaded from playing the most attacking, the most exciting football, but they will come back again."
  • I’m writing this immediately after the game so I can get it out of the way and try to forget it ever happened. This was an absolute shambles and I dread to think what’s going to happen between now and the end of the season because the team looks completely broken now.
     
    Klopp’s version of events afterwards couldn’t be further from my own but that’s fine because I don’t think he believed a word of it. He’s trying to boost flagging morale and putting the boot in and saying how shit this was is hardly going to help. He’s said the right things because the confidence of this team has gone completely and he needs to rebuild it.
     
    There’s no way he can possibly think that this performance was fine though. It wasn’t. It was shite. Even at 1-1 before Alisson’s sabotage act this was shite. That ugly bastard in goal for City didn’t have to make a save of note. By full time he still hadn’t. It's a recurring theme now. Too often we don't work keepers enough.
     
    We’d marginally been the better side in the first half but that’s only because City seemed to be in second gear and were possibly still gripped by their “Anfield hoodoo”, especially when they missed a pen. We hadn’t been good though. Not at all. I think we caught City by surprise by how shit we were. They were geared up for fire and brimstone and we gave them wet bogroll. Like I said last week, should change the sign to "This is NOT Anfield".
     
    In the end City won this without even extending themselves. They didn’t even break sweat because it was so easy they didn’t need to. Forget the mistakes that handed them the points and just focus on how we played. Not good enough. This just doesn’t even look like Klopp’s Liverpool. It’s unrecognisable.
     
    They aren’t mentality monsters currently. They’re feeling sorry for themselves and only a few of them look like they’re even still fighting now. Most of them look shell shocked. And fucking knackered. There's no energy, no zip.
     
    Like I say, I thought this performance was meek, timid, overly cautious and devoid of all confidence and belief even BEFORE Alisson fucking handed them the game on a plate. The first half was mostly shite but it maybe didn’t seem that bad because City offered absolutely nothing themselves until Sterling won a penalty. Gundogan skied it into the Kop but ultimately it didn’t matter.
     
    This will sound stupid but I knew after about five minutes we weren’t winning this game. One incident was all it took for me to come to that conclusion. Ederson kicked the ball straight at Mané and for a second I thought “aye aye, here we go”. Ten seconds later the ball was back with Alisson. What the fuck????? That’s not Klopp’s Liverpool. It just isn’t. It’s the exact fucking opposite of Klopp’s Liverpool.
     
    Klopp's Liverpool don't go backwards. They go forwards. All the fucking time. Over and over and over. They take risks. They lose the ball but they win it back and then shove it straight down the opposition's throats. We've turned into a team full of Gareth Barrys. Fucking slow, boring, crabs.
     
    It was a recurring theme in the first half. Any time we picked the ball up with City’s players out of position, we slowed it down, didn’t commit to the break and just kept possession while they got back into their defensive shape. It was slow and ponderous and safe and scared. As I say, the exact opposite of who this team is. It was soul destroying to watch it. Just what the fuck has happened to them?
     
    And don’t tell me it’s Virgil not being there. The centre back thing is a bit of a red herring. I’m not saying it isn’t a big factor because of course it’s hurt us and contributed to some of the shit we’ve witnessed these last couple of months, but it’s far more than just that. We’ve lost three home games on the spin and we never look like scoring. 
     
    Even the goal we got in this game was a penalty after a defensive mistake. It was nothing to do with us breaking them down. Is it the midfield or is it the forwards? It’s a chicken and egg question. Do the strikers look bad because the midfield (and full backs) aren’t getting them the ball? Or are the midfield looking bad because the forwards are doing fuck all with the balls they get? It’s both but with a heavier emphasis on the front players for me.
     
    City are much better defensively these days because they don’t commit as many players forward and they don’t leave the centre backs one v one in the way they used to. Still, they don’t play with everyone behind the ball like most of our opponents do and there were plenty of opportunities for us to create chances. We never looked like doing so though.
     
    We had one good chance in the first half that Sadio headed over. Should have scored, but he looked way off the pace all day. He probably wasn’t fit but we couldn’t afford to leave him out as that would have meant Origi playing. Not that he could have been any worse than Firmino. 
     
    Bobby’s a problem now. No doubt about it. The occasional good game gives us false hope that he’s going to get back to being the Bobby we all loved. Not gonna happen. This is who he is now and it’s pretty heartbreaking to see.
     
    It’s not just him though. The whole team just doesn’t look right. I’d like to think that playing centre backs at centre back and freeing up Hendo and Fabinho to revert to midfield will fix it, but I think it goes deeper than that now. We’ve got big problems. I can live with being beaten by City but not like this. Not without even making them work for it. 
     
    Where is the fight? The pressing? The passion? The desire? I didn’t see ANY of those things. Just a meek, timid, scared performance that got exactly what it deserved. This isn’t Heavy Metal Football. Fuck me, it’s not even Ed Sheeran Football. I’d settle for Ed Sheehan over this. What we’re seeing is “Adele Football”. Feeling sorry for yourself, whiny fucking cryarsing shite. 
     
    No fans continues to absolutely kill us. Those half arsed breaks when no-one wanted to take a risk and instead just went backwards? That doesn’t happen with a full stadium roaring the lads on. And we definitely don’t play the game at City’s pace inside a packed Anfield. We play it at our pace. And they can’t live with our pace. We’ve seen it time and again.
     
    This was as far removed from that as it’s possible to be. There was no intensity, no zip, no passion, no fight. It was a behind closed doors training match. Just like most of these fucking lockdown games. No wonder City are running away with it. These games suit them perfectly. They’re winning games without even having to extend themselves. They might even win the league by a record margin the way the rest of us are all going.
     
    Not that it matters. What City do is no longer of any consequence to us. They’re out of sight beyond the horizon and there’s no point us even worrying about what they’re doing now. We’ve slipped so far, so fast, that now we have to be looking at the results of fucking Everton and West Ham. And resurgent Chelsea are right up our arses now too. I feel sick even typing that, but that’s our situation. 
     
    I don’t know how we reverse this tail spin and I no longer think Klopp knows either. It just feels like a case of getting this season over with and trying to regroup for next year. There is not a hope in hell that we can win the Champions League and it’s now just about ensuring we stay in the top four.
     
    There’s just not really any area of the side functioning properly. Thiago is a quality footballer who looks like he’s playing in the wrong team. He looks like a Man City midfielder. He’d fit perfectly into their side but he looks completely out of place for us. He’s not playing badly as such, but he’s just not helping us in any way is he? 
     
    I don’t even blame him, it’s not his fault. It’s like putting the world’s best violin player in a rock band. The one big caveat I’d add to any Thiago criticism is that he was signed to play in a midfield with Henderson and Fabinho and that’s happened maybe, what, once? There’s no shortage of effort from him but he needs to stop picking up early bookings that mean he’s on a knife edge for the rest of the game. 
     
    Klopp isn’t helping matters with some of his changes either. Shaq for Thiago made sense as we needed a spark and Thiago was walking that tightrope. Taking off Jones when he was our best player was baffling though. I love Milner and have no issue with him being brought on to give us a bit of intensity. It shouldn’t have been for Jones though. 
     
    Get Firmino off, play Jones or Shaq as the false nine. Just do something fucking different because there was not a hope in hell that Firmino was going to do anything in this game. 
     
    It probably wouldn’t have made a difference as there was no belief in that team at all, but it couldn’t have been any worse. Hendo tried to rally them and Salah kept plugging away but even after we equalised we didn’t seem to even get much of a lift from it. Again, not having fans killed us there as it’s so hard to create any emotion and momentum in an empty stadium.
     
    Still, at 1-1 we were comfortable enough even if we didn’t look like scoring. The only threat from City was Sterling running at Trent and Fabinho. He won the penalty doing that (definite pen for me, Fabinho shouldn’t be hanging out a leg like that) and he set up their opener by doing it. Just too easy really.
     
    But we came back from that with Mo’s penalty (superbly taken). At that point we had no idea of what was to come. Fucking hell. 
     
    Not gonna lie, I’m fucking disgusted with Alisson. I know he’s been great for us and that everyone is entitled to an off day. I get all that. I’m not calling for him to be sold out or even dropped. I’m just saying right now, as I type this, I’m fucking disgusted, angry, resentful and it’s not something I’ll get over quickly.
     
    If it was just a case of being beaten by shots he should be saving I’d feel differently. But what he did was cocky, reckless, irresponsible and just fucking stupid. I hope something is said to him. Publicly Klopp and his team-mates need to back him but privately I hope they tear a strip off him as there’s no excuse for this.
     
    I don’t know what the fuck he was doing. He was flirting with that shit even before it happened. Taking forever on the ball and inviting pressure. I noticed it in the first half. Just too fucking casual and cocky. Was he trying to prove a point to Ederson that he can play with his feet just as well as him? Because he fucking can’t. 
     
    As great as Alisson is, when it comes to his ‘footballing ability’ he’s massively over-rated. He’s decent, that’s all. Nothing special with his feet at all. I thought he was when he first arrived because that was his reputation and I bought into it. Truth is though, he’s not that great with his feet and his passes often go astray. 
     
    Which is fine. I don’t expect him to be Xabi Alonso and in goalkeeper terms he’s definitely above average with his feet. He’s clearly not as good as he thinks he is though, as we’ve just seen, much to our embarrassment.   
     
    He didn’t learn from the close call in the first half and even after he got caught and conceded a goal he carried on doing it, the tit. I can’t get my head around what he did.
     
    We’d got back into the game and who knows, maybe we could have sneaked a winner. City weren’t doing much, but then Alisson took an age on the ball, got it stuck under his feet and almost got caught out. But he got lucky and when the ball came back to him a second or two later he should have just been launching that. Instead he played some shitty casual half arsed chip straight to Foden and just like that it’s 2-1.
     
    And then, unforgivably, he did the exact same thing a few minutes later. A shitty pass to Fabinho that put him under pressure, and then seconds later a pass straight to Silva who set up Sterling to make it 3-1. Unbelievable. And if that wasn’t enough, he then allowed a Foden shot to fly past him to rub salt in the already seeping wound. Even I’d have saved that. It was straight at him. His head had completely gone though.
     
    This is the worst individual goalkeeping performance I’ve ever seen from a Liverpool keeper. It was worse than Karius, not least because at least Karius had the excuse of a concussion. It was marginally worse than David James against Coventry too, although I may be allowing recency bias to influence me there. James cost us a title. This title was lost weeks ago.
     
    I know that our keepers are instructed to play out from the back but that’s just not an excuse for what he did. You have to be able to react to the situation and the opposition. Playing out in those situations, when City were smelling blood and you’ve already been caught, it’s just not acceptable. Fucking get it as far away from your goal as possible and then clear your head.
     
    I also blame the defenders for continuing to pass to him though when his head was clearly up his arse. 
     
    You know what though, fuck this, I don’t even want to talk about it anymore. It was another miserable experience in a miserable fucking season. And I’m getting sick of these bummings we’re letting City give us too. That’s three in as many seasons now. A team as good as ours shouldn’t be letting this happen so often.
     
    I just don’t know where we go from here now. I said a few weeks ago after we lost to Burnley that it probably wasn’t rock bottom. I had hoped that the Old Trafford defeat in the cup might have been the low point, especially as we won the next couple and looked to have our mojo back. But then came Brighton and now this. Have we hit rock bottom now?
     
    My gut feeling is no we haven’t. I feel like it’s going to get worse. We might even lose the derby, even though Everton are shit. We’re shit too currently. They’ll never, ever, have a better chance to win at Anfield. I mean let’s face it, every pother cunt is winning here now so why not them?
     
    Hopefully I’m wrong and Klopp can make the most of a full week’s training with no midweek game to fix things. I understood the logic in playing Henderson and Fabinho at the back just because it was Man City. Against anyone else I wouldn’t have been in favour of that, but I could see why Klopp went with that for this one game.
     
    Now though? Fuck that. We’ve got nothing to lose now. This isn’t working so let’s change it. Play whichever two you like from Phillips, Davies and Kabak in defence, get Fabinho and Henderson back in midfield and let’s see if we can start looking more like Liverpool again. This title defence has been fucking embarrassing.
     
    Star man is Jones.
     
    Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Henderson, Robertson (Tsimikas); Wijnaldum, Jones (Milner), Thiago (Shaqiri); Salah, Firmino, Mané:
  • Despite their current struggles it is Liverpool who remain the team that worries Pep Guardiola more than any other according to Micah Richards.
     
    Liverpool and Man City has become the pre-eminent fixture on the Premier League calendar, much like what Man United and Arsenal was in the late 90s and early 2000s.
     
    You are always bound to get a mixture of terrific football, drama and talking points thrown in after the 90 minutes of action.
     
    During the current tenures of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, they each have recorded hallmark victories which have gone a long way to securing honours at the end of the season.
     
    The clash at Anfield on Sunday afternoon will be the 21st time they have met in a competitive fixture during their managerial careers in Germany and England.
     
    The German edges the head to head record nine wins to eight with three draws across all competitions. In terms of the the Premier League, you cannot separate the two, with each manager recording three wins, three defeats and three draws.
     
    Usually the home team enjoys the better of it but with no fans in stadiums that changes things massively and City will not have a better opportunity to finally end their Anfield hoodoo. They go into the game as favourites with the bookies which is hardly surprising considering the respective form of both teams.
     
    City are on a 13 game winning run in all competitions whilst Klopp's men have been wildly erratic and haven't won at home since December. If you apply the principles of betting it's difficult to see past the league leaders extending their advantage at the top and all but ending any hopes Liverpool have or retaining their title, but perhaps a clash with City is what Liverpool need to get their juices flowing again?
     
    Richards who made 176 appearances for the Citizens across 10 seasons says despite being acclaimed as the best manager in World Football by some, Guardiola would desperately want to get one over the German and look on in envy at some of his achievements.
     
    The Echo reported the former England international as saying:
     
    “What Klopp has done – Champions League final, Champions League winner and a Premier League – has been absolutely incredible,"
     
    "Of course everyone has always been talking about Pep from his Barcelona days. But he hasn’t won the Champions League for, what, 10 years? And then Klopp comes to Liverpool and within his five-year spell he’s won the Champions League.
     
    "It’s going to get under your skin, no matter if you admit it or not. Because that’s part of the rivalry. They respect each other and they drive each other to be better managers."
     

     
    Anfield has been the location of many miserable memories for over a decade and a half and Guardiola is indeed searching for his first win at the ground as a player and manager.
     
    Richards says the impact of no fans being at the ground has undoubtedly had a major impact on Liverpool’s title defence.
     
    “When there are fans at Anfield, it is the hardest place to go - fact.
     
    “When you’re in the tunnel and all the players are slapping the ‘This is Anfield’ sign, and you go out and the fans are singing their hearts out and the game hasn’t even kicked off, it feels like you’re about to go to war. It’s incredible.
     
    “When people say having no fans there doesn’t matter, of course it matters. Anfield would be bouncing on Sunday if they were there.
    “In some cases, I believe it has been a disadvantage for Liverpool there being no fans there.
     
    “Going there is always tough with fans. No disrespect to Burnley and Brighton, if fans were there – and this isn’t me discrediting those teams – when it gets to 60 or 70 minutes and Liverpool are behind, they could get a draw or nick a win easily."
     
    Former Reds captain Jamie Redknapp concurred and says it is something that Klopp identified early in his tenure.
     
    "Klopp was ridiculed after the West Brom game earlier in his time at Liverpool when he and the team stood in front of the Kop because they’d got a late draw.
     
    “People were wondering what he was doing that for. But he was trying to tap into that belief that whatever happens, the crowd are going to be there until the last second of that game, willing it in for you. Now Liverpool have lost that."
     
    “Then there are the injuries. All these little things have conspired against Liverpool. I’m not making excuses for them, I’m just being totally honest. It hasn’t been the easiest season for them.
     
    “People are saying Liverpool have lost their long unbeaten run at Anfield but this isn't Anfield. This is a pitch with four empty stands around it."
  • Sunday Jan 31:
     
    West Ham 1 L 3. Great stuff. Amazing goals, outstanding team performance and three points. Mo was on fire, Thiago is becoming more influential and what can you say about Hendo? What a man. What a captain. What a centre back. 
     
    Milner joked afterwards that Hendo needs to be careful because if he keeps playing like that he’ll stay at the back. I could see that happening when he gets older but I can also see it happening in the next month or two because he’s at least as good as Fabinho and he might be better. He’s certainly more vocal and that’s going to be important if Phillips or Williams are playing. It would also allow us to get Fabinho back as the six.
     
    On the transfer front it looks like we’re actually getting a centre half. Finally. Not someone that many would have expected but beggars can’t be choosers as they say, and bringing in one of the top defenders in the Championship whose playing style suits our game is about as good as we could have hoped for considering FSG are adamant they aren’t spending anything. 
     
    Irrespective of who that player is (most of us wouldn’t have a clue who the best defenders in the Championship are), we’d all have taken that at this stage, right? Except the loons still demanding we pay £80m for Koulibaly or Upamecano.
     
    This doesn’t come close to compensating for losing Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip (I doubt we’ll see him for a couple of months at best), but it does make us stronger because it’s another competent option and it’s a bit of depth. I say competent because I’m pretty sure that Ben Davies won’t be shit. He might not prove to be good enough in the long run, we’ll see, but he won’t be shit because if he was they wouldn’t have signed him. His name wasn’t plucked out of a hat, it was picked off a spreadsheet and signed off by Klopp.
     
    He’s got 250 games under his belt in the football league. It’s not the Premier League but you learn an awful lot as a centre back playing 250 games at football league level. The fact he’s in the Championship doesn’t bother me as half the players he’ll come up against have played in the Championship. The gap isn’t as big as people make out. Leeds were in the Championship last year but their players don’t look out of their depth do they? 
     
    Players develop at different ages, especially centre backs. Ben White was playing in the Championship last year but no-one would have bat an eyelid if we’d signed him as he’s seen as a great prospect. We don’t need a great prospect though, we need someone who can do a job now. Other players will have a higher ceiling than Davies but our priority needed to be who can help us the most immediately.
     
    The fact Davies is 25 and not 22 is seen by some as a negative but to me it’s the opposite. You can ask “if he was that good why is he still playing at that level” but it’s not that simple. If he was 22 he probably wouldn’t have the experience or maturity to handle being thrown in at the deep end, unless he’d been playing every week from the age of 17. Davies has maturity which should help him adapt quicker.
     
    He will have been way down the list of options and we’re only signing him because the price is right and we couldn’t get any of the preferred targets. Let’s not pretend otherwise. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a success here though.
     
    This feels old school. I’m not talking about Clemence and Keegan from Scunthorpe, or Phil Neal from Northampton. For some reason the one that came to mind for me was David Burrows from West Brom. I had no idea who he was when we signed up but from his very first game I loved him. I’m not expecting Davies to be Alan Hansen but I’m confident he’ll be solid and will do what we need him to do because he’s got the skins on his wall.
     
    If Rhys Williams had 250 professional games under his belt we wouldn’t need to sign anyone. Well, we probably still would because ideally we need to be bringing in two, but you get my point. I keep saying how experience is more important at centre back than anywhere else but ideally you also need someone with the skillset to play in your specific style (which by all accounts this lad has), so the signing of Ben Davies is fine by me.  
     
    Monday Feb 1:
     
    You wait all month for one and then two arrive at the same time. Davies is joined by Ozan Kabak, who we were linked with for much of last summer. The price wasn’t right then but fuck me it is now. £1m loan fee with an option - but no obligation - to buy for £18m in the summer? If there are any flies on Michael Edwards they’re paying fucking rent. With FSG being the mingebags they are it's a good job we've got someone like Edwards doing deals.
     
    Weirdly, I don’t actually have especially high hopes for Kazak THIS season and I expect Davies will play more (no idea why, just a hunch) but this is just a great deal. If Upamecano is the one they really want and they are prepared to pay his £40m buyout in the summer, these deals don’t impact that at all. We could loan out Davies next season and/or we could decline the option on Kabak if he doesn’t cut the mustard. And if Kabak turns out to be boss (which he might, as he was a target even before we were desperate) then we’ve got a steal.
     
    No sooner was it announced that we’d signed Kabak, Klopp was having to inform us that Matip is done for the season. Not a shock but it is sad. I feel bad for Joel. He’s such a great player and although we already knew he was injury prone, Klopp added some context to that by explaining how he’d been rushed back at the first available opportunity every time because our need was so great, and that hasn’t helped.
     
    It’s just a massive shame. Matip must be fucking devastated at this latest injury, which it turns out he picked up when he made that quality tackle on Son. He played on with damaged ankle ligaments but as soon as you stop moving and take the weight off it then it hits you, and at half time it ballooned up.
     
    Klopp suggested that the lay off with the ankle will be used as a chance to heal everything else and come up with a training regime to strengthen him and sort this once and for all. They did something similar with Sturridge, and it kind of worked as I don’t think he picked up a single injury in his final season here. That horse had already bolted though. Lallana’s final year with us wasn’t as bad either but he’s still picking up knocks every other week at Brighton.
     
    If Matip was dependable with his fitness he’d be an £80m player as he’s that good. But he isn’t dependable and I don’t see the club wanting to pay him 100k a week to play a dozen games a season.
     
    Other transfer activity saw Van den Berg go to Preston on loan to replace Davies and Minamino went to Southampton on loan after they were rebuffed in a bid to take Neco there. 
     
    Good move all around that. Taki needs games and for whatever reason he wasn’t getting them here. Southampton’s high press, high energy style makes them a desirable club for him to go to and if he does well there then he either comes back to play a part here or he increases his value and we can move him on.
     
    So a surprisingly productive 24 hours then. I had said recently that if we brought someone in on deadline day I’d be annoyed because we should have done it sooner. I take it back. I’m not especially annoyed and I can see exactly why things played out the way they did and given the restrictions he was operating under Edwards has done a great job.
     
    We could have signed Davies on Jan 1 but it’s obvious he wasn’t the first choice and only became a primary target when deals for other players proved impossible. It’s also possible (likely) that FSG weren’t prepared to sanction ANY deal on Jan 1 and things only changed because Matip got seriously injured at Spurs.
     
    Singing Kabak at the beginning of the window was clearly not possible. That was obviously one of those deals where its who blinks first. Schalke wouldn’t have agreed to this deal earlier in the window but Edwards held his nerve and got us a great deal. By bringing Davies in that strengthened our hand with Schalke, who at one point probably thought they had us over a barrel. When Edwards threatened to walk away when they insisted on an ‘obligation’ clause, they knew he wasn’t buffing. 
     
    So yeah, I’m satisfied with how it played out in the end in terms of what Klopp and Edwards did. The only problem I have with it is that had Matip not been injured when he was (especially with Fabinho out too) I’m not sure whether they’d have been given the free light to sign anyone, let alone two.
     
    Tuesday Feb 2:
     
    am: Klopp says Taki wasn’t playing much partly because he’s short and we don’t have much height since we lost our defenders. I expect a lot of people will see that as him just making excuses and being kind, but it makes a lot of sense really. After the Palace game Taki mysteriously fell behind Origi. The general opinion among fans was that this didn’t make much sense, but now it does.
     
    It’s a straight choice between Shaq and Minamino because Klopp isn’t going to pick both when we have no centre backs and very little height in the rest of the side. I’m looking forward to seeing how he links up with Ings now as this move could be the making of him. 
     
    pm: Ok fucking bring him home. Southampton are a disgrace. Losing 9-0 once in your history is bad enough but doing it twice in as many seasons is enough reason to be fucking shut down. Cancel Southampton, the embarrassing cunts.
     
    Wednesday Feb 3:
     
    L 0 Brighton 1. Well that was grim. Worse than Burnley. We started both halves brightly but fizzled out when we didn’t score and lost of this game was just awful. Brighton weren’t troubled. They had a plan, they stuck to it and they deserved to win because they were more dangerous.
     
    Right now we’re just one of those teams that will win some and lose some and draw loads. The kind of team that finishes somewhere between 3rd and 6th. It won’t take too much for us to be better than that and secure second spot, but we’re not going to be anywhere near City as we’re dealing with too much right now and for them everything is just ticking over nicely.
     
    The lads having to fill in at the back have done great and even tonight I thought Phillips and Hendo were good, as was Kelleher who came in for the unwell Alisson. They weren’t the reason we lost. Other than Villa (and United in the cup) the defence has rarely been the reason we’ve dropped points. It’s the forwards most of the time. 
     
    Mo had been great in the last few games and his fanboys were in full on “he’s so under-appreciated” “he’s an all time great” “if anyone else had his record they’d be getting far more pros than Mo gets” and that type of thing. It’s all fair, but then you see him tonight and this is why he doesn’t get that credit. These kind of performances are just as frequent as the great ones.
     
    It’s not just on him but when Firmino is stinking it up like he did tonight and Sadio isn’t there, the onus is on Mo to deliver. At West Ham he did, tonight he didn’t. I’m not singling him out, if anything I’m just trying to highlight how over-reliant on him we’ve become since Jota went down.
     
    We just have too many things going against us right now to be able to get on a consistent run. Too many injuries, too many players out of form, too many games, no fans. Just all kinds of shit being piled high on us.
     
    All I’m hoping for now is that we can get ourselves into some kind of shape for the CL because playing the way we are now there’s every chance we’ll lose to Leipzig. I’m not even thinking any further ahead than that. I’m just sick of footy without fans now. I’m really struggling to even care. I didn’t even get angry or upset tonight. I just felt sad and resigned to the fact that this season is just one massive shitfest.
     
    Thursday Feb 4:
     
    Southampton appealed against the red card Bednarek got the other night. Now, considering two referees had already watched the incident on video and decided it was a pen and a sending off, you  have to wonder how any appeals could possibly be successful. But it was successful because both of those referees got it appallingly wrong. 
     
    Even with the benefit of slow motion replays from various angles, they still got it wrong. How can that happen? Just how shit are these fuckers? Or is there something else going on here? I’m honestly struggling to comprehend how some of these decisions are being made. The David Luiz one too. That was a fucking disgrace but Arsenal’s appeal wasn’t successful because there was contact so they were able to hide behind the ‘letter of the law’ excuse.
     
    In the last two games Southampton have been on the wrong end of some of the worst decisions you’ll ever see. No-one cares because in one of those they lost 9-0 but that isn’t the point really. Usually it’s us getting screwed like that, but the Saints are probably being punished due to the unofficial ‘feeder club’ arrangement we have.
     
    Also today, we’ve completed the signing of the kid from Derby. Kaide Gordon. Looking forward to seeing him play. I haven’t watched a single u23s game all season as there’s just not really anyone in that side I have any real hope for. Most of the best prospects are still in the u18 side but I’ll defo watch when the new lad plays.
     
    Friday Feb 5: 
     
    I fucking hate Guardiola, the little bald weirdo. Honestly, he’s a fucking oddball. Proper strange little cunt. His reaction today when told about something Klopp said in complete innocence was just ridiculous. Klopp mentioned that City had a kind of winter break because of Covid and they had two weeks off. 
     
    I watched him say it and there was nothing snide or provocative in it, he just casually mentioned it and there was no implied criticism or cynicism in it at all. He was just pointing out something that happened. Yet that bald cunt is giving it the “I didn’t think Jurgen was that type of manager” and saying he will be having words as he wants an explanation.
     
    And all the while he’s saying this fidgeting and shifting around and just being a hyperactive fucking, can’t sit still cunt. The only words Klopp should be giving him are "fuck" and "off".
     
    Now maybe Guardiola didn’t see it and was just responding to someone reading him the quote out of context but he’s got form for this. Like I say, he’s a fucking weirdo.
     
    I wish I could say “I can’t wait for Sunday” but that’s just not how I’m feeling. Not because I expect us to lose, but because even if we win it won’t feel significant. In the last few years every game against them (other than the dead rubber at the end of last season) has had loads riding on it. Now, this one feels a bit like when United would be winning the league and all we had to console ourselves was maybe taking points off them at Anfield.
     
    Of course I hope we win on Sunday and I won’t be surprised if we do. It’s not going to have me buzzing for the rest of the week though because in the long run it’s not going to mean much and none of us are going to be there to even enjoy it. These games are always fucking electric and Anfield is buzzing for them. Fuck this season. Fuck Man City. Fuck Covid. Fuck Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock and fuck whoever the dirty little bastard is who ate that bat.
     
     
    …. and that was the week that was
  • They say necessity is the mother of invention. On the face of it, Liverpool's answer to their current defensive crisis was to sign players from a mid-table Championship club and the team sitting rock bottom of the Bundesliga.
     
    Jurgen Klopp has used a dozen different centre back pairings during the campaign to date, as serious injuries ended the season early for all of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and later Joel Matip. He had to sign someone; however desperate it might look.
     
    As reigning Premier League champions, the Reds cannot mount a proper defence of the title with a makeshift backline. Manchester City found that out to their cost when they didn't replace Vincent Kompany and Liverpool benefited from that last season.
     
    Ben Davies is a left-sided central defender with over 250 professional games under his belt. Over the last three-and-a-half seasons he became a regular at Preston North End following several loan spells away from Deepdale at lower levels.
     
     
     
     
    It's a bit of a jump from the Championship to challenging at the top of the Premier League. Davies has been thrown in at the deep end, but the crisis is an opportunity for him to prove himself at a higher level.
     
    Some honest, if a little unflattering, quotes from Klopp came out after his signing. It's true that the Reds wouldn't normally recruit from Preston, but such is the nature of this situation.
     
    The loan capture of Turkey defender Ozkan Kabak is arguably even more perplexing. Klopp sought a recommendation from David Wagner, the ex-Huddersfield Town boss who previously worked on his staff at Borussia Dortmund.
     
    Wagner, who signed Kabak for Schalke from relegated Stuttgart over the summer of 2019 when he was voted Bundesliga rookie of the year the previous season, gave him a ringing endorsement. The table does not lie, however.
     
     
    Schalke are well adrift at the foot of the Bundesliga with the worst defence in the division. In the 14 games Kabak played before leaving this season, he was part of a backline that conceded 38 goals.
    He has also served a four-match ban this term, so the player nicknamed the "Turkish Wall" leaves a lot to be desired on paper. Kabak looks just as big a gamble as Davies.
     
    Both players ideally need time to adjust to their new surroundings and to step up a level, but the way things are at Anfield they cannot have that luxury. Based on the fixture list on Sporticos: Football Today, they have a nice fixture against Brighton coming up before facing major rivals Man City, which is likely to be a trial by fire for the new arrivals.
     
    Any predictions about their performances must consider that this is very much a throw of the dice by Liverpool. Using players out of position as stop-gap solutions such as regular midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson hasn't exactly worked.
     
    In many ways, it could be a no-win situation for Klopp. He is left cursing his bad luck with injuries in a key area. To do nothing and not sign cover would've invited criticism, while it remains to be seen how Davies and Kabak fare in front of the famous Kop. 
  • Lots to get through, very little of it is enjoyable so I’ll just grit my teeth and dive straight in.
     
    City beat Sheffield United and I have nothing to say about it as I’m still boycotting all of their games until further notice.
     
    So I’ll start at Goodison where under pressure Steve Bruce picked up a much needed three points against the Blueshite. The Geordies really seem to have it in for ol’ Brucey but has he really been that bad? They were doing ok this season until Covid hit them and they lost some key players.
     
    They’re getting everyone fully fit again now so I expect their results to pick up. They’ve got some good players there in attack but Bruce clearly doesn’t trust the defence and midfield enough to open up. So they play negatively and look to hit on the break. With Saint-Maximin on the pitch they can do that. Take him away and they lose an awful lot.
     
    Wilson’s a good striker and he ran Everton ragged. He hit the bar with a powerful header, hit the post with a little clipped shot, shot just wide after a boss counter attack and then scored two late goals to win the game.
     
    As for Everton, I’ve been telling you all season they’re fucking shit. Because they are. The league table is lying it’s bollocks off at the moment but come May they’ll be 8th or 9th where they belong.
     
    Bad week for Southampton. They lost to Villa in contentious circumstances and then had their pants pulled down at Old Trafford. A key element of both losses was VAR.
     
    They were denied a penalty against Villa when Cash blocked a goalbound shot from Armstrong with his arm. The set up from Ings was spectacular and that deserved a goal. It didn’t get one because Cash stopped it with his arm. It wasn’t given because the ball brushed off his thigh first. This isn’t what that rule was brought in for. That has to be a penalty, surely? 
     
    Villa went ahead with a Barkley header after a superb Grealish cross but Southampton peppered their goal after that but just couldn’t score. Eventually they did, in stoppage time, but VAR gave it offside. Another one of those horrific ones that they could just as easily have given as a goal if they moved the line another inch or two the other way. Fuck this shit. Nobody wants a world in which that is offside.
     
    Say what you like about Grealish (and God knows I have) but he’s exactly the kind of player you want to unlock a packed defence. He can beat people, he can pass, he can cross, he can shoot, he can win free-kicks and pens (ok, he wouldn’t be able to do that if he played for us), he’s just developed into a top class player. He’d be incredible in our team, but even if we wanted him we couldn’t afford him now.
     
    Chalk this one down as another game completely fucking ruined by VAR though. Of all the shitty things VAR has brought to the game one of the worst has to be the way it has led to all common sense being removed from the game. So many decisions you see that are technically correct but morally just fucking shambolic and not in the spirit the game was intended to be.
     
    That was a penalty and it wasn’t offside. Stick your fucking rewritten rulebook up your hoop, anyone who knows football knows those decision were a joke. The fact they were correct tells you that the game is completely broken right now.
     
    It turns out that having every decision correct by the letter of the law actually kills the game. It’s not what the game needs and there has to be room for some interpretation and common sense on certain decisions. It’s not a black and white game like, say, tennis or golf. There are grey areas. Or at least there should be.
     
    West Brom v Fulham was a surprisingly decent game. Fulham should have won easily but in the end they needed 
     
    Decordova-Reid latched onto a Mitrovic pass to give them an early lead. He nearly made it 2-0 in similar fashion but his shot came off the foot of the post. Really unlucky. He’s been a revelation since Parker converted him to a wing back.
     
    Lookman thought he should have had a pen when he was challenged by Ajayi. He got his shot away and it was saved, and when that happens it gives the refs all the excuse they need to give nothing.
     
    It was one way traffic in the first half but two minutes after the break it was 1-1 when the Baggies got a scabby equaliser from a deflected cross that was well converted by Bartley. 
     
    Pereira made it 2-1 and suddenly Fulham were staring at defeat in a  game they’d dominated. Cavaleiro levelled with a diving header but this was a game they should have won.
     
    Fulham are better than I gave them credit for and I’d like to see them stay up. Scott ‘Scotty’ Parker seems like he knows what he’s doing. Turns out Chelsea hired the wrong ex-midfielder a couple of years ago, because he’s clearly more clued up than Fat Frank.
     
    Arsenal and United played out a drab 0-0 draw at the Emirates and I have nothing more to say on that as I didn’t watch any of it.
     
    A lovely finish by Eze gave Palace the points against Wolves. He dropped the shoulder on the edge of the box to give himself room and then laced one in with his left foot.
     
    Zaha should have made it 2-0 late on when he tied Conor Coady in knots but hit the bar
     
    That Fabio Silva is a weird one. He cost a fortune and he’s really highly rated, but he doesn’t ‘look’ like a young superstar footballer. I don’t mean how he plays, I just mean his face, hair and general demeanour. 
     
    He’s the science geek you see in movies. The kid with the backpack. The one who the jocks will trip up in the canteen and he’ll end up on the floor covered in mashed potato and everyone will be laughing at him. Everyone except for the lead cheerleader that is. 
     
    She thinks it’s cruel and feels sorry for him. She’s dating the main jock and she gives him a piece of her mind and says he needs to grow up and leave the kid alone. Fabio Silva thanks her, sheepishly, and then gets out of there as quickly as he can.
     
    You know, I bet Adama bullies the shit out of him at the training ground.
     
    Anyway, yeah. Another loss for Wolves while Palace just keep on doing what they do every year - just enough.
     
    It was a decent enough weekend for us with United dropping points and Everton and Leicester losing.
     
    Leicester were without Vardy but actually went ahead against Leeds with an absolutely brilliant goal from Barnes. He’s got 11 for the season now. Not bad that.
     
    Leeds equalised with a lovely goal of their own as my boy Bamford played in Dallas to score. That Ayoze Perez loser thought he’d restored Leicester’s lead but he was offside, the big fucking loser.
     
    Leeds then had one ruled out for offside too. My boy hit the bar with a towering header but Klich was a yard offside when he put in the rebound.
     
    Leeds were playing some lovely stuff and Bamford set Raphinha in on goal only for Schmeichel to deny him. If you want a job doing properly sometimes you need to do it yourself, and my boy did just that when instead of playing someone else in on goal he just lashed one across goal into the top corner instead. 
     
    Glorious finish. He’s such an elegant player and some of his goals this season have been sensational. He create them too though and he turned provider once again for the third goal when he raced clear and unselfishly squared for Harrison. 
     
    Leeds just seem to win one then lose one then win one then lose one. You never know what you’re going to get from them but you know it won’t be boring.
     
    Unlike Spurs. Win lose or draw those fuckers are always dull these days. And without Kane that’s only going to get worse. Gareth Bale was given a rare start at Brighton but he just looks completely finished now.
     
    He either can’t run or he’s so worried about injuries he won’t let himself risk going full throttle. He’s largely pointless at the moment. Doesn’t do anything except pick up a fat wage. Injuries are such a bastard, they can completely ruin players. Bale is reminding me of Sturridge.
     
    Brighton played well and were full value for the points. Young Nigel Farage got the only goal of the game by converting a cross by Gross. They could have scored more and it needed a miraculous goal-line block by Alderweireld to deny Connolly late on.
     
    Tuchel got his first win as Chelsea boss with a really strong performance against Burnley. Chelsea dominated and created a load of chances. They only took two of them but it was enough.
     
    Both goals came from Spanish full backs. Azpilacueta opened the scoring just before half time and Alonso wrapped it up with a goal just before full time.
     
    The main thing holding them back was Lampard. I don’t particularly think Tuchel is anything great, but with the talent in that squad he doesn’t need to be. Competent should be enough to have Chelsea competing near the top spots again.
     
    Wolves finally got a win but they needed a big helping hand from Arsenal, who shot themselves in both feet. They blew a one goal lead and ended up playing with only nine men. Arsenal gonna Arsenal.
     
    Saka thought he’d given them the lead but Lacazette was correctly adjudged to be offside in the build up. They’d started well though and Saka had hit the post in the first minute. Pepe then hit the bar and Wolves were hanging on desperately.
     
    The goal was coming and Pepe eventually smuggled his way past a couple of defenders and found the far corner. Arsenal looked on their way to an easy win but then David Luiz conceded a pen and was given a red card.
     
    We’ve seen that so many times over the years but this time I don’t think he did anything wrong. The contact was completely accidental and if anything he’s desperately trying to avoid it. Its the back of the Wolves striker’s heel that catches Luiz on the knee.
     
    I don’t even think it’s a penalty but you can give that either way really. The red card is a fucking scandal though. Again, that’s not what that law is for. It’s supposed to be for cynical, professional fouls that deny a goalscoring opportunity. There’s nothing cynical or intentional about that, and you can argue it wasn’t even a foul. There’s nothing Luiz can do to avoid that, because he actually did everything he could to avoid it.
     
    I’m really fucking annoyed over that decision even though I don’t have a dog in that race. I don’t care if Arsenal lose but decisions like that are a big reason why footy is becoming proper shit these days. That’s just morally not a red card in a million years, but the cunts will hide behind ‘letter of the law’ as usual.
     
    Neves scored from the spot and all of Arsenal’s prior good work was undone just like that. Moutinho made it 2-1 with a 30 yard screamer and any hope Arsenal had of getting back into went when Leno was sent off for one of the more bizarre incidents you’ll ever see. Just what the actual fuck was he doing?
     
    Sheffield United won again. Huge three points for them considering they were up against West Brom, one of the teams they need to catch. Phillips poked the Baggies ahead but Bogle levelled before Billy Sharp got the winner. Could they pull off the greatest of escapes? Ian Wright tipped them to do it last week. I can’t see it, but at least they haven’t quit.
     
    Newcastle followed up a good win at Goodison with a bad loss to Palace at St James’ despite getting off to a dream start when with only a minute on the clock Shelvey scored from 20 yards. They joy was short lived. Riedewald smashed in an equaliser soon after and Cahill quickly headed Palace into a 2-1 lead. Both sides had chances but Palace held on fairly easily.
     
    City won again in midweek but I’ll say no more about that other than “fuck Burnley”. They’ve been dogshit in both games since beating us. It’s always the way. Watch Brighton do fuck all for the next couple of weeks now. 
     
    The Mancs scored nine and I haven’t seen any of them and hopefully never will. Prior to the game the goblin had complained about decisions that went against them last week. For most teams that just means they'll get shafted again as the refs close ranks. United aren't most teams though. They were rewarded with an outrageous penalty for a clear dive (I can comment on that because I saw that incident on Twitter), two opposing players being sent off and a scandalous offside decision that chalked off a Southampton goal.
     
    They almost certainly wouldn’t have needed all of those favours but they got them anyway, and probably a written apology from PGMOL and an assurance it won't happen again. The penalty and sending off for Bednarak was such a disgrace that it was overturned on appeal. Disgusting that, because the officials on duty already watched the video of it at the time and upheld the decision!!! And let's not forget what a colossal cunt Martial is, diving in the box when they're 6-0 up with a few minutes left.
     
    If it has been overturned then surely the VAR fella needs sanctioning, as does Dean as he also looked at the screen and still stuck with the wrong decision. None of these cunts are fit for purpose. None of them. They’re all shite. Fuck them all.
     
    Southampton are considering launching a formal complaint against Mike Dean and Lee Mason. I’d advise against it. You can only pull shit like that if you’re Man United. Anyone else ends up getting punished even more harshly. 
     
    Meanwhile, West Ham are hot on our heels again (what  depressing sentence that is) after a good win over Villa. Soucek set them on their way (of course he did) but for once it wasn’t a header from a set-piece. It was a good low finish after he broke ahead of the strikers. That Lingard tool then added a couple of goals, with an Olly Watkins strike sandwiched in between them.
     
    So once again they’re just two points behind. This is the thing that is so hard to stomach. Teams that we’re clearly vastly superior to and have shown when we’ve played them (Leicester, West Ham, Everton) are either above or just behind us. This is what happens when you don’t beat the bottom six though.
     
    Everton won at Leeds. Close game, could have gone either way. Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin put the Blues in charge but my boy teed up Raphinha to pull one back and Leeds battered them after that but couldn’t find a way past Olsen, who had been preferred to Pickford. Hopefully that's not a permanent thing.
     
    Leicester got back to winning ways at Craven Cottage. That Iheanacho cunt got the opener when he headed in a Maddison cross and then Justin made it 2-0 with a lovely goal. Great play by Iheanacho and Maddison to set him up and he finished it well. Some of Leicester's football was brilliant to be fair.
     
    Finally, Chelsea won 1-0 at Spurs but it really wasn’t as close as that as they were comfortable throughout. They’re four points back of us now and of all the sides around us they’re by far the biggest threat now that they have an actual manager and not some big fat pretender. 
     
    I’m officially concerned about Chelsea now. I’m not at red alert yet, it’s probably yellow. If that gets below four points then bump it up to amber.
     
    Things can change quickly though. It only seems like a few weeks ago that Spurs were top and now look at them. If they’re not careful they’re gonna finish below Arsenal. Spurs without Kane is like football without fans. Shit.
     
    There have been so many away wins this season (even more than home wins currently) and to me it’s almost certainly about fans not being there. I’ve seen other theories but that’s just overthinking it. Home advantage is 90% about having more of your fans in the stadium than the oppositions. Take that away and there isn’t any advantage.
     
    It’s shite isn’t it?
  • Preston manager Alex Neil believes Ben Davies is at the right stage of his career to make the step up to the Premier League.
     
    The signing of the Preston central defender seemingly came out of the blue, but the ground work was being done behind the scenes and the 25 year-old comes to the Reds with some big positives not only with his overall quality but as a leader too. Much like having a go on Australia pokies this signing is a gamble, but if it pays off then Klopp will be quids in. 
     
    Speaking at a press conference, Neil went through the ins and out of the deal including the rumoured deal to Celtic as Lancashire Live reported.
     
    “To my knowledge, the deal with Celtic looked like he would end up there but in this window we wouldn't have allowed him to go to Celtic unless there was a substantial fee attached - which I don't think we would've got.
     
    "I fully anticipated him staying until the end of the season and then naturally, Liverpool blew everything out of the water for two reasons.
     
    "Liverpool were very good in that they offered us a good fee for a lad with less than six months remaining, and I couldn't stop Ben from fulfilling that ambition of playing at the highest level with the world champions.
     
    "Incredible couple of days for him for that turnaround."
     
    The 39 year-old Scot who guided Norwich into the Premier League in 2015 says that he was extra determined to see his player make the big move. Davies has struck it lucky like a winner at real money casinos US. 
     
    "I think I was happier than he was to be honest!"
     
    "I think he was shocked and I just said 'listen, you've just got to make sure that you get this across the line."
     
    “And his first question was 'How do you think Peter ( Preston North End owners' representative Peter Ridsdale) will be? Do you think he will let me go?' and I just told him not to worry.
     

     
    Neil fully expects Davies to hit the ground running once the realisation of this big move finally sinks in.
     
    “I think he's ready, I think he is at a stage where his game has come together and I think if he does get an opportunity we will be talking about a real quality centre-back."
     
    "I don't think there are too many natural left-sided centre-backs floating about and Ben's got all the pace and comfort on the ball you would expect from a top player.
     
    "I hope that he brings his personality out, you've got to have that confidence and sort of arrogance a bit to believe in yourself that much; you're going to be highly scrutinized and I just hope Ben goes and really believes himself.
     
    “That wasn't always the case, he has filled out now and his confident has gone to a new level.
     
    "If you can defend against the physicality that comes with Championship level, it will just be the speed of the game and power of the players in the Premier League that he will be able to adapt to.
     
    "But I don't think that will take him long because those are his best attributes - reading the game and his speed across the ground.”
     
    Neil cited the fact that Liverpool have made a number of ‘ under the radar’ signings in the past few years which also gives real hope to Davies.
     
    "If you look at the signings Liverpool have made - Robertson, Wijnaldum, Jota - they were not of a too dissimilar ilk when they were brought in and they've turned out to be superstars.
     
    “I really don't see why Ben can't be the same.
     
    Jurgen Klopp often says once a move is completed it is now down to the player to show his credentials and Neil is of the same mindset.
     
    “Like anything else he's got to earn it, you don't get handed something for nothing in football.
     
    "He's earned his move, now he's got to earn his opportunity and when he gets it he has to show everyone what he's about and that won't faze Ben.
     
    “He knows that the hard work is only just really beginning."
  • I’ll keep this brief for all our sakes. There’s not much to be said that wasn’t already discussed at length in previous home games. We've seen this movie before. In fact, it's been on a loop since 2021 started.
     
    Maybe coming off the back of those two good away wins this defeat was somewhat unexpected, but really this had “trap game” written all over it and there was very little difference between this and Burnley a couple of weeks ago.
     
    None of us really wanted this game did we? City this weekend was the big one and this game was almost an inconvenience. Brighton were just in the way and we needed to find a way to brush them aside and take the points whatever way we could. It’s not that easy though, especially with the team so depleted and disjointed at the moment. 
     
    Being at Anfield isn’t any kind of advantage anymore either. They may as well change the sign over the tunnel to say “This is NOT Anfield” because it isn’t the same. We’ve lost twice at home in as many weeks but no-one was there to witness it so they may as well not have happened. Not having fans in stadiums changes everything. 
     
    I’m sick to death of it. I want to be back at the match. I want to feel like I can be a part of it, to contribute in some small way (even if it’s only shouting myself hoarse abusing the Main Stand linesman). I’m sick of watching on telly every week. It’s not even so much about me not being there though. I could live with that if others were there. But this empty stadium thing is wearing me down now. I hate it.
     
    In recent seasons visiting teams have often been beaten before they even got off the bus, but with no fans, no centre backs and now no unbeaten home record, nobody is scared of coming here anymore. Why would they be? The likes of West Brom, Burnley and now Brighton have all had success here so the fear factor has gone completely.
     
    We’ll probably lose more home games before the season is out (quite possibly this weekend), not to mention some away ones too. We’ll win plenty as well, but there will be no long winning streaks this season, I think that’s now obvious. 
     
    I didn’t feel much at all watching this. Just a bit sad and extremely demoralised. I wasn’t the least bit surprised though. This was never going to be easy, although we made it more difficult than it should have been by playing like shite. Villa aside, this was probably the worst we’ve looked all season.
     
    Brighton know how to play against us. The stat nerds will tell you that. They’ve had the better of us in both games this season in virtually every meaningful statistic. They’re a superbly coached team and we always find it difficult when we play them. 
     
    Klopp knows this. He is probably more complimentary about Potter's Brighton than he is anyone other than City. They’re not a great team because they don’t have great players, but their style doesn’t mesh well with ours and it’s a slog when we play them.
     
    It doesn’t help when we have so many players throw in a stinker on the same night but Brighton deserve credit for that too. They stopped Salah while Firmino stopped himself. When those two are giving you very little and Sadio isn’t even on the pitch then it’s going to be difficult.
     
    I don’t want to single anyone out for special criticism as it was a wretched team performance, but what I will say is when Firmino plays like this we have virtually no chance. Wretched. He was great at Spurs a week ago but then he plays like this? It seems to be who he is now. He hasn't shown any consistency for about two years.
     
    We started quite well, didn’t score and then just plodded our way to half time. The second half also started brightly and for ten minutes it looked like we’d upped the tempo and might score. When we didn’t get one in that spell I knew we were in trouble. You could smell it a mile off.
     
    Brighton defended well and in numbers but they also got men forward when they could. It’s a bit galling that a fucking nine foot tall left back threatened more than all of our players combined though. We had a couple of half chances and that was it.
     
    Not having Alisson isn’t an excuse. Kelleher did nothing wrong and Alisson wouldn’t have stopped that goal as it was a complete fluke. Still, it must be mentally draining for the team to constantly be having these injury setbacks thrown at them. Every week it’s someone else, and eventually it catches up with you.
     
    We were never getting back into this after we conceded. You could see the lack of belief in everyone other than Hendo and maybe Thiago, who was always looking to play passes forward even if they were constantly being miscontrolled by those ahead of him. We can’t get Jota back quickly enough.
     
    The title is gone. I made peace with that after Burnley, although there was still a lingering hope after the impressive back to back wins. That hope has gone now. Even if we won every game it still might not be enough, and there is not a chance in hell we will win every game.
     
    Given all that we’ve had to try and overcome this season I’d say that finishing second would be an achievement. You can’t finish above City with half a team either missing or having to play out of position. There’s no shame in finishing below them and I’ve accepted that fate.
     
    Finishing below anyone else would be tough to take though. There’s an argument to be had that as long as we ensure a top four spot then we can take that and forget this season ever happened. I’m not ready to go there yet though because finishing below United isn’t an option as far as I’m concerned. I thought we were past that and if it turns out that we aren’t then that’s going to be difficult to swallow.
     
    Them winning 9-0 and us losing the next night? What the fuck? Have we time travelled back to the fucking 90s? Not having this at all. Finishing below them isn't a fucking option.
     
    If you offered me a point on Sunday I’d snatch your hand off right now. City’s record at Anfield is awful but this is no longer Anfield and they’ll never have a better chance to end that hoodoo. I’m fucking dreading it now.
     
    There’s no star man but I thought Phillips and Hendo were fine, and Kelleher can also hold his head up.
     
     
    Team: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Henderson, Robertson; Wijnaldum (Oxlade-Chamberlain), Milner, Thiago; Salah, Firmino (Jones), Shaqiri (Origi):
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