tlw content

Really hard to sit through this. As if our own performance wasn’t infuriating enough, we had to endure the full shithouse repertoire of Neymar & co. It was a horrible game of football. The Champions League brought so much joy for us last season but it’s been mostly miserable this year, away from home anyway. We’ve been good at Anfield so that give us hope of still progressing to the knockouts, but there’s major cause for concern now as we’ve had three defeats on our travels and not one of them was undeserved. Not good enough, simple as that. I don’t know why we’ve been so shit, but it isn’t bad luck. We’ve just not been good enough. This loss in isolation is fine as there’s no shame in being beaten by PSG in Paris. The real damage was done in Belgrade, and to a slightly lesser extent in Naples, but because of that we needed a better effort in this game and we didn’t get it. It was fucking tame. We didn’t start well and PSG had more intensity about them. They did to us what we were doing to everyone in last year’s run to the final. Intense pressing, snapping into tackles and breaking with pace. We used to be like that. Now we’re just plodding and pedestrian and really easy to play against. Where's the spark? The energy? The speed? I mentioned in the Watford report that there seems to have been a deliberate shift in our play. Basically we’ve slowed down. We’re more methodical and patient and it’s paid off in the sense that we don’t let goals in anymore (at least not domestically), but now I’m worried that we might not be able to just flick the switch and go back to the other style when we need it. We’re no longer in those mental end to end basketball type games but we’ve lost something because of that. When we needed to step it up in this game and play like we did last year, we couldn’t do it. It was plodding, pass pass pass, sideways and backwards. How many chances did we create? I don’t remember Buffon having to make a save of any note. It was depressing to see and let’s not sugarcoat it just because we love them, the front three are a problem right now. Bobby was fucking woeful, Mo wasn’t much better and Sadio wasn’t great either, although he was easily the pick of the three. It’s happened too many times this season. A lot of us have been focussing on the 4-2-3-1 as possibly being part of the problem. Clearly it isn't, as this was the 4-3-3 set up that has served us so well, and it still didn't look right. Mo was back on the right and he was garbage. Bobby was back up top and was even worse than he's been when playing as the ten. As ineffective as the forwards were (bit harsh on Mané perhaps), the midfield was the bigger issue. Gini got booked early on (some classic Neymar playacting) and he never really recovered. He couldn’t play with the aggression we needed and there was too much time and space for their creative players. Milner had plenty of aggression and was tackling as though his life depended on it. Di Maria and Neymar were on the receiving end of some typically hefty ‘hard but fair’ Milner challenges, but he was fighting a lone battle as PSG were just slicing through our midfield with one touch passing. Henderson was like a training cone in the first half. They were just passing around him with ease. It’s hard when Neymar and Mbappe are playing one touch and turning the corner, but there was too much space for them and Hendo was really exposed time and again. They kept getting turned and running at us and when that happens it’s always dangerous because of the speed and quality they have. That’s how both of their goals came and they had other situations that could also have ended up in the net. I thought Van Dijk could have done better on the first and several players could have done better on the second. We don’t get cut open like that often and although you could argue that's because we don’t face the likes of Mbappe and Neymar very often, it’s more than that. We’ve faced Silva, Sane, De Bruyne and Aguero plenty of times and they didn’t do it (except in that lopsided game when Sadio was sent off), so I’d say it’s more about what we did than what they did. The shape didn’t look right in the first half. There was no deep lying midfielder and to me it often looked like we just had three lines. The back four, the midfield three and the forwards. Often when we play, you’d struggle to identify the formation as the movement is so fluid all around the pitch. The amount of times I saw the midfield three in a straight line really stood out to me though, as its not something I’ve ever really noticed before. When that happens it’s easy to find space ‘between the lines’ as managers always say. Neymar would come deep, pop the ball off and get the return pass and leave our midfield for dead. If it wasn’t Neymar doing it, it was Mbappe or Verratti. We were chasing shadows. That never happens. We’ve played loads of boss teams in the last year or so and we’ve been an absolute fucking nightmare for them. We make good teams look average. Now we’re making average teams look good. Ok PSG are above average but I won’t have it that they are a top team because they’re not. Last season we'd have fucking smashed them. They played well in this game because they were clearly massively up for it. At Anfield they were lazy, ill disciplined and played as individuals. They obviously learned from that because there was more unity about them and you could see how fired up they all were. It looked like they wanted it more than we did, but a big part of the problem was the shithousery and how we were unable to handle it. “Negative aggression” was how Klopp referred to it. I assume he meant that we grew frustrated by their antics and ended up giving away silly fouls because of it. PSG are just the absolute fucking worst though. Real Madrid on fucking steroids. They represent everything that’s wrong with football, on and off the pitch. As much as I have a beef with Man City and their antics, at least on the pitch there’s not much to criticise them for. They play the game the right way and other than Sterling’s penchant for diving there’s really not much to criticise them for. PSG though, fucking hell. What a bunch of horrible, cheating, arrogant, playacting bellends. The ref was in over his head and had no idea how to deal with it. In fairness to him, there were a number of occasions when they tried to buy a cheap foul and he waved it away, much to the fury of the crowd, so I don’t think he was biased, he was just not very good. The ref is an easy target but it’s really difficult when players are carrying on like this. Some of them are fouls, some aren’t, but being able to tell the difference all the time is a fucking job and a half, and this fella just wasn't up to it. While it’s easy to slag refs off for not being able to deal with it, the real issue here is that they shouldn’t have to. Players are acting like cunts. That’s the problem. And because of this ‘superstar’ culture we live in, Neymar is allowed to act the way he does without any kind of negative impact on his career. He’ll be on the cover of FIFA, the endorsements will keep rolling in, he gets the ridiculous salary and swans around like he’s God’s gift to footy. Why should he stop acting like a twat, he's been handsomely rewarded for it. The truly great players don't need to do that, but then he's not a great player. He’s got the same arrogance and self indulgence as Ronaldo yet he’s done fuck all to earn it. Ronaldo is as vain as any man on the planet, but you know something, given everything he’s achieved he can pretty much act how he likes as he’s earned the right. And he doesn't act anywhere near as much of a twat as Neymar does. The fuck has he ever done? Over-rated preening little cunt. Any worthwhile success he's had has come from riding the coat tails of Messi and Suarez. It’s so frustrating when he’s rolling around trying to get players booked and sent off and the refs are obliging him, but all the criticism of the official misses the point. The issue here is Neymar and some of his team-mates acting like cunts and people blaming the ref for it. Yeah he was shite and in over his head, but if someone bludgeons your mate over the head with a hammer and the doctor isn't skilled enough to save him, would you blame the doctor? If players play the game the right way and the ref is still fucking things up, that’s on him. When they’re doing what Neymar and co are doing it makes the referees job that much harder. That being said, I’ve always been of the mindset that if I were a ref and I saw the shit Neymar was pulling, I’d never give him any decision no matter what defenders did to him. Its easy to say that of course but when refs are being assessed on their performance they can’t just say “fuck this clown, I’m giving him nothing”. So there are some mitigating circumstances for a lot of things the ref got wrong. However, he was right on the spot and had a perfect view of Verratti’s lunge on Gomez. He had the yellow card out before Joe had even hit the floor, which tells me that he already knew beforehand he wasn’t going to be red carding anyone unless he really had to. Verratti figured it out pretty quickly too as he was just running around fouling people for the rest of the night. Staggering really, the ref could not have had a better view of what was a horrible tackle and yet he dished out the same punishment as he was giving our lads for little trips and shirt pulls. It doesn’t help either when PSG players are surrounding him bitching about every fucking decision he makes. That comes from that fucking wrong un on the touchline though. I don’t care much for Thomas Tuchel. There’s a nonce vibe about him and I’m surprised that him and Klopp didn’t come to blows given the way he was acting all game, berating the ref over clear cut decisions. Klopp was kicking off too, but he had a legitimate gripe and was arguing over clear cut decisions the official got wrong. Tuchel was going to war over fucking throw ins and shit, the fucking bellend. I mean look at their reaction to the penalty. Stonewall pen, absolutely no doubt about it whatsoever, yet it was about five minutes between the foul and the spot kick. Tuchel was acting the cunt and his players were harassing the ref and doing all they could to delay the taking of the kick and put pressure on Milner. Big Games James held his nerve admirably though, and the lifeline ought to have been enough to spark a second half onslaught. It never did though. PSG seemed content to settle for what they had and they allowed us to have a lot of the ball, but we did fuck all with it. I thought it got a little better when Naby came on and then a little worse when Sturridge and Shaqiri came on. The only hope we had was that Mane and Robertson might carve something out down the left, because no other area of the side were offering any threat whatsoever. And how shit were our set-pieces? That's not acceptable at all. If you're not playing well then set plays are a great opportunity to steal a cheap goal, but ours were brutal all night. The loss itself doesn’t bother me much at all. It was always going to the final game anyway, we know that. It wouldn’t be Liverpool if we qualified with plenty to spare and were able to rest people for a dead rubber. We couldn’t even manage that last year when we were in a shite group, so defeat in Paris was almost a foregone conclusion. The way we lost was massively disheartening though. I’d have been ok with us losing a shoot out. Had it ended 3-2 or 4-3 with chances at both ends and us just being edged out, that would have been sound. I could have taken a lot from that because it would have suggested we were getting our mojo back and that it just wasn't our night. As it is, there is quite literally nothing positive to take from this at all, other than the fact at least we didn’t allow that fraud Cavani to get on the scoresheet. Our form over the three away games in Europe has been risible. We’ve barely even been able to muster a fucking shot on target. These are the same players who broke the record for the most goals in a Champions League campaign last season and now they can barely do a thing right in attack. I still think we’ll go through because when we need a result at Anfield we tend to get it. It’d be nice to do it the easy way just once though wouldn’t it? The only thing I can cling to is maybe we need one of "those European nights" to get us going again and to start playing like we can. Star man is Andy Robbo, who was great. His defending was brilliant, he got forward loads and he even made his way over to the opposite flank just so he could boot Neymar in stoppage time. Probably not the smartest move as it allowed them to waste more time, but I can’t have a go at him for that given that I know I’d be doing a hell of a lot worse to the preening little fucking show pony if I’d been out there. Team: Alisson; Gomez, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum (Keita), Milner (Shaqiri); Salah, Firmino (Sturridge), Mané:

The Champions League hopes of Liverpool are on a knife edge after a 2-1 defeat to Paris St Germain on Wednesday evening. The loss produced a bit of unwanted history for the Reds as it is the first time they have lost all three away group games in the competition. Just like the clash with Red Star Belgrade on the last matchday, Liverpool started on the back foot allowing their opponents to gain the ascendancy in the first half and it was an uphill challenge from there. One man who had his share of work to do on the evening was Virgil Van Dijk. The imposing central defender pulled no punches when speaking to the Official Site after the match. "The first half wasn’t good enough and then you’re going to lose this game. " After our second half, we came back better, put them under pressure and we had opportunities. It was a bitty contest with a lot of stoppages from the referee and questionable antics from the home side to stop the flow of the game, especially when they got their nose in front. There is nothing new about such a tactic, it's not exactly a new trend like esports betting online, but it can be very tough to deal with. While Van Dijk did not name individuals from the opposition, he said it was a difficult game to play in. " You need to be lucky at times. But in the end, it was a frustrating game. There are certain moments where you need to keep your head cool. "It was difficult, there were good things in the second half but to lose it tonight is painful. Continuing his honest appraisal of the game, the big Dutchman was disappointed in the goals which were conceded and pointed the finger of blame at himself. "I’m disappointed with them. The one I tried to clear, the ball came behind me a little bit and they picked up the second ball. "It should have been better there but everyone sometimes makes mistakes. I need to learn from that. The second one was on the break – that’s what they’re good at. We need to do better. You make it difficult for yourself if you’re 2-0 down, especially after 30 minutes or so". The big games will continue to come thick and fast starting with the Merseyside Derby on Sunday, following through to the clash with Napoli in two weeks time and Van Dijk knows exactly what needs to be done. "We need to be up for it and we will be. We need everyone for that and I’m not in doubt that’s going to happen. "Everyone is going to be ready for it. Until then, we need to be ready for the league as well and win our games". We saw what a tremendous impact the fans had in the ties against Man City and Roma last season and against PSG in the first group game this season. Just like the players themselves, the fans inside Anfield will be sure to bring their 'A game' to get the job done.

Liverpool fell to a third consecutive away defeat in this years Champions League after Paris St Germain secured a crucial 2-1 victory at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening. The loss sees progression to the knockout stages in significant doubt as the Reds need to secure all three points in the final group game against Napoli on the 11th of December at Anfield. The hosts started well and truly on the front foot with their pace and one-touch football a real feature and opened up a two goal lead courtesy of Juan Bernat and Neymar. The ever dependable James Milner gave the Reds a lifeline on the stroke of half time from the penalty spot. However try as they might, a precious equaliser never came and it means the Reds are going to have to do things the hard way yet again. A major talking point after the game was the tactics of the PSG players - particularly Neymar and Angel De Maria - of making the most out of any Liverpool foul and their overall time wasting. While this has been common place in European competition for many years, it is still extremely frustrating to be on the receiving end of. Sky Sports reported the Reds full-back Andy Robertson airing some strong thoughts about what went on. "I suppose they were in the lead and they were looking to waste time. You can use gamesmanship, play-acting, you can use it all really. "I would like to know how much time they wasted tonight. It's frustrating when [Neymar] is falling like he is. It's all part and parcel of his game and we needed to deal with that. We didn't quite control our aggression." Liverpool have fallen victim to similar tactics in previous campaigns, and who can forget the 'dark arts' of Sergio Ramos in the Champions League final. It will be fascinating to see if the Reds themselves employ such 'savvy' tactics if they are in a similar position against Napoli in a few weeks time. A 1-0 win or a victory of two goals or more will be enough to see the Reds progress. However that certainly will not be a easy task against the Italian side who currently top group C with nine points and are managed by one of the grand old masters in Carlo Ancelotti. For his part, Robertson was confident the team would produce a strong performance. "We know we just go and try to win the game. I am sure everyone else will clear it up for us - I am sure the gaffer will know exactly what we need to do. "It is at Anfield, I am sure we will have another special night, the fans can create a special atmosphere and hopefully get the result that we need. "We have been good at home and we need to continue that. Napoli got the better of us over there. It was a good performance by them. "But I am sure we will watch the match back and see what we did wrong because it wasn't a good performance. "We will look to put it right and we look forward to the challenge." While a sustained title challenge should be the number one priority this season, it certainly will not be desirable to drop into the dreaded Europa League When the group was drawn we all probably knew it would come down to the last game, now we are at that moment let's hope the Reds can get the job done.

Jurgen Klopp has sent a shudder down the spine of Liverpool's opponents by confirming Mo Salah is fit and firing at 100%. After a sluggish start to the new season due to a number of factors, the Egyptian goal-scoring maestro has scored six goals in his last seven games to put any discussion to bed that he was a 'one season wonder.' Speaking ahead of the crunch Champions League clash with Paris St Germain, which Liverpool are heavy underdogs for as shown by a review of unibet, Klopp described the process it took for him to reach this level. The Mirror reported the manager as saying. "The body is back, 100% - his physical things he can rely on. Of all the teams, we had the longest season – two weeks longer than the rest. After that, they went to a very long World Cup. "Egypt went out a little earlier but Mo played 94-95% fit because of the shoulder (injury). It was not that it hurt, but being healthy does not mean you are 100%. “Then, the pre-season starts again and he always tried everything. The only thing was his body needed time to adapt. "Still a world class player, still a threat in a game, but in scoring situations not the same calmness, coolness. Klopp more than most managers, displays a level of patience when it comes to his players. He deals with new signings in a very fair fashion, not putting them into the firing line until they are entirely comfortable and fully aware of what their role is. The same method applies for those who are returning from an injury or have had to deal with a heavy workload in recent times. The German knew there would major expectations for Salah to back up his outstanding success in 2017/8, but internally it was never a issue. "For the first time in his life it was clear that after scoring more than 40 goals, how do we deal with that?” "You cannot score 40 goals in the first three games and as human beings how can he be convinced 100% that he scores 40 goals again?" Is it even important to score 40 goals again? "Of course not. It is just a personal situation - do we talk about it or not? Do we leave it? It was never a problem actually. The manager is spot on in this regard. While it was a magnificent overall feat what Mo achieved, the fact is that we walked away empty-handed in a team sense last season. To clear the final hurdle, we need everyone to chip in and play their part as we look to improve across the board. So far, so good in that regard this season, and if Mo continues to chip in with his share of goals and assists, then the sky is the limit.

As we tick past the three-month mark of the current season, it is fair to say things are progressing in a positive direction for the Reds. Currently going toe to toe with Man City at the top of the league and with Champions League qualification still in our hands, there is plenty to play for and look forward to. A quick look at football-bookmakers.com shows the Reds as clear second favourites behind City after an impressive unbeaten start through 14 games. However, another encouraging sign is that there is still another level or two that this team can reach, and that is no more evident than in some of the summer signings. While Alisson and Xherdan Shaqiri clearly get pass marks, it has been the performances of Fabinho and especially Naby Keita which has raised some question marks. The signing of the Guinea international in August 2017 sparked a great deal of excitement among the fanbase. This was largely because the midfield was looming as a large area of concern and looking for a strong central figure after the departure of Steven Gerrard. His all-action style seemed to tick all the boxes and on the face of things, the arrival of Keita who spent another year in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig last season to gain more senior experience would fit seamlessly into the starting lineup. However, it has been anything but the case and Keita has largely been on the periphery due to a series of frustrating injuries, which has prevented the 23-year-old from showing his worth. In 11 appearances for the club, (which has included six starts), Keita is yet to register a goal or assist. Speaking ahead of the crunch Champions League encounter with Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday evening, Sky Sports reported the verdict of Klopp on his midfield star "His start was really good and then average. That's how it is," Klopp said. "Naby can improve and learn the language but it's a long-term project. Klopp then took a moment to explain what he meant by the word 'average.' "Naby has not been average since he has been here. The situation after he got injured was average because he had to get fit again but the start was brilliant. In not so many words, the manager stated that Keita may have to bide his time in his quest to get regular starting minutes. "He is now really fit. He has looked sharp in training but with a club like us, sometimes you have to wait a bit longer for the moment and if you get the moment, you have to be ready. "That is how it is. He is an outstanding player and I am really happy to have him." There is a well-known saying that a player who has had a stop-start campaign in the first half of the campaign can be like a 'new signing' once the new year comes around. With Klopp giving no indication that he will be delving into the transfer market once January comes around, Keita looks like fitting that description to a tee.

I’m usually ultra confident before most of our games but I had a bad feeling prior to this one as Watford isn’t an easy place to go, especially after an international break. I also worried that we were due a defeat. So it was a trap game but in the end it was fairly routine. We had to earn the right to play though, and the first half was a complete non-event. I’m starting to think this is part of the plan though. We're pacing ourselves more than before, and hopefully that pays off down the stretch. The approach to games like this seems to be a bit different this year. I never thought at any point that we were playing well but I suspect this is almost by design. We definitely aren’t going out all guns blazing anymore. We’re controlling games, being patient (overly so at times), keeping the ball and not giving anything away. Case in point; we drew 3-3 here last season and we had quite a few of those wild games over the course of the year. So far this year we’ve had none. We’re not a soft touch anymore and we don’t fold under pressure. There has been an obvious change in approach and defending seems to be more of a priority than it was before. Obviously Van Dijk has made a massive difference but it’s not solely because of him. It just feels like we’re taking defending more seriously than before and there's a real pride in keeping clean sheets. Robbo revealed afterwards that the gameplan was keep it tight and eventually chances will come when the game opens up a bit. That’s exactly how this one played out and we took three of the chances that came our way and had a comfortable win. We’ve only conceded five goals in 13 games, which is incredible really. When was the last time we were this tight at the back? There was a spell under Rafa around 2006 ish when I think we went eight games without conceding or something like that, but generally this isn’t what we do. It has come at a slight cost as the football is not as free flowing as it was last year and the games are therefore not as manic. There’s much more control about what we’re doing and although it’s not as exciting to watch it’s proving to be very effective. We haven’t lost and the only teams to stop us winning are City, Arsenal and Chelsea. It’s easy to look at things from that upbeat perspective after we’ve won, but I have to admit that during the games I’m sometimes finding it difficult not to get pissed off. By full time I was made up - I’ll take a 3-0 win all day regardless of how we play - but for a long part of the game this was a difficult watch and I was getting frustrated, especially in the first half. It was too easy for Watford as everything we did was in front of them. We got behind once when Mane made a good run and was expertly picked out by Shaqiri. It was a decent effort but an easy save for Foster, who also denied Salah at the far post after Mo had ghosted in unmarked to meet a corner. Chances were at a premium though despite us having complete domination of the ball. I know it’s hard when teams sit back like that but we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to move the ball quicker and get down the sides. 90% of the goals City score come that way and it does my head in. They’ll overload on side and get someone in behind and score a tap in from a low ball across the box. That’s why they're so good at spanking the shite teams. That's how you break them down and I’m sick of saying it. Move it quickly, overload out wide, flood the box. We didn’t do it at all in the first half but as soon as we did manage it, lo and behold we took the lead. It was a well worked goal but there was nothing especially complicated about it and we should be doing this more often. Bobby played a nicely weighted ball in behind to Mané, he cut it back and Mo scored with a first time shot (that Foster should have saved). That's how you beat them, get round the back. Trent then made it 2-0 with a lovely free-kick. Again, I thought Foster should have done better but I’m not complaining. Beautiful strike and it’s been coming as he's gone close a few times over the past year. Hopefully he can bag a few more before the season is done as having a free-kick specialist is a nice little addition to a team's armoury. If Trent can bang in three or four more and if Virgil can start getting some goals from corners that could be massive for us. At 2-0 we were cruising, but then Hendo was sent off for impeding Success. He can consider himself a little unfortunate as according to LFC Twitter he’s been doing that since he got here, but it doesn’t usually cost him a red card. It had been on the cards as his head seemed to have gone for some reason. He was fine until he got an unfair booking and lost the plot. He was in front of his man but was pulled back by the shirt. When he responded in kind he was given a yellow card. After that he was constantly sniping at Fat Jon Moss and his assistants and kept committing niggly holding fouls. Moss would have been within his rights to send him off a minute earlier after he pulled someone back and then aimed a volley of abuse at the linesman. Moss called him over, gave him a final warning and then within no time Hendo was stopping a Watford break by taking out Success as he ran down the left touchline. He didn’t even wait for the card, he just walked off the field as he knew what was coming. Klopp had seen it coming too and had Fabinho ready to come on but he didn’t get the chance to do it before it was too late. I don’t know what was behind Hendo’s frustration and lack of discipline, but it’s cost him his place in the derby next week. Had we only been one goal ahead I'd have been worried about going a man down but the second goal had made it safe as there was no way Watford were scoring two. They rarely looked capable of even getting one but you just never know. They had a decent penalty shout earlier when Hughes went down under a challenge from Robbo. Everyone held their breath there, but for once Moss did us a favour and ignored it. He could have given it as it looked like there was contact, even if Hughes clearly made a meal of it. That was a rare moment of alarm in what was a dominant defensive effort. No wonder Troy Deeney hates playing against Big Virg. He was completely anonymous. Alisson had to make one decent save in the first half but otherwise the only anxious moment he had was one he gave himself with a sloppy ball to Firmino that almost cost us. Not good from the keeper, but how the fuck have we ended up in a situation where Firmino is coming so deep that he’s having the keeper roll it into him? I don’t like him in this number ten role as it doesn’t look like he knows where he’s supposed to be or what he’s meant to be doing. He’s coming too deep because he’s trying to get involved and play like “a number ten”. It’s not working, not in an attacking sense anyway. The defensive record speaks for itself, although we were just as solid when playing 4-3-3 so I think it's more about the mentality and concentration rather than formation. The change in system (and positions) is hurting Firmino more than most. He scored 30 goals from centre forward last season. Why move him? He did score our third goal in this game (after a phenomenal counter attack led by Robbo), but he may have been back up front at that point, as Milner had come on for Shaq but to be honest I didn't really notice if we'd gone back to 4-3-3 or not, I'd have to watch it back. Mo is still getting a goal every game from the number nine position but he scored 44 goals last season almost exclusively from the right flank, so why not leave him there? It feels as though this entire system change is so we can get Shaqiri into the side. There's no doubt that he needs to play as his creativity and passing ability makes us a lot less predictable, but this 4-2-3-1 isn’t really clicking for any of the forwards, Shaqiri included who is wasted stuck out wide. Klopp obviously doesn’t feel he can play Shaqiri in a midfield three and he knows far more about that than I do. I just don’t think this is the way forward long term and I hope it’s only a temporary solution. I'm probably sounding more negative than I'm intending to here, and I'm aware that it’s ridiculous to be picking holes in anything given the position we’re in and the results we’ve had. I think there’s a slight frustration there though because it just doesn’t look quite right yet. The results are great, the clean sheets are fantastic and we are still scoring goals at a good rate. It just looks like we’ve been in second or third gear for most of the season so far, which I suppose is a good thing as long as we eventually pick it up again. Ordinarily we’d be ecstatic about what is happening but it’s hard to ignore the big financial doping elephant in the room. It’s a little demoralising that despite this great run we’ve had we’re still two points behind them, but it must be demoralising for them too. Probably even more so when you think about it. I mean, we’re watching our team and thinking “we can play much better than this” while they’re absolutely flying and dominating in a way that probably hasn’t been done before (except by them last season). Despite how sensational they’ve been, they can’t shake us off and we’re right there on their shoulder. They’ve been steamrollering everyone, but they’re one slip up away from being overtaken by us. That’s got to be doing their head in. So as easy as it is to get disheartened with them winning every game by four, five, six whatever, ultimately it really doesn’t matter. I'd rather they win 10-0 than 1-0 because when it's 1-0 we have hope, and it's the hope that kills you. Besides, all these easy wins may lead to complacency and when they do find themselves in a tough game it could be tougher because they aren't 'battle hardened'. We aren’t clawing back that goal difference no matter what happens, so they can win by six or seven every week and it doesn’t mean anything. As long as we keep finding ways to get three points it’s going to be more head wrecking for them than us. We need to be the itch they can’t scratch and so far we’re doing a great job of it. Star man is Virgil. Robbo was boss too, as was Lovren. Trent improved the longer the game went and I think the front three were probably better than I initially gave them credit for in the match ratings. It’s difficult not to judge them on what they did last season and when they aren’t hitting those heights I’m probably being overly critical of them. It’s their own fault for setting such a high bar though. Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum; Shaqiri (Milner), Firmino (Matip), Mane; Salah (Fabinho):

Saturday Nov 17: Big Virg follows Lovren’s lead. “Ramos is not the best. He’s a great player and I respect what he has achieved, but he is not my type of central defender. Personally, I don’t defend the way Ramos does. I try to avoid the kind of situations in which he excels and I don’t even try to make sliding tackles.” Basically he’s saying great defenders don’t need to make slidies all the time. Not sure I agree with that. Hansen never needed to but Lawro was one of the best there’s ever been at the well times slidey. Big Sami never slid but Carra had no qualms about flying in there. Still, Virg is saying what he needs to say to needle Ramos and I love it. The bigging up of Varane is part of it too. “He (Varane) won the Champions League, he won the World Cup (with France), so he should be the best defender in the world. I think Ramos was it, they chose Ramos? That’s the decision which you cannot change.” I like this Varane strategy. Lovren said the same thing last week and it’s not a co-incidence. Ramos best in the world? He’s not even the best at his own club etc. That will irk Ramos more than any other comparison I reckon. Meanwhile, Lovren himself isn’t done with Ramos. “He’s a coward. He took a cheap shot at Mo but he doesn’t like it when someone gives him some back. I elbowed him in the back of the head the other night and I told him “that’s for Mo” and that the next time I see him I’m going to knock him out” Ok, he didn’t say that, but I had you going didn’t I? It’s no longer out of the question that he would say something like that either, the big crazy bastard. In other news today, Mané is given a rough ride from the Senegal crowd and he was in tears on the pitch. Normally I’d be pissed off, but I’ve convinced myself that he’s running down his contract and pulling an Emre Can on us, so *shrugs* whatever. Sunday Nov 18: Hendo is sent home by England because he needs treatment. He used to be indestructible but the last three or four years he seems to be falling apart. I think Brendan broke him in that 2014 season when he played him in virtually every minute of every game. England scored twice in seven minutes to come from behind and beat Croatia. Vintage England that. Lose to a team when it matters and then get “revenge” in a game that means fuck all. Monday Nov 19: Big Virg scores a late equaliser for Holland as they got a good draw in Germany. They pushed him up front for the closing stages and he responded with a brilliant volley. A couple of weeks ago he did one of those ‘bessies’ features on LFC TV with Gomez. When he mentioned that he played a few games up front earlier in his career, Joe scoffed dismissively and said “Really? I know all you was doing up there was winning flick ons and nothing else”. Bet Gomez got a little text from the big fella tonight. Seconds later the final whistle blew, and the ref broke down in tears. Turns out his mum had just died and Virg comforted him, told him he did well and that everything would be ok. What a guy. I like the cut of his jib. This might pay off down the line if we get this ref in the Champions League. He’ll be in Virgil’s pocket now after this. Captain's behaviour. Tuesday Nov 20: Bored to death with all this talk about internationals. My twitter timeline is full of it and it just leaves me cold. International football is shit and it needs fucking right off, I’m sick of hearing abo… what’s that you say, Neymar and Mbappe both off injured? Ok, we know the chances are they'll miraculously be declared fit for next week, but it'd be ace if they were both out.Even if only one of them misses out I'll take that. I'd rather face Neymar than Mbappe. He might be the better player but he's easier to keep in check. Mbappe's pace is so scary it only takes a split second for him to get away. He should come and play for us. I'd happily use next summer's entire budget on him even if it meant not signing anybody else. Wednesday Nov 21: The u23s got beat 7-0 at home by Villarreal. Fucking hell, that’s mad. It was a young team and the Spanish side were more experienced but you just don’t see our lads have results like this. Interesting little story today. Turns out when we sold Coutinho, Michael Edwards put a clause in that if they try and buy any more of our players in the next few years they have to pay an extra €100m on top of any fee. Good stuff, just a shame he didn’t do it when we sold Suarez. Actually, maybe he did, as that Coutinho fee was a bit mental like. Meanwhile, the UEFA Golden Boy shortlist is announced, and it’s Trent, De Ligt, Kluiver’s kid and two lads I’ve never heard of. Mbappe didn’t make the list, which is a bit mental like. I mean he won’t win it because Trent’s on the list, but for him to not be top five is bizarre. Not as bizarre as this Patrice Evra thing on social media. We found out during the World Cup last summer that he is a bad fucking weirdo, but he really outdid himself tonight with that weird chicken licking thing he did. He’s just a fucking wrong un him. Not funny, not clever, just a bad try too hard tit. Thursday Nov 22: So this morning I wrote something for ESPN on Mane stalling over a new contract and how these things usually only end up going one way. I was happy with it and thought I made a lot of valid points. The overall jist of it was if he was going to sign then he probably would have by now, because the six months he’s stalled has already cost him over a million quid. I mean, if he wanted to stay why not sign it when it was first offered and double his money? If he signs now, he’s done himself out of a shit ton of money for nothing as he could have been on the improved salary for the last six months. Unless he gets a bigger offer then signing it now would make the last six months pointless. Tonight he agreed a contract and I was left looking like a right fucking div. Although in my defence it did come out of nowhere and I did say that if he knew what was good for him he’d sign because what he has now is as good as it gets, so maybe he read the article and saw sense? Yeah, that’ll be it. At least that’s how I’ll comfort myself on an embarrassing day. It’s good news that he’s signed, but the time I spent planning the article made me realise that I wouldn’t actually be in the slightest bit arsed if he hadn’t signed. He’s good, very good on his day, but we can do better I think. If Pulisic, Brandt or Dembele came on the market I’d be in there like a shot. Maybe a little more competition would bring the best out of Mane. At his best he’s amazing, but he’s so erratic that it’s becoming infuriating. Friday Nov 23: Guardiola: "I love reading but I don't read. I start to read and then I think Liverpool, Klopp and I can’t focus. People say I read books. I don't read books. I have a nice library and sooner or later I will read them but I don't have the time." It’s funny how much we’re in his head but I quite admire the fact he doesn’t try to pretend otherwise and has no qualms about voicing his admiration for Klopp and the lads. Most managers would pretend they’re not worried, but Guardiola never shies away from it. It’s probably the only thing I like about the baldy bastard. Speaking of City though, it’s hilarious watching some of their fans trying to separate their ownership from the shit that’s going down in Abu Dhabi. Some lad has been jailed for being a spy. Is there even such a thing as spies anymore? And why would you be spying in Abu Dhabi? It’s mental, but then that country is fucking nuts and has a horrific human rights record. Still, City are winning and play great football so who cares, right? Not their fans, that's for sure. And not Pep, who's happy to cash his cheque while complaining about human rights issues in Catalonia. Twat. Speaking of twats, I see Ramos failed a drugs test after the 2017 CL Final. So what, he’s a winner, that’s what winners do, every team needs someone like him blah blah blah It’s shocking this though, because it was swept under the carpet by UEFA. It’s definitely one rule for Madrid and a different one for everyone else. Poor Sakho missed a Europa League Final and the European Championships because of a fucking bogus suspension after taking a substance not even on the banned list, yet this cunt is allowed to just fucking run amok without any kind of recourse. Can’t wait to hear Lovren’s take on this. Probably call him a dirty smackrat and call for him to be banned for life. I could even see him scoring tomorrow and revealing a t-shirt with a picture of Ramos shooting up or snorting coke. He'll defo have something to say about it at some point. That was the week that was….

It is fair to say that Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a pretty impressive last few weeks for his club and country. After scoring with a low rasping strike for England against the USA during the international break, which would have sent those with an affiliate id from 12bet into raptures, the 20-year-old opened his league account this season against Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.After Mo Salah had broken the deadlock of a tightly contested affair in the 67th minute, the right-back stepped up to take a free kick eight minutes later after Roberto Firmino was fouled by Watford defender Adrian Mariappa.Without any hesitation, Alexander-Arnold curled in a peach of a ball over the wall and into the right corner which left Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster rooted to his spot. It was only Alexander Arnold's second goal in the league with his first coming against Swansea on Boxing Day.Roberto Firmino finished the scoring in the 89th minute which came seven minutes after captain Jordan Henderson was sent off for two bookable offences.Speaking to the official site after the 3-0 triumph, Alexander Arnold explained that manager Jurgen Klopp gave him the green light to be on free kick duty for the clash."Before the game, me, Hendo, Millie, everyone was joking about who would take it." I think Hendo wants one so he stepped up with the ball in his hand. Then he passed it to me because the gaffer said before the game that me and Shaq would be on them.“So that’s why when you look back at it, me and Hendo had a little moment together when we celebrated as a bit of a joke."It’s always good to be able to score and contribute to a win; we were happy to get the win first and foremost.”For a team which many observers have said are yet to fire on all cylinders, the Reds are still managing to break club records on what seems to be a weekly basis.By not conceding against the Hornets, Liverpool have let in the least number of goals (five) to this stage of a league campaign.This is also their best start to a season in the Premier League era.In normal circumstances that will be good enough to build a handy lead atop the Premier League, but the unflinching Man City remain an almighty hurdle to clear.That being said, you can only control your own side of things and Alexander-Arnold says playing as a unit is instrumental to the current success of the side.“We are not going to concede that many goals – and the forwards can score the goals. "As long as we keep that belief then I’m sure we will keep getting these types of results.A trip to Hertfordshire has not been an easy assignment for the Reds during the reign of the German with one win, one draw and one loss resulting from the three meetings before yesterday. The 3-3 draw on the first day of last season remains fresh in the memory for its symbolism of past defensive frailties.It was for that reason why Alexander-Arnold was thrilled with the victory."It was a tough game. It’s always tough when we come here."In the first half we found it quite tough but we managed to keep them out and we knew if we kept going we would get a good chance at goal ourselves. "That came in the second half and the later it went on, the better it was for us to break them down.”After a little dip in form, it is a true testament of Alexander-Arnold's character to see him respond in this fashion. Long may it continue.

Jurgen Klopp has said that he was planning substitute Jordan Henderson before the captain was sent off for two bookable offences against Watford in the Reds 3-0 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Liverpool captain saw red for a foul on Hornets midfielder Etienne Capoue on 82 minutes after picking up his first yellow on the hour mark against Isaac Success on the hour mark.The red card means that Henderson will miss the Merseyside Derby next Sunday. The Reds are strong favourites to win the game with most top online betting sites, but will have to do it without their captain. However Klopp held no ill- will against the skipper for his moment of poor discipline, but the manager also did not have a issue with the second yellow card being issued.Sky Sports reported Klopp as saying: "We cannot change it anymore and he is a fantastic boy, an outstanding, good person with a big heart and sometimes you don't do the right things in the right moments."He obviously didn't have as much oxygen anymore and it was only a little touch, but I would have given the second yellow as well."The only problem was, we already wanted to change him. Fabinho was ready and we couldn't make the change because it went differently, but it is all good." Despite playing the last ten minutes with a man less, Liverpool actually extended their margin of victory courtesy of a Roberto Firmino goal, after previous strikes by Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.Klopp was thrilled with the performance, especially on the back of a international break."The performance was really good and result was perfect."Coming back after an international break and playing a team who only had three or four players away I think, meaning they could train properly - we could only train Wednesday and Thursday - and to play against such an organised team is difficult."They stuck to what they wanted to do - deep defending, counter-attacking, long balls, going for second balls - which is difficult to defend."You have to stay in the game and stay concentrated, focused and do what you did again but better and that's what we did."It is one of the biggest wins in the season so far because the way of Watford is really special."Klopp also confirmed that defender Joe Gomez would be fit to play against Paris St Germain on Wednesday evening after missing the Hornets clash with an ankle knock suffered in training on Friday.

Another good three points on a day when very little came easy. It was a game of very few chances but three of them were converted and Big Virgil & co pitched another shut out. Man City continue to steamroller everyone they face, but despite their near total dominance they can’t shake us off and it must be doing their head in. The good A clean sheet and a win at a difficult place coming off no preparation is great. We never came close to hitting top gear but this is exactly the kind of game that has tripped us up so many times over the years. Now we’re just routinely picking up three points, irrespective of whether we’re playing well or not. The bad Hendo’s stupidity was the worst thing about the day, but Firmino playing as the ten, Shaqiri stuck out wide and Salah through the middle just isn’t doing it for me. Mo scored 44 goals last season, most of them from the right. Bobby bagged 30, most as a centre forward. It wasn’t broke so why try and fix it? Presumably to accommodate Shaqiri, but he’s wasted stuck out on the right too. Manager rating out of 10 Jurgen Klopp, 7 -- As stated above, the balance of the team didn’t look right and the performance was way below par. Yet he must have done something right if we can win 3-0 with only one day to prepare. Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating) GK Alisson Becker, 6 -- Sloppy pass with his left foot to an under pressure Firmino could easily have punished with a goal, but he redeemed himself with a good save to deny Pereyra. DF Trent Alexander-Arnold, 8 -- Decent performance, brilliant goal. Defensively sound for the most part and provided a good outlet. He’s been threatening to bury a free-kick for some time and this one was worth waiting for. DF Dejan Lovren, 7 -- Rock solid. Whether or not he’d have started had Gomez been fit only Klopp knows, but whenever Lovren has played this year he’s been impressive and centre back is now a position of genuine strength. Can’t help but think he had a hand in Mo’s “Ramos” celebration too. DF Virgil Van Dijk, 8 -- He’s just great. Rarely has to break sweat and just dominates every week. We’ve conceded 5 goals in 13 games. That’s the Van Dijk effect. No wonder Troy Deeney hates facing him. DF Andy Robertson, 8 -- Lucky not to concede a penalty but otherwise put in a typical swashbuckling Andy Robbo performance, capped by the sensational late run that led to the third goal. He’s great, I love him. MF Jordan Henderson, 4 -- His first booking was a joke and should have been a free-kick in his favour, but after that it looked like he wanted to get sent off. He had a couple of fouls that tested the refs patience and then aimed a barrage of abuse at a linesman, earning him a final warning. A minute later he committed an obvious yellow card offence and was halfway down the tunnel before the ref could even produce his card. Complete lack of discipline, which is most unlike him. MF Georginio Wijnaldum, 6.5 -- Showed some good body strength on the ball a few times, generally neat and tidy but not one of his more memorable performances. Not bad, not good, just a bit ‘meh’. Like most of his team-mates he was better in the second half. FW Xherdan Shaqiri, 6.5 -- Some bright moments in the first half where he was able to play some dangerous passes in behind to runners, but couldn’t get into the game from his position on the right and was virtually anonymous in the second half before eventually being subbed for Milner. FW Robert Firmino, 6.5 -- Played a key role in the opening goal and scored the third one, but he just doesn’t look comfortable in this role to me. He was coming eep and collecting the ball off the centre backs at times, and that's not where we want to see Bobby. FW Sadio Mane, 6.5 -- Had a decent effort saved in the first half and did well to create the opener. Should have scored the third himself but his shot was too close to Foster. Thankfully Bobby put the rebound away so no harm done. FW Mohamed Salah, 6.5 -- Generally well shackled by a Watford defence who were torched by him at Anfield last season. Playing centre forward makes him easier to mark and hopefully we’ll see him restored the right flank sooner rather than later. Substitutes: MF James Milner, NR -- Replaced Shaqiri and brought some stability to the midfield. MF Fabinho, NR -- CBrought on as an insurance policy following the stupidity of Henderson. MF Joel Matip, NR -- Usual late cameo, don’t think he touched the ball.

Continuing the series looking at the Liverpool youngsters who are aiming to become household names in the years ahead, we look at Doncaster Rovers loanee Herbie Kane. It is fair to say that the 19yo midfielder has made quite an impression on the Rovers faithful with a number of their passionate supporters stating he is already one of the top players in League One. Doncaster season ticket holders Mark Railton, Scott Hibbett, George Kefali and James Carlyle shared their views on the encouraging progress that the youngster has made at their club so far. TLW’s Jason Harris asks the questions… What were your first impressions of Herbie Kane when he arrived at the club? MR- I wasn't sure if (Doncaster manager) Grant McCann had done the right thing in taking a chance on a young midfielder for such a tough division, especially when a lot of teams go for big strong central midfielders. I was pleasantly surprised by how easily he slotted in and for me he would now be the first name on the team sheet every week. He has been outstanding since arriving and if he could add goals to his game he would be the best player in the division. Have you seen steady improvements in his game from the early part of the season to now, and if so what are they? MR- His ability to hang onto the ball in tight situations. He never flaps and always seems to wriggle free and release his pass. Think since he has come in, he has grown in stature and confidence and has now got the belief that he can do anything he wants when in possession of the ball. He’s also not shy at putting his foot in either. What is the one key part of Herbie's game that you really like? SH - He always seems to have so much time, he is always wanting the ball in tight spaces or with the opposition on his back and for someone at such a young age, that is impressive. He rarely gives the ball away and is not afraid to put his foot in and win back possession for the team. So far this season he is the leading player in that category in League One. GK- I just love how technical he is. He’s a standout player in this league for how quickly he can make a decision to pass or dribble on, his quick feet and determination really don’t get the credit they deserve. MR- His calmness in possession of the ball. Herbie never panics and 90% of the time makes the right decision. In your opinion, what is the one main improvement he can make? SH- Herbie is not fully-grown yet so he has the opportunity to grow a few more inches in the next year. Like most players who make it at the top level, it's pace that they need. While Herbie is certainly not you would define as slow, if he can add an extra yard, it will be very handy. What he lacks in pure speed, he makes up for with his ability to shield the ball which was very similar to (former Man Utd junior) Richie Wellens when we had him in a couple of stints a few years back. I think those players who are nurtured at top clubs learn to do that well - learn to use it and shield the ball under pressure. Those qualities really stand out with players who drop down from the Premier League into the Championship or League 1. JC- The one improvement he can make is probably scoring more goals. He just needs to keep doing what he is doing. Keep progressing and working hard because it is showing in his performances that he is working hard on the training field. I have no doubt at all if he continues this he will make it into Liverpool’s first team. Is there a performance by Herbie that stands out for you so far this season? JC- I think the first few performances took everyone by surprise as we weren’t expecting him to be that good and now the performances he puts in are fantastic. However, even though we lost to Sunderland 1-0, he controlled the game for me. We all know what Lee Cattermole is like, and Herbie had him in his pocket all game. You would have thought Herbie was the experienced pro and not Lee. GK- His standout performance this season has to be Chorley away in the FA Cup 1st round. Bagging the only 2 goals of the game, including a peach from outside the box to save our managers arse in all fairness. That and he drew a very nasty foul which led to an opposition red card which I still can’t believe wasn’t given as a penalty but a free kick. Who does he link up well with in the Rovers team, and do you think his presence has made you a better team this season? GK- I think there’s no doubt that Kane’s presence has sparked something in everyone else and as a central playmaker he’s at the heart of most of our play. With being so technically gifted, he’s exactly what we need to play possession football. He links up well with both (Thomas) Rowe and (Ben) Whiteman beside him in the midfield in passing and movement along the pitch. How do you think Grant McCann has worked with Herbie so far this season? GK- Grant McCann seems to praise him a lot and I believe he would be interested in a season long loan extension for Herbie too. Taking the first step into professional ranks can be difficult for any youngster, so what do you think makes Doncaster a good club for players from Premier League youth academies to spend time at. JC- I think if you look at other professionals who have been here in their younger days and you look at them now, they have all gone on to play at a higher level. Jordan Mutch, he was on loan here and he ended up playing for Crystal Palace and QPR in the Premier League. The majority of the time when people leave our club, it is for better things. Richie Wellens, he left to join Leicester, George Friend left to join Middlesbrough, James Husband came through our youth team, he went to Norwich. So I think it does show we treat our younger players well and hopefully put them in good stead for their careers.