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With Daniel Sturridge facing a few weeks on the sidelines after once again being "Hodged", Brendan Rodgers has a decision to make as to how to replace him. A like for like replacement with the same system that worked against Spurs, or a switch back to 4-3-3 and an attacking midfielder coming in? Three of our contributors have their say. . .

 

 

It’s now a much harder question to answer than it would have been in the past as for a change we actually have numerous different quality options to step in.

 

My natural instinct would be to bring in a Lallana or Markovic for extra creativity and have them breaking from midfield along with Sterling to support Balotelli.  However due to the great success we had last season with the diamond and the recent excellent (attacking) performance against Spurs I would go like for like and bring in a striker to retain this formation.

 

In terms of what striker to pick I believe that either Lambert or Borini could do a good job for us in a central two.  Borini’s movement and work-rate would help our midfielders by giving them great passing options and assisting the team to press high up the pitch whilst Lambert’s ability as a target man would allow Balotelli to play off him.  

 

I believe that Lambert is the better player though and is already established currently as third choice striker so as a result I would give him the first opportunity to show what he can do.

 

I think that Lambert's biggest weakness is his lack of pace whilst his biggest strength is his passing and particularly his ability to thread through balls for players to run on to and as such I think this formation and the players involved will help to mask his weaknesses and play to his strengths. His lack of pace won’t be such an issue as he will be surrounded by fast players who will all be looking to make runs beyond him. These runners will then provide numerous options for him to attempt the through balls he is so good at.

 

Alongside this the pace of these players will almost certainly ensure that Villa defend deep – if not as Stevie would say “all the best” – and this will then provide Lambert with greater opportunities to use his aerial ability in the box.  The twin aerial threat of Lambert and Balotelli in the box will be very difficult to cope with for Villa in general play and also from freekicks if our delivery is good. 

 

That Lambert will provide that twin threat of aerial prowess combined with the ability to thread killer balls through for our fast players makes him for me the best option to call upon at this time. Moreover hopefully we can for a change get some benefit from England International duty as Lambert’s confidence should have been boosted after providing an important assist against Switzerland.

 

Joe Simpson

@Wolf_TicketsLFC

 

 

 

My name's Ben and I've a disturbing confession to make.

 

Since confirmation arrived that Daniel would yet again return maimed from the Three Lions' den, I've been haunted by a terrible image I saw this summer of budgie smuggler swaddled Fabio Borini in my mind's eye; like an alabaster-skinned foreign exchange student aping male fragrance ads on the beach. Waiting for the dog to have a slash, after she's reversed up a tree stump like one of the BMX Bandits? Borini. Wan face illuminated in the dead of night by a rapidly emptying fridge? Borini. Stuck behind one of those chumps who think the 30 MPH speed limit is something you build up to piecemeal over a lifetime...well, you get the picture.

 

Having no great interest in metrosexual trends, I've hopefully identified the reason for this troubling fixation as a preoccupation with how we replace Sturridge, and crucially his goals, during any games he may miss.

 

Now football has many well-worn tropes all of its very own, and they have an uncanny knack of providing clues as to what will happen next. Those supposedly surprising plot-reveals commentators widely feign amazement at, expecting the rest of us to suspend disbelief while they pretend we didn't all know what was coming.

 

Among their number can surely now be added the scene where, after a club have been desperately trying to cajole their reluctant player towards the exit door in a fashion not dissimilar to coaxing a cat into its travel basket, and following the move's collapse, he scores the very next time he's involved. Which would be almost immediately of course, after the main man ahead of him in the pecking order gets injured in the care of something which itself likes pecking at small mammals.

 

To now work backwards a bit, and as far as team shape goes for Villa, its more of the same for my money.  We're a far greater threat with two strikers interchanging, while the diamond formation suits our midfield options, which now extend to a depth allowing for change of personnel or formation dependant on how the match progresses, without compromising quality.

 

Spurs was comfortably our most all-round performance and the best demonstration of us controlling a game during the early infancy of this season to date, the central defenders and Stevie have an extra man in the middle pressing ahead of them (and boy do they need it, at the very least while a hopefully settled back five gradually gel with one another), so why immediately switch formation again when the signs were promising?  

 

Though the European games which happily start next Tuesday give him a more complicated equation to work out this season, Rodgers has until now picked on merit, and from a starting eleven perspective there's no-one else from our last league game who should expect to miss the next one, unless also injured on international duty.  Statistically speaking, in the time its taken to write this another one probably has gone down carrying a washing machine on their back during England training, but what can you do?  Life is after all ephemeral, as Roy would no doubt attest, citing one of his many favourite heavyweight books.  Full of threadbare excuses.

 

Going back to the start, and with all else in place, who would I pick to replace Sturridge?  As surely made obvious earlier, I'd select Our Ricky. Like I said, football's full of well-worn tropes, and this prodigal son back at his local club is well overdue a triumphant coming home moment on the pitch. I must admit, I was going to plump for Fabio Magnifico to partner Mario Fantastico; it just seems written.

 

Then it occurred to me earlier that Balotelli potentially isn't up to playing a full match yet, and Lambert has had much more of a preseason than the other man hoping to partner him. No point risking both of our front two running out of steam on 60 minutes if we don't have to, and in fairness Lambert's 3rd in the queue on merit. But keep Borini on the bench, for real. He's fated to score a significant goal in the coming run of games; you can take that to the bank. I mean, he has to. What if I'm stuck like this forever?

 

* Sprays plucked chest with Jean Paul Gaultier parfum and runs into 12 degree gloom, shoe-horned into a male thong *

 

 

Ben James

@LBWChopper

 

 

 

One of the hugely pleasing aspects of dealing with this question is now the number of options laid out before you to choose from when making a selection, and the amount of personnel changes that can be envisaged to alter the course of the game, if so required.

 

When looking at this one do you decide on a shape and then pick your players or do you try to crowbar the players you want into a shape that suits? It is almost always a mix of both but the deciding factor can often be the opposition that you’re looking to sweep aside.

 

Villa will come to Anfield having taken some confidence from a solid, yet unspectacular, start to the season. They’ll almost certainly stick with a relatively deep back four of Hutton, Vlaar, Senderos and Cissokho and have a narrow three in midfield not far in front of them. Two things immediately leap out at me in that scenario: lots of tricky interplay around them is something they could struggle with and Hutton looks ripe for a long day if someone with pace were to target him.

 

I’d recommend not being robbed of the ball by Moreno on the half-way line Alan; that foot-race will end very badly for you - just ask Andros Townsend.  As tempting as it might be to have Sterling at the furthest point of the diamond again, involved with everything, it would be interesting to see him playing further forward alongside Mario Balotelli.

 

The main reason for that change would be that it could be a good game for Coutinho to be given an opportunity to get into his rhythm in the league. A diamond where he has Henderson, Allen and Gerrard behind him allows for good continuity from the previous match with plenty of width being offered from the full-backs. There’s an option to go with a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 but these would probably mean that alongside Sterling going wider one of Markovic or Lallana would be looking to start too; with Balotelli still fitting in that could have the potential to be a bit disjointed.

 

Liverpool could well blow away Villa early on in the match but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the game is still to be won going into the last half an hour. With the opportunity to bring on the above options of Lallana and Markovic (both fitness permitting) and also to introduce Lambert against a tiring, deep defence Rodgers’ men shouldn’t be panicking if this one takes a bit longer than usual to be boxed off.

 

The replacement of Coutinho, with his assortment of slips, dips and jinks, should hopefully mean that it isn’t just Agbonlahor that spends the whole game with that perplexed look of a man drifting around Anfield trying to figure out if that smell is gas, wondering if it’s because he left the gas on, then confusing himself further by just how much that doesn’t make any sense – with any luck the Villa defence will be pulling similarly befuddled faces throughout the match.

 

Stu Montagu

@SimianJustice

 

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by Dave Usher for ESPN

 

Injuries to Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson sustained on international duty with England left Liverpool fans cursing England head coach Roy Hodgson this past week. Well, OK, cursing him even more than usual.

 

Thankfully Henderson's injury scare appears to have been short lived as he played the full 90 minutes of England's 2-0 win in Switzerland on Monday night. Still, having been sent for a scan the day before the game clearly indicates there was a problem there, and if he suffers any after-effects from that (as Sturridge did last season when Hodgson forced him to play 90 minutes when carrying an injury) then Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will have every right to feel aggrieved with the England boss.

 

Barring any reaction Henderson will presumably now be available to face Aston Villa at Anfield this Saturday, but Sturridge is set for a few weeks on the sidelines. It's a setback Rodgers could certainly have done without so early into the new season, but on the bright side at least he's much better prepared for it than he would have been six months ago.

 

Liverpool invested heavily in recruiting eight players over the summer. All eight were never going straight into a first eleven that came within two points of winning the title last season; the objective was to provide greater depth and to give Rodgers more options when injuries inevitably occur.

 

The demands of attempting to compete on four fronts made a larger squad a necessity, but the rigours of playing for Hodgson appear to be the biggest danger to the health and well being of some members of the Liverpool squad. Oh for the glory days of 1986 when the Reds clinched the League and FA Cup double without a single Englishman in the side that beat Everton at Wembley!

 

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by Dave Usher for ESPN

 

"He's usually the best player on the pitch".

 

That was a quote last week from Liverpool's young Spanish midfielder Suso when discussing Raheem Sterling. He's right. More often than not in 2014 Sterling has indeed been the best player on the field, even when he has shared that field with much more established and illustrious names.

 

Sterling's rise has not exactly been meteoric -- he was tipped for stardom from a very young age -- but he does seem to be developing much faster than expected.

 

Liverpool knew he'd be good, but did they know he'd be this good, this soon? It seems preposterous now, but 12 months ago you could have made a very strong argument that Sterling should have been loaned out to a Championship side after a promising start to first team life looked to have fizzled out.

 

A year on he's now consistently one of the Premier League's best players week in week out.

 

Was anyone actually surprised that he was the star turn during England's drab 1-0 victory in front of a half empty Wembley Stadium last Wednesday night? It would have been more surprising if he wasn't; he's the country's most in-form player based on the opening three games.

 

The progress in his game over the past nine or ten months is such that he is now outplaying his contract; a contract which initially seemed a little on the high side when he signed it in December 2012.

 

For 12 months Sterling's performances never justified his increased salary, but now they are exceeding it by some distance.

 

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Liverpool's summer long search for an upgrade on back keeper Brad Jones took an unexpected twist recently when former Barcelona number one Victor Valdes emerged as a target. Reports suggest a deal has been struck with the much decorated Spaniard, and will be finalised once he has proved his fitness following a serious knee injury. The question is, will Valdes be coming to provide back up/competition or to replace Simon Mignolet? Three of our writers discuss... 
 

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Firstly, the lack of quality competition for our number one goalkeeper is something I have been banging my drum about for around five years, so if this comes to fruition I will be happy that we have finally managed to sort that problem out.
 
But if we consider whether or not he will walk straight into the first team or not, I think we have to see how he has recovered from his injury. Valdes’ ACL blew out and it was a bad one. He was in no contact with any player; it was the way his knee bent as his studs caught the turf collecting a high ball. I’ve watched it a couple of times before writing this and it isn’t pleasant viewing. It isn’t just about fitness – how is his confidence? Injuries like this are not easy to recover from.
 
Everything I’ve ever read about Victor Valdes suggests he is a hard working and dedicated winner and you have only to look at his medal collection to see that is absolutely the case. He’s come a long way from the Victor Valdes of the early/mid 2000s who always seemed to be making a string of errors. I see a lot of Spanish football and as he has grown up and come of age, those errors have appeared less and less.
 
He isn’t perfect and he will make errors similar to Mignolet – he will unexpectedly and needlessly fumble a ball under very little pressure and he isn’t the most commanding goalkeeper in the world when it comes to crosses.
 
But what he would definitely bring to our game is control of his penalty area and first class distribution. Barcelona’s game has been all about retaining possession for the last decade and Valdes has played over 500 games for them. He will be ideal for the calmness and composure we need when we’re being pressed in and around our penalty box. He will distribute the ball effectively and cleverly and without panicking the entire crowd.
 
He is very commanding of his box and it will be like having the old Reina back to that effect. He is quick off his line and is always on the front foot, looking to take control and to collect the ball. That to me is one of the big things which separates top goalkeepers from very good ones.
 
I’m pleased to see that we appear to have stolen a march on the rest of Europe on Valdes. I thought there would be a huge queue of clubs after him but it looks like we’ve got there first. He can probably make more money elsewhere but I think Valdes is looking for a new challenge. That was why he tearfully decided to leave Barcelona – another challenge.
 
Displacing Mignolet is going to be one of those. The Belgian is anything but a bad goalkeeper, and it really annoys me to read/see people saying that he is. He’s everything I said he was when we signed him last summer – he makes great saves but the rest of his game needs work. The arrival of Valdes can only do one of two things. Kick him on and make sure he stays number one, or see him be replaced by Valdes.
 
Personally I think Mignolet is in a spot of bother because Valdes is a leader, supposedly a massive warrior and a commanding presence. We don’t have enough of that in our back four and Mignolet isn’t going to become vocal overnight.
 
This really is win/win for the club. Valdes is ridiculously experienced and is still only 32. He might not come straight into the team and he is going to have to severely prove his fitness, but Valdes is going to have designs on that number one spot and that is something that I find very exciting. It’s a shakeup we have needed for a long time and we will reap the rewards of it. 
 

 

Dan Thomas

 

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Well this is interesting; once again Liverpool are not messing about when they have a gap in the squad. They’ve identified the problem, they’ve found a solution and they’re away. If I’m Mignolet then I might be a little worried by this potential Valdes signing. I’d love to know what our current number one is thinking about it all but I’d also like to know what the club has said to Valdes and on what terms he’ll be arriving here.
 
The key to this question is what does the club envision with Valdes arriving? Does he want to sit on the bench and count his money? Or does he think he can wrestle the starting spot from Mignolet? Perhaps the club see this situation as a potential scenario where they can platoon them in goal? Certainly if it’s the latter then that’ll never work out, chopping and changing goalkeepers puts everyone on edge. I just can’t see Valdes coming to sit on the bench though, he’s a good goalkeeper who was playing for a successful club side, no way would he have left all that to do nothing.
 
Mignolet might feel aggrieved that he’s being placed in this position but ultimately competition is the best thing for the squad. Now Mignolet might thrive under the pressure or wilt like a poisoned flower. It’s not for all players and I’m not exactly sure what sort of player Mignolet actually is when he’s under pressure for his squad place as the only ‘competition’ has been Brad Jones. He doesn’t seem the most assertive of players (his lack of command in the area emphasises that) but I’m not sure if he will fail when under pressure for places. I genuinely don’t know how he’ll react but my instinct is that he’ll rise to the challenge.
 
It all depends if the club set parameters with both players, if they tell them that Valdes is the no.2 (something I can’t imagine he has agreed too) then that might simultaneously relax Mignolet not to be edgy in games and give him the confidence to produce a string of performances that answers any questions that currently hang over him.
 
I like Valdes although I’ve never thought he was a top echelon ‘keeper but he’s not chopped liver. The dominant Barcelona teams of the last 7 years have been able to get away without actual centre backs since they held on to the ball so well that the opposition could never really pepper their goal. That doesn’t mean that Valdes hasn’t been good when called upon, it’s just I never placed him up there with very best.
 
I suppose the real question is do I think Valdes is better than Mignolet? The answer is I probably do, yes. So if Liverpool are signing a player better than the man occupying the shirt, then I suppose you have to start them. However you look at it Mignolet has now got genuine competition for the first time since he arrived here, what happens next is up to him.

 

Julian Richards

 
 

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There are two ways of looking at this potential/probable signing: firstly, it's very harsh to put a very good and indeed improving young keeper like Mignolet under the sort of pressure that stems from one of the most decorated goal keepers in world football coming in to sniff around his first team slot.
 
However, the other is to say that we are a club in the ascendancy and we cannot afford to stand still; Mignolet has been good but not great and why should he be any different to any other player in our rapidly improving squad? They have to face significant competition for their places every week, so why not him.
 
To be honest, I think he's a great shot-stopper whose game nevertheless needs a high degree of re-tuning in order to fully complement the way we play. However, even if I was more effusive about him than that, Valdes would still be a no-brainer of a signing. Assuming his fitness is proven, how could anyone deny he'd be a hugely positive piece of recruitment?
 
We are talking about a man who has won the lot here. His medal collection is incredible, but even if you discount the international medals on the basis that he didn't play, you can't ignore his club haul. Valdes is a winner, plain and simple and you can never have too many of those in a dressing room. Furthermore he's a big character and a leader used to holding his own in a team full of some of the greatest players in history. Again, how can that not be of benefit to us?
 
That all said, it's when you look at his game that the arguments in favour of his signature become compelling. Valdes is made for the way we play: a genuine "sweeper keeper" who's great with his feet and totally unintimidated about being exposed by what most would regard as a recklessly high back line. Furthermore, he's highly vocal and a great shot stopper too.
 
In short, this is beyond doubt a nailed on "must sign" deal (as long as his fitness is assured). And I don't think he'd be coming in as number two either. At 32 years of age, he's just getting into his peak years as a goal keeper and, harsh though it sounds, I'd put him straight into the team at Mignolet's expense. This could be a transformational signing.
 

Paul Natton

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Daniel Agger's departure may not have impacted Brendan Rodgers' first-team plans too much this season, but it has left Liverpool without a vice captain and no clear eventual successor to current skipper Steven Gerrard. The Reds' boss said after the 3-0 win at White Hart Lane that he hadn't given any thought to the situation but would use the international break to assess his options before making a decision.

 

The truth is there really aren't too many candidates -- not ones who tick all the required boxes, anyway.

 

If the decision was based on experience and time at the club, Martin Skrtel would be the obvious choice. He's a first-team regular and has made almost 250 appearances for the club. He also plays at centre-back, a position that traditionalists will tell you is ideal for a captain as he can see the entire field and issue instructions as needed.

 

The one big drawback with the Slovakian defender is he's not at all vocal. He does his own job but isn't one for telling others how to do theirs, a big reason why Rodgers invested so heavily in Dejan Lovren. The Croatian was brought in to be the leader in the defence and has all the attributes you would want in a captain or, in this case, vice-captain. He's experienced despite being relatively young but he's only played three games for the club, which may well count against him. Would it sit well with teammates for a newcomer to be given the vice captaincy?

 

Adam Lallana is in the same boat. He captained Southampton and has all the necessary qualities you'd be looking for. He's a leader by example, a good professional and very mature young man. It would be almost impossible for Rodgers to make him Gerrard's vice-captain, however, given he has yet to kick a ball in anger for the Reds after being injured in preseason. Besides, no-one knows if he will even be a regular starter as we are yet to see what role Rodgers has identified for him. Lallana might be a candidate one day, but not now.

 

So who else does that leave? Glen Johnson is experienced and has been at the club a long time but is probably the last person most fans would want to see given the honour. Even madcap Mario Balotelli would be a more popular choice than the out-of-form (and soon to be out of contract) full-back! Lucas Leiva is another who has been around for many years and even though he's worn the armband before, his struggles to even make the match day squad these days push him out of the equation.

 

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The Mancs kicked the weekend off with a relegation clash at Burnley. In the end it was a much needed point apiece and the draw was probably fair as there was nothing between the two teams on the day.
 
Di Maria made his debut but didn’t do much and was subbed in the second half. He’s far too good for this United team though. I was going to say he must have been wondering what he’d gotten himself into, but he knew full well what he was getting into, the greedy twat. He just doesn’t give a fuck as he’s being paid more than he’d get anywhere else.

Poor old Darren Fletcher must have the toughest job in the Premier League right now, playing in a midfield three with Mata and Di Maria. He should be asking for triple time, they’d probably give him it too as all of a sudden they’re handing out cash like it’s going out of fashion.

United are still without a win this season and not even a trip to MK Dons in the league cup could change that. Losing 4-0 to a third division side is just humiliating if you call yourself a big club, regardless of how many regulars were missing. If this is the best of their young crop then no wonder they’re choosing to pay daft money for big names.

Some questions were asked of Van Gaal for fielding such a weakened side, but in fairness you have to rest your top players when you’re having to juggle your squad due to the demands of European footb…. oh yeah …hahahahaha.

Van Gaal’s quotes afterwards were eerily familiar though. “I couldn’t have asked for any more. We didn’t score but we created lots of chances”. Fucking hell, all that’s missing there is “We got to the byline loads of times”. Louis Van Moyes!

Poor Moyesy, you just know he’s telling anyone who’ll listen (in other words, his wife) how “I won my first match in the league cup you know” and “When I said stuff like that they fucking laughed at me”. He’s right too. The way everyone took the piss out of him last season when it turns out he was actually the glue holding it all together. Who knew?

I’m wondering though, are we gonna see outraged articles with photos of fat Luke Shaw out and about in mancland after every bad United result? I hope so, it’s hilarious, albeit completely pointless. “Look, United couldn’t beat Burnley but Luke Shaw has gone out for a meal with friends. Outrageous behaviour!!”

Burnley are spirited and well organised, but severely lacking in talent. The other half of their prolific strike pairing is injured at the moment so maybe they’ll get better, but I was watching that Jutkievic bum and thinking how shit he is. “Where the fuck did they find that yard dog?” I pondered. Then the commentator says “his only other appearance in the Premier League came when he was at Everton.” Suddenly it all made sense.

Speaking of our unfriendly neighbours, the wheels seem to be coming off in a big way there. They blew the win against Arsenal a week ago and now they’ve been thoroughly spanked by a Chelsea side they beat at Goodison last year. Normally the thought of Chelsea hitting six goals against someone is enough to make me want to vomit, but if you can’t enjoy the Blues being humiliated at home then what’s the point in watching football?

Chelsea scored twice in the opening three minutes. Who the fuck do they think they are, us? The second one was a fraction offside but Everton’s defending on both goals was brutal. They’ve let in ten in three games now. Who the fuck do they think they are, us?

Mirallas pulled one back before half time and I noticed on the replay that Lukaku went and picked the ball out of the net and then cupped his ear to the Chelsea fans. Turns out the classless chav gobshites had been taunting him with chants of “Chelsea reject” in the rare moments they weren’t singing about us (yes, not only did Everton get slammed on the pitch but their fans fell short in the “let’s see who can sing about Liverpool the most” challenge too. Usually that only happens when the mancs are in town).

As for Lukaku, couple of things. 1) If you’re a centre forward, you can’t really be taunting opposing fans when it’s someone else that has scored against them, and 2) It’s probably wise not to do it when you’re still fucking losing the game!!

Chelsea restored their two goal advantage when Hazard’s shot went in off the unfortunate Coleman but the league’s best shit player, Steven Naismith, struck for the third game in a row with a lovely finish to give the Blues hope. Not for long though, another deflected goal - this time from Matic - gave Chelsea breathing room again but substitute Eto’o headed in with his first touch to make it game on once more.

Ah yes, Samuel Eto’o. How funny has it been seeing the Blues carrying on like they’ve landed some world superstar? It’s pathetic, like when they were buzzing off Gazza and Ginola when they were about six years past their sell by date too. I’d say they’re doing a Villa, but that would be unfair to Villa as they are under no illusions that the players they’ve signed are no longer “box office”. The blues are carrying on like they’ve signed the 2007 version of Eto’o.

Anyway, it was a completely mental game now; neither side could defend but Everton were especially bad and Ramires took advantage to make it 5-3. Mirallas then hit the post with what would have been an early goal of the season contender but Everton’s misery was complete when Costa grabbed his second in stoppage time after punishing a hilariously inept first touch by Besic on his debut.

You won’t hear me saying this often but I was hoping Costa would put that one away as it meant I could absolutely ruin Besic in here. Thats the one and only time I’ll be wanting that odious arl man faced twat to score. Besic though, how great was that!! He came on in the last minute with the game more or less over, and you just know he was thinking “I’ll give the fans a little something to get excited about here, show ‘em what I can do”. Best. First. Touch. Ever.

So embarrassing, but perhaps even more embarrassing was what happened next. No, not Costa’s putting the ball in the net, I’m talking about Jon Obi Mikel running onto the loose ball and then showing Besic how it’s done with a perfectly executed back heel of his own then sent Costa through to score. Being out showboated by Mikel has to be the worst experience a footballer can ever have. I’d just retire

now if I was Besic.

 

 

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by Dave Usher for ESPN

 

Fabio Borini must really enjoy weekend shopping with the wife, as chances are he is going to have a lot of spare time on his hands over the coming months after pricing himself out of moves to QPR and Sunderland.

 

Between now and the reopening of the transfer window in January, the Italian striker's chances of playing first-team football appear to be slim and none. Unlike other fringe players at Anfield such as Suso and Lucas Leiva, however, Borini's situation is one entirely of his own choosing.

 

His motives for staying put aren't exactly clear, and his somewhat cryptic Twitter outburst on Tuesday has done little to clarify the situation.

 

Maybe he just wasn't prepared to give up his Liverpool dream without a fight and hopes to force his way into the team. As a footballer, you have to back your own ability, and I would imagine he sees himself as being a better option than, for example, Rickie Lambert, who is currently third in the front-line picking order. Furthermore, Borini knows Daniel Sturridge has had various injury problems and, let's face it, no one knows what could happen with Mario Balotelli from one moment to the next.

 

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by Dave Usher for ESPN

 

Liverpool bounced back from their defeat to Manchester City with a comfortable 3-0 win over a once again outgunned Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Much of the pre-match focus had been on how Mario Balotelli would fit into Liverpool's up-tempo pressing style and, more specifically, whether he would be able to strike up a rapport with Daniel Sturridge. The Italian answered both questions with a lively, hardworking display full of promise for the future, but rather than the much-discussed front two, it was Liverpool's supporting cast who proved to be the match-winners.

 

Midfielders Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen created the opening two goals (scored by the other members of that midfield, Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard from the penalty spot) while the third was delivered in spectacular fashion by left-back Alberto Moreno. That's an encouraging sign for Brendan Rodgers, but he'll know better than anyone that Liverpool will go as far this season as their strikers take them, and this was a very promising beginning for the Balotelli/Sturridge pairing.

 

It was almost the dream start for the Italian when Sturridge picked him out on the back post inside two minutes, but his header was kept out by the agile Hugo Lloris. Balotelli wasted another headed opportunity shortly after and also snatched at an open goal from 30 yards out when with a bit more composure he could have found Sturridge for a tap in. Rodgers won't mind that and as far as first impressions go, Balotelli made a pretty good one with this performance.

 

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“The team,” Brendan Rodgers has been known to say, “is the star.” And on the strength of its performance against Spurs at White Heart Lane, this Liverpool squad appears to be quite capable of justifying the declaration. Amidst the debut of heat-seeking Mario Balotelli, the Reds registered a signal of intent founded upon a balanced team performance, rebounding nicely from their loss away to Manchester City.

 

Liverpool sauntered out at White Hart Lane guns blazing, with a quartet of relatively new, front foot defenders and a balanced midfield supporting the mouthwatering attacking trio of Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Balotelli. Rather than opt for the added security of his supposedly preferred 4-3-3, Brendan Rodgers once again demonstrated the audacious approach that has made Liverpool into such a prolific attacking force, and also probably cost them last season’s title.

 

The Reds provided a genuine threat from the start with the debutant Balotelli redirecting an excellent cross from Sturridge right into Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. It’s early days, but the Italian offered impressive industry, helping out at the back in addition to his power and flair in attack. Though Sturridge, like his strike partner appeared to have left his shooting boots at home, the Englishman continued to provide a creative spark, making a tricky run down the right after Jordan Henderson and Javier Manquillo won possession for Liverpool. Sturridge neatly played through the marauding Henderson, who threaded an inch-perfect ball across the box to Sterling. The teenager made no mistake, coolly slotting in with his left foot past a diving Hugo Lloris.

 

Liverpool enjoyed some impressive spells of possession through the first half, with Gerrard dictating play from deep, while offering increasingly disciplined cover in front of the back four. In front of the captain, Joe Allen and Henderson completed a balanced midfield with diligent, clever movement and passing. The positioning of Allen in particular allowed Alberto Moreno to roam forward with threatening effect, while the young Spaniard’s speed allowed him to recover effectively when necessary.

 

In addition to his second lovely assist to the young Sterling this campaign, Allen’s counterpart Henderson showed with his burgeoning blend of industry, decision making and skill why he is fast becoming one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. With halftime approaching the Reds again threatened, the veteran Gerrard stepping forward to expertly guide a long free kick towards a waiting Balotelli, who steered his header wide of Lloris’ left post.

 

Despite the Reds’ attacking threat, defensive incompetence reared its head in the 42nd minute as Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho both challenged Emmanuel Adebayor for a header at the top of the box, only to see it knocked down by the Togolese striker into the path of an advancing Nacer Chadli, who stung the gloves of Simon Mignolet in drawing a fine one-on-one save from the Belgian. The keeper certainly spared his centre backs’ blushes, but otherwise the Reds controlled the game nicely with rapid, tidy passing as the match headed into halftime one-nil to the visitors.

 

Liverpool began strongly after the interval, calm and composed in dominating possession. Minutes into the second half Joe Allen took advantage of minimal yet clumsy contact from Eric Dier inside the area to win a relatively soft penalty. Perhaps a few stole a glance at Balotelli when the spot kick was awarded but Steven Gerrard calmly stepped up to take it, firing into the lower corner from twelve yards to double the Reds’ lead.

 

The third goal was an exquisite cocktail of power, pace and ruthlessness as Moreno won possession inside his own half and burst forward into space. The young Spaniard watched two Spurs defenders track Sturridge’s run into the box and decided to do it himself, rifling into the bottom righthand corner from the edge of the box.

 

Liverpool offered a few more moments of threat, highlighted by some fine work by substitute Emre Can in setting up Raheem Sterling to jink his way into space inside the area. The teenager’s slippery moves earned him a one on one opportunity with Lloris, which he tamely scuffed towards the Frenchman’s goal.

 

That Liverpool were able to bring on Can for Allen and Lazar Markovic for Balotelli speaks to the depth Rodgers has assembled since his arrival at Anfield, even if the effect was dimmed somewhat by the introduction of Jose Enrique for Sterling on the left of a front three. The substitutes slotted in well, as Liverpool saw out the victory with a poise and defensive solidity that has certainly been lacking in recent times.

 

Despite the wayward finishing of Sturridge, Balotelli and to an extent Sterling, the Reds produced a fine attacking display. Just as crucially, they showed significant improvement at the back, registering their first clean sheet since a 4-0 demolition of this same Spurs side at Anfield in March. Lovren looked a bit unsteady on his unfavored right side, but the fullbacks were defensively solid, as was Sakho in his first action of the campaign.

 

The midfield trio also impressed, and the likes of Lallana, Coutinho, Markovic, Flanagan, Skrtel and Johnson will have their work cut out for them in earning their way off a much improved bench and into the side.

 

After a humbling evening at the Etihad last Monday, Liverpool bounced back in an impressive opening salvo of what could be its base formation for much of this season. There are bound to be stumbles ahead as Rodgers continues to integrate a host of fresh newcomers into an increasingly competitive first team. But on the strength of today’s performance Reds fans could be forgiven for envisioning a bright, silverware-laden future on Merseyside, this season and beyond.

 

Despite the much publicised arrival of Balotelli, it will require a consistent string of team performances like today’s in order to turn that dream to reality.

 

Joel Tracy

@jtras2

 

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by Dave Usher for ESPN

In an era in which almost every footballer seems to harbour ambitions of one day playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona, Daniel Agger was one of the few who bucked the trend. For most modern players, other clubs are seen as merely another step on the ladder to either of the La Liga giants. Agger, however, is not like most modern footballers; he's a complex character who values a settled and happy home life above money and trophies.

 

The Dane had numerous opportunities to leave Anfield and was the subject of serious interest from Barcelona on more than one occasion, but showed little or no interest in ever leaving Anfield until this summer when he found himself surplus to requirements.

It will have surprised many to see him return to his first club, Brondby, when at just 29 years of age he could still be playing in one of Europe's big leagues for a top club, but Agger was not going to leave Merseyside to go just anywhere. It had to be the right move for him and his family. He certainly had no interest in remaining in England and playing for one of Liverpool's rivals, that's for sure. The Dane appears to not be driven by ambition or financial motivation and there are much more important things in his life than football. Some players live and breathe the game, others are not that interested in football but just happen to be rather good at it. Agger falls into the second category.

His response to the seemingly annual speculation linking him with a move to the Catalan giants was usually to shrug and say "It's up to the club". The only way he was leaving Anfield was if he was no longer wanted, and unlike some of those he has shared a dressing room with over the years, he was never tempted by "greener pastures". That's a rarity in modern football; when presented with a better offer, most players try to force this issue themselves by whatever means necessary. 

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This Sunday Liverpool return to White Hart Lane, scene of one of last season's greatest triumphs. The landscape has changed somewhat since that day when a Luis Suarez inspired Liverpool dismantled a hapless Spurs. The Londoners will provide much sterner opposition this time, and TLW editor Dave Usher picks five things he hopes to see from the game. . .

 

Mario Balotelli
 

 
Although we’re only two games into the season, we need a lift. We may put a brave face on it, but Suarez leaving was a psychological blow to everyone connected to the club; players, fans and manager. No amount of new signings changes that. Suarez was the catalyst for what we did last season and there was always going to be a hangover from it.

There is also uncertainty too. Can we be as effective without him? The players will be wondering that as much as the fans, and the lacklustre play in the final third of both games so far will only have intensified any existing doubts. Sterling and Sturridge were brilliant last year and they’ve started pretty well this this season. They are now a two instead of a three though.

That’s where Balotelli comes in. Or at least, that’s where we hope he comes in. He won’t be a like for like replacement for Suarez but he will be able to fill the spot occupied by Luis. All the tactical options Rodgers was able to use last year are now available to him again, and as with Suarez, Balotelli provides that unpredictability that defenders hate. When he’s on his game that is. When he isn’t, he can be a liability as we've seen in his time at City. He’s in his honeymoon period right now and seems to be loving it though, and when he's happy he's effective. Look at his instagram, every day he’s posting up some new daft picture of himself buzzing off being at Liverpool.

Mario is like a big kid, but when he’s a happy kid rather than a sulky one he’s a big talent. Right now he’s acting like it’s Christmas morning and he’s surely ready to be unleashed on Spurs. He could be the spark we need to re-ignite the fire that swept through the Premier League in the second half of last season. Mario and Sturridge up top with Sterling at the tip of the diamond. Come on Brendan, you know it makes sense.

 

 

An error free 90 minutes from the defence

 

 

For 40 minutes at the Etihad we looked in control and City were getting increasingly frustrated. There was an assuredness and authority about our play, a swagger even. And then, just like that, we blew it thanks to a typical moment of defensive slackness.
 
You can forgive Alberto Moreno for that hesitation that allowed Jovetic to nip in and open the scoring. It was his first game in England and perhaps he’s used to having more time. He needs to learn from it quickly as it sorted what was otherwise an impressive debut.

The third goal was even worse. Moreno could have closed his man down quicker, Lovren simply can’t let Aguero run in behind like that, and I have no idea what Mignolet was doing as he was so far out of position he basically presented Aguero with an open goal. Last year we made these errors but more often than not had the firepower to overcome them. In away fixtures against the other members of the top four we paid a heavy price. Giving away two or three goals at Cardiff or Stoke doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t win the game. Letting in two or three at Stamford Bridge or the Etihad means you’re coming away with nothing.

Spurs aren’t at that level, but they won’t be anywhere near as poor as they were in both games against us last season. Whoever plays in defence needs to ensure they do their job and concentrate fully for the entire 90 minutes. If a team is going to score against us, let’s make them work for it for a change.

 

 

Adam Lallana

 

 

He was the player Rodgers targeted above all others this summer. He’s also a player I wrote about last February, saying how he’s a perfect fit for how we play and that we should pay whatever it takes to get him. Well that’s exactly what we did and I can’t wait to see him on the pitch. He provides craft, guile, intelligence and work rate.

It remains to be seen what position Rodgers has in mind for him and this Sunday’s game has surely come too soon for him to be starting after that untimely injury he picked up in pre-season. He’s in the squad though so presumably could come off the bench if needed. I’ve got high hopes for Lallana and having him back int he squad opens up all kinds of tactical possibilities for Rodgers
 
 
 

More cutting edge
 

 

As well as we played at times against City we never looked as dangerous as we did in last year’s fixture. Sterling started brightly but faded while Sturridge looked in decent form but was often too isolated and when he dropped deep we were often left with no-one in the box.
 
Coutinho was disappointing - as he so often is away from Anfield - and he looks to be most under threat by the presence of Balotelli and Lallana.

Whoever plays at White Hart Lane, I want to see us looking more like the Liverpool we saw in the second half of last season. If we can’t defend then we need to remember how to attack.

 

 

 

Hendo’s forward running

 

 

The 5-0 win at Spurs last season was one of the best displays we’ve seen under Rodgers. Everything went right that day, we defended well, pressed the ball brilliantly and we were rampant in attack. One of the big reasons for that was the forward runs of Henderson.

 

The Spurs midfield didn’t fancy trying to keep pace with the tireless Mackem and if they defend high up the field then Hendo’s running in behind could be the key to unlocking them.

With Daniel Agger now having returned to Brondby, Henderson seems like the outstanding candidate to succeed him as vice captain. He’s growing as a player all the time and is beginning to show real leadership qualities too. One area he needs to do better is in goalscoring as he’s got all the tool to be getting double figures every season. This Sunday would be a good time to open his account for this year.

 

Dave Usher

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by Dave Usher for ESPN

 

After four seasons without Champions League football, Liverpool could not have wished for a better re-introduction to the big time having been matched up with mighty Real Madrid. The reigning European champions and biggest draw in world football represent the perfect "welcome back" present for Brendan Rodgers' side, and in many ways this was just about the best draw Liverpool could have wished for.

 

Being in Pot Three had opened up all manner of permutations for Liverpool, not all of them pleasant. Had the draw been particularly unkind they could have found themselves pitted against not only Real Madrid, but PSG and Roma too. Fans love the glamour ties -- and Liverpool fans especially relish those great European nights at Anfield -- but you also want to progress to the knockout stage. With that in mind, Liverpool got the best of both worlds. There is no more glamorous fixture than Real Madrid, but FC Basel and Ludogorets were among the "easier" opponents they could have drawn from Pots Two and Four.

 

Liverpool will now go into their group expecting to qualify, be it as group winners or (more likely) as runners-up, but supporters still have that huge game against Real Madrid to look forward to. So all in all, a lot to be pleased with if you're a Liverpool fan.

 

Real Madrid is a name that strikes fear into the hearts of most teams, but the Merseysiders have a fine record against the Spanish giants; winning all three meetings between the sides in Europe's top competition. One of those was the final in 1981 of course, when Alan Kennedy's goal at the Parc Des Princes was enough to clinch Liverpool's third of five European Cups. The other two meetings came in 2009 when Liverpool beat Real both home and away to progress to the quarterfinal stage.

 

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This weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the very first “Match of the Day” and the BBC commemorated the occasion with a special episode on Friday night. The first person to speak was Ryan Giggs, which was fitting given that he made his United debut on that very show back in 1964.

 

Motson was there too, well he would be wouldn’t he, I mean there’s no show without Punch is there? Bizarrely, he was wearing a ‘stars and stripes’ tie. Is it too much to hope that he’s going to live in the States and commentate on the MLS or something? He can’t possibly be worse than their commentators, surely?

 

Then Piers Morgan came on, followed by Rio Ferdinand and Mourinho so yeah I’d seen enough now and switched off. I mean Piers fucking Morgan?? What's the matter BBC, was Simon Cowell too busy?

 

Anyway, the big game on Saturday was at the Pit where Arsenal were looking for revenge after getting dicked there last season. Defeat that day put their top four spot in serious jeopardy as Everton went above them with only a few games left to play. It didn’t matter in the end of course, my boy Jason Puncheon opened a can of whoop-ass at Goodison and then they lubed up for City and gave up any top four ambitions they had. Nevertheless, Arsenal will have wanted to set the record straight after that humiliation.

 

Yet they went there and fell into exactly the same tactical trap as last year and Everton went 2-0 up by half time, courtesy of goals by Coleman and Naismith, who as I said last week is rapidly cementing that place as the league’s 'best shit player'.

 

The flip side of that coin is Jack Wilshere, who has to be one of the leading candidates for the 'shittest good player'. He has so much talent but delivers so little. All he does is try and play little one twos in tight areas or run straight into people and then snarl at the ref when he doesn’t get a decision. Rodgers would straighten him right out, but unfortunately for the little chav scrote he won’t ever get the chance to be mentored by ‘Brendao’.

 

Neither will Sanchez and he’s a complete fucking idiot for choosing Arsenal over us. He’s perfect for how he play, he would have slotted in seamlessly and would have had the time of his life playing for Rodgers, but now he’s about to become this year’s Ozil. Wenger had started him as a lone striker and he was completely ineffective before getting the hook at half time. Don’t know if he was injured or if he had to be back home to pick up his missus from Harrods, but either way he didn’t show up for the second half. Fortunately for Arsenal, neither did Everton.

 

Giroud missed three great chances after replacing Sanchez and the Blues were ripping the piss out of him. The Frenchman had the last laugh though when he equalised in the last minute as Jagielka misjudged the flight of a cross. Ramsay had earlier scored for the third game in a row, he’s a class act and must have a real shot at being runner up to Super Mario for player of the year this season.

 

Were Arsenal that good in the closing stages or were Everton that bad? Neither I'd say. It was probably just a case of panic setting in with the Blues when it dawned on them that Arsenal not picking up any points might be the difference between the Gunners finishing above us or not.

 

Remember that #thingstimhowardcouldsave nonsense the Americans started after he had a half decent game in the world cup? I guess you can scratch ‘shots from Arsenal and Leicester players’ from the list anyway.

 

Speaking of Everton keepers, the greatest one they’ve ever had was on Talksport this week ripping into Balotelli, saying he’s “never seen him have a good game”. I quite like Big Nev to be honest, he’s always worth listening to but any credibility his views on Mad Mario may have carried were blown out the water when he also said he thinks Everton can win the title this year.

 

“What really gets on my nerves is everyone is going on about the title being between [the likes of] Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Man United. No, there are a couple of other teams out there that could win the league and we are one of them.” I want some of whatever he’s drinking. What’s that you say? It’s turps he found in a bin? Ok maybe I’ll pass.

 

Barry Davies was back on Match of the Day for Palace’s game with West Ham. I always associate his voice with great Liverpool goals and occasions so there was something comforting about having him back. Can we not just swap him for Motson?

 

It was a bad day for Palace and it capped a terrible week really. They were on the verge of appointing Malky Mackay as boss only for Vincent Tan to blow the whole thing to shit and leave them back at square one. Tan may be as mad as a box of Balotelli’s, but it turns out he wasn’t the bad guy after all.

 

As for Palace, they need to stop fucking about and just appoint Tim facking Sherwood, the slaaags.

 

Zarate gave the Hammers the lead and then, incredibly, Downing added a second. When I see him do that I can’t help wonder how he doesn’t manage to get seven or eight goals a season instead of the usual none or one. He’s got a good shot on him so there’s no excuse for him being so Aaron Lennon-like. Mind you, Palace were so bad they even let Carlton Cole score. Chamakh had given them some hope at 2-0 but Cole’s strike finished them off.

 

I heard Fat Sam on Talksport afterwards, he was asked whether he’d changed West Ham’s style after all the criticism he got last season, and he responded “I’d like to tell you how I’ve made this big change but the truth is I haven’t. We’ve always played this way, but now we’ve got goalscorers”. Eh? He can’t mean Stewy or Carlton Cole surely? He’s been on the same sauce as Southall I think.

 

Chelsea beat Leicester 3-0 but they were crap until the second half and had David Nugent not shit himself when clean through it may have been a different story. The daft Everton supporting turd was looking to the linesman to see if he was onside instead of concentrating on what he was doing, and he allowed Courtois to make a save. I’d fine any player a week’s wages for that. And two week’s wages if it was against those horrible twats.

 

Drogba came on to a hero’s welcome, and I can’t lie, seeing Abramovich with his dopy grin and demented performing seal clapping routine caused me to completely lose my shit and say some things I’m not proud of. I immediately fast forwarded to the next game for the sake of my blood pressure. I might be doing that a lot this year.

 

That next game was Swansea’s 1-0 win over Burnley courtesy of a Nathan Dyer strike. After the ease of last week’s victory at Old Trafford this was a timely reminder to the Swans that there are much more difficult fixtures ahead for them. You can’t face United every week lads.

 

There were loads of empty seats at St Mary’s as Southampton were held to a goalless draw by West Brom. Understandable I guess, the fans must be seriously disillusioned with the ownership after the summer they’ve had, but it’d be a real shame if it all fell apart down there. The Baggies should have won the game as they had the better chances and Southampton looked seriously devoid of ideas and failed to hit the heights they did against us last week.

 

There were loads of empty seats at Villa Park too, which again is completely understandable as you have to be pretty fucking mental to pay to watch Aston Villa these days. If I was unfortunate enough to be a Villa fan I’d have chosen a new sport by now. It’s nothing to do with being a fair weather fan; if I were a Leeds or Portsmouth fan I’d still be going the game despite the up and down nature of their recent existence. It’s just that Villa are so fucking pointless aren’t they? They exist. That’s all they do.

 

Newcastle had the better of this one but couldn’t find the breakthrough and ended up with ten men when Williamson was harshly given a second yellow card. That Cabella jabroni had a great chance to score early on but just fell over and rolled his shot harmlessly wide, the chump.

 

The only entertainment in this one came on the touchline. Pardew produced a moment of… well I don’t even know what to call it actually, as he tried to get one of his players to smile. It looked like he was playing charades, and trying to act out “don’t worry, be happy”. Here’s the clip, if you haven’t seen it already you’ll love this.

 

 

  

 

Pardew is great. Not as great as he thinks he is, obviously, but imagine how dull Newcastle would be if he wasn’t there? Not as dull as Villa, but still, they’d be pretty dull.

 

Not to be outdone, Villa assistant boss Roy Keane then went mental at a decision and hurled a water bottle that bounced up and hit Paul Lambert in the nuts. I expect Lambert’s reaction was something along the lines of “Who the fuck threw tha…. *sees Keane glowering with those dead eyes and scary bushy grey beard*… errr sorry Roy, never meant to get in your way there, carry on.”

 

Villa have had two clean sheets to start the season and Newcastle haven’t scored yet. Not sure what I’m more surprised about there.

 

Onto Sunday and ‘Arry’s return to White Hart Lane wasn’t a happy one as his QPR side were dismantled by Spurs.

 

Forget the 4-0 scoreline though, the thing that leapt out at me from this is that Kaboul is not only first choice but he’s now their captain! Kinell.

 

And how the hell did QPR manage to persuade Isla to join them from Juve? Oh yeah, I forgot.. ££££££ They look just the same as they did last time they were in the top flight to me. Loads of big names on big money, but complete dogshit. A totally disorganised, disinterested mess.

 

That Tony Fernandez fella must be wondering what he’s doing wrong, he’s making money available and man for man they’re better than a lot of teams in this league, but no matter what he does they always seem to be terrible. They needed to fluke their way to promotion via an undeserved playoff victory despite having a bigger wage bill than Champions League finalists and La Liga champions Atletico Madrid.

 

Also on Sunday, Stoke needed a late equaliser to secure a point against ten man Hull. Bruce was once again furious with the ref, it seems to be a weekly occurrence that even going back to last season. This was a bit embarrassing though, it was a disputed throw in that he was kicking off about this time. Not an incorrect penalty decision or a wrongly disallowed goal, a fucking throw in.

 

Yes, it was a bad call, but it was a double ricochet and they’re not always easy to spot. Total over-reaction from Bruce, he should be looking at why his defenders couldn’t deal with a bread and butter ball into the box after the throw in was taken instead of blaming the officials.

 

Hull are signing Michael Dawson apparently. Sounds about right, they’re always there to give a good home to any players Spurs don’t want. Bruce must be rubbing his hands together at the moment given the list of players Pocchettino reportedly wants shut of.

 

Last and least this weekend, United finally got some points on the board.. well one anyway.. by battling to a plucky draw at Sunderland. Mata even gave them a shock lead but Rodwell quickly equalised and that’s how it remained. David Moyes won at Sunderland last season. Just sayin’ like.

 

Staying with United, and Danny Welbeck has been linked with Spurs and Arsenal this week. Van Gaal responded by saying that he’d prefer if Welbeck was playing for a club not competing for a Champions League place. So I guess that means he’s staying put, especially as the only other interested party appears to be Hull, and United “don’t want to sell to a rival”.

 

United are also said to be close to signing Angel Di Maria for £65m. Their house has rising damp, dodgy foundations and they’ve got no sofa or TV, and what’s their solution? “Hey let’s build a new swimming pool for the back yard!!!”. Thick bastards.

 

 

 

Dave

 

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'It's a gamble'. There, it's said now. Just as it has been said also by a million other writers, tweeters, ex-players, pundits sports phone in hosts and callers. Statement of the painfully obvious agreed. If buying any player has an element of risk then only the most starry eyed optimist could suggest signing Mario Balotelli is a lock.

 

The suggestion that the modest price tag for such a player of this talent makes this a shot to nothing misses the point: resale value is a secondary (though not unimportant) consideration which only comes into play if the real objective of delivering on the pitch for Liverpool fails. Given the aim is success on the pitch now rather than financial consolation later, Super Mario needs to live up to his billing to at least a significant degree for this purpose to be fulfilled.

 

There is little to be added to the countless contributions on the pros and cons of the man himself which can be summarised thus: by almost universal consent an amazing, potentially, world-class talent , a really good bloke but, well, a bit of a fruit loop capable of committing all manner of madness which may be entertaining to the outsider but less amusing when it involves shooting himself and your own team in the foot.

 

The sum of all the analysis is this: we cannot come close to knowing how this will work out other than to say it will fall somewhere on the spectrum between abject disaster and genius driven triumph.

 

What is worthy of further consideration is what this transfer says about the state of mind of the decision makers at Liverpool F.C. at this point in time. While every transfer window can be seen as important, the dealings of this summer are undoubtedly seminal given the conjunction of the return to Champions League football and the departure of Luis Suarez.

 

While for many, a policy of sensible acquisition should guide us to a realistic aim of consolidating our place in the top four, the signing of Balotelli signals a firm rejection of this self-limiting ordinance. The 'safe' move would have been to buy a player of solid virtue such as Wilfried Bony who would probably guarantee a reasonable goal return and consistent level of performance without the baggage associated with Balotelli.

 

The supposed wage issues with Bony could probably have been narrowed if his reported determination to join Liverpool was true and the club had pursued him with real intent. But for all his merits, even the most ardent admirer of Bony would struggle to say his talent and potential comes close to that of Balotelli which, if realised, could inspire a renewed challenge for the highest honours in this and future seasons.

 

The scenes of adulation greeting Balotelli at Melwood showed the supporters instinctively sensed these possibilities and are themselves energised in a way which would not be true of a perfectly respectable but more prosaic alternative.

 

So the move for Balotelli is Liverpool painting with the boldest of brushstrokes in opting for mercurial brilliance with all its risks and rewards. But this is not the all in move of the desperate gambler trying to defy the odds in a last desperate move to stay afloat but rather the calculated aggressive push of the poker player that knows he has manoeuvred so that he puts his money in the middle when he has the best of it.

 

Having spent the summer thus far building a solid foundation absent last year the signing of Balotelli is a gamble but one which is a coup de grace to end a summer of assiduous and calculated planning.

 

Steve Baker

@Countthem12345

 

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I hope your mother gets raped. Mildly of course.

 

Whatever else is or isn't going on between you two, and regardless of who 'started it' this kind of comment steps over the line, as does the 'baby killer' one which I've already said is unacceptable. Tone it down Adam.

On August 3 Brendan Rodgers stated: “I can categorically tell you Mario Balotelli will not be at Liverpool”. Fast forward three weeks and here we are, with the unpredictable Italian on the brink of a move to Anfield for what looks like a bargain £16m. Opinion among the fanbase is split, so we asked three of our regular writers for their thoughts...

 

I love the phrasing of this question because "on board" is exactly right. It's like being at Alton Towers as a Red right now: you step off one roller coaster and jump straight on board the next one because just as Luis Suarez goes, in comes Mario Balotelli. I'll say one thing for Brendao (copyright P. Coutinho), he certainly has no doubts at all about his ability as a man-manager by electing to take on "The Balotelli Challenge".

And that's because the stories about his excesses both on and off the pitch are legion. In fact if you wanted to create a list of headlines garnered by the Italian for all the wrong reasons then it would be quite a long one. However, look behind the bluster and there's actually not too much to concern us. Fireworks, giving away cash, not liking his manager man-handling him like he was a three year old - so what?
 
I'm not in the slightest bit concerned by all that stuff. In fact much of it is ace. Where's the harm in getting the beers in for an entire pub full of supporters or handing out twenty pound notes to passing strangers in the street? There's nothing immoral or criminal going on with Mario; just a lack of maturity and an impulsive streak tempered by a generous spirit.

Furthermore he's highly talented with strength, pace, skill and the ability to score from anywhere. He had a good scoring record with City when he was far from first choice and has averaged one in two in Italy with Milan. The lad has ability in spades and is a serial winner to boot: four league titles in England and Italy, plus two domestic cups and the European Cup on top - and all by the age of 24.

So in that case, why are we getting Italy's number one striker for the cost of Fabio Borini plus change? Well quite simply, he has a propensity for his head to go either down or west and that costs his team in red cards and anonymous performances (subbed on and then off again at Anfield couple of years ago, for example). His effort also appears lacking at times and numerous managers have tried and failed to sort him out. So why should we be any different and all at the risk of wasting significant money and a crack at the title on him?

In short, because we have to. Don't get me wrong here, the chances of a full rehabilitation of the player and a complete realisation of his enormous potential are slim to none. However, if we can keep his worst habits in check and avoid disruption to the team then it's a gamble worth taking at that price in a transfer market that lacks top quality of any sort, never mind available top quality. There's a Suarez shaped chasm at Liverpool that needs filling and Mario Balotelli could fill in more of it than just about anyone else we have even a hope in hell of signing with less than a fortnight to go until the transfer window shuts.

In Brendan Roders and Steve Peters we have the ideal men to maximise his output both on and off the pitch. Our team is ripe for a second striker to slot in next to Sturridge so we can revert to our best formation of the midfield diamond that leaves opponents exposed to goals from almost every angle of the pitch when stocked with the right players. People have cited a laziness in Balotelli that is anathema to our hard-pressing style. However, I don't see him as lazy; rather I see him as disaffected and under-utilised. Certainly, the men who helped turn Luis Suarez into the best player in the world last season should be able to come up with something to harness this lad's talent.

Furthermore, I think it will help a player, who has been an outsider, outcast or even victim of disgusting racism in every team in which he's played, to be at club increasingly laden with young, black, highly talented colleagues. What will definitely help is being on the receiving end of The Kop's appreciation though. If ever there was a set if supporters who love a talented rebel, it's ours and I think that will be just what he needs.

When all's said and done, this remains a massive risk that is unlikely to have an unequivocally positive outcome. The bottom line though is that we are not able to go toe to toe with the richest clubs in Europe when it comes to recruiting talent and we therefore have to find every bargain/loophole/complete and utter mentalist that we can. If Balotelli had Messi's character, he'd be playing with him every week. He hasn't though which is why he's on our radar. Clearly this signing could go either way, but for the money we're talking, in these circumstances post-Luis and at this stage of the window, I think we'd be mad not to do it.

So, ​I'm very much on board with this signing and already strapped in ready for the ride because it's going to be a wild one and I cannot wait. Going to Anfield this season just got unpredictably exciting again and I didn't think I'd be anticipating that this time yesterday.
 

Paul Natton

 

 

 

We had this discussion on the forum briefly earlier in the summer after Rodgers complimented Balotelli in a press conference during our time in America. Would we or wouldn’t we? A lot of people were unsure, but now a month or so later there’s further proof that talk is cheap and that things can move pretty fast in football. Tentative discussion has turned into fully blown debate, because the deal is in place and we have only to agree personal terms to unleash Balotelli on Merseyside.
 
Balotelli the man as opposed to the footballer is clearly a nutcase. A harmless one, granted. It isn’t like he’s sparked anybody out or anything like that; he just flirts with eccentricity on a daily basis. My tune hasn’t changed since he was at City – I like him, I find him relentlessly entertaining and there’s a good player in there whenever the Italian can be bothered to channel it.
 
But these are the big issues aren’t they? How often can he be bothered? Rodgers has developed a system at Liverpool which gets us doing exactly what we want to do – pressing the opposition high up the pitch, pinching the ball and dominating possession of the ball. Balotelli will need to adjust to these expectations – and fast.
 
That is my primary concern to be honest. If he’s a lunatic off the pitch it doesn’t bother me too much; as long as he’s being legal about it then I can just about cope! I would prefer a quieter life after the persistent media cloud that has hung over Suarez but it won’t be the same kind of attention. Balotelli garners interest for different reasons – and I can’t blame people for being interested in him to be honest.
 
No, he doesn’t appear to be a bad person or aggressive or anything like that. Footballing reasons are what I wonder about far more with this deal. He is prone to going missing for long spells of games, especially if things aren’t going his way. We can’t handle that; we need everyone to stand up and be counted and to put the graft in. This is where this transfer will be decided – will Balotelli stand up and be counted?
 
He has the assets to be an absolutely top rate footballer. He’s strong, he’s very quick, he scores goals and he takes penalties and free kicks. What the challenge now is for Rodgers and the much vaunted Dr Steve Peters is to get him to maximise his abilities. How will Balotelli respond? I don’t know, does anybody? Does even he know?!  I do trust Rodgers not to put the fantastic progress we have made at risk though by bringing a bad apple into the camp.
 
I can’t throw myself behind this one completely because we need tactical discipline and we need him to give 100% effort all of the time. Also, our track record with Italians doesn’t bode too well but if anyone can shrug off the doubts and explode into the Kop’s heart it is going to be this lunatic.
 
Overall though, we can’t dine from the top table where the likes of Falcao, Cavani et al are sat just yet. We need to take a gamble on the likes of Balotelli (or pinch bargains like Coutinho) and if we can get a 50% increase in effort from Super Mario we could well have bagged ourselves a great deal again.
 
 
Either way, we need a striker and Balotelli fits the bill. But look out for whenever the Chaos Master plays, because he lives his life by the seat of his pants.
 

Dan Thomas

 
 
 
Well at least this isn’t a transfer saga. The club’s pressing need for an alternative, or accompaniment, to Sturridge has led them to Milan and Balotelli. Clearly the club are like one of those people who like being in relationships with lots of aggro and difficulty. You know the type, there’s a kick off every five minutes over ‘how much milk is left?’ and ‘was that person giving you the eye?’.
 
Not that Balotelli has committed acts like Suarez, I mean he’s only done stuff like crash his Audi whilst carrying thousands in cash and when asked by police why he had that amount he responded with “because I’m rich”. Or the time he threw a dart at a City youth team player (reports are that no one was hurt so he must be a shit darts player) and let’s not forget his fight in training with Mancini. He’s also been sent off numerous times and been involved in a couple of questionable tackles. So no, he’s nothing like the trouble Suarez brings, Suarez seems positively sedate by comparison.
 
Balotelli has always struck me as a kid who never grew up. He’s like Tom Hanks in Big but without the charm of being Tom Hanks. I doubt there’s ever a lot of malice in what Balotelli does, he does it because he can and it probably seems like fun at the time (like setting fire to his house because he was letting off fireworks). To use a cliché he’s a character, I’m not sure that he’s the type of character that Liverpool need right now.
 
To be honest I’m struggling to recall Balotelli’s good performances for City because I can only remember the sulky ones. That’s unfair as there were undoubtedly good ones; it’s just that I can’t quite remember them. There’s always arguments about whether signings are ‘Rodgers signings’ or ‘committee signings’ so considering Balotelli’s past, it’s hard to say this one doesn’t pass through without Rodgers giving his approval. I’d also assume that there’s a little bit of ego with Rodgers here, football is littered with instances of managers thinking they can solve the problems of players like Balotelli. After all, if you’ve looked after Luis Suarez, surely Balotelli is just a logical evolution?
 
This is a gamble, it’s a low risk monetary gamble as £16 million is nothing in terms of football transfers, but it’s still a gamble. It will also signal the end of Fabio Borini’s career so effectively the outlay on Balotelli is around £3 million. That’s good business as there’s no question Balotelli is an upgrade on Borini. The gamble here isn’t monetary, it’s whether Rodgers can mould Balotelli to be the team mate he needs to be and whether Balotelli can keep himself out of the headlines for the wrong reasons. I can’t deny that Falcao was the one I was holding out hope for but Balotelli is a good player underneath all the extra-curricular activities. And when it’s all said and done, Liverpool have had a great record with Italian signin… oh.
 

Julian Richards

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The new season kicked off the same way the last one ended; with everyone laughing at Manchester United. So much for their unbeaten pre-season anyway. We’re always told that pre-season results mean nothing, and yet how many so called experts were falling over themselves to tell us that United were "back" and Van Gaal was going lead them back to the top this season?

Rio Ferdinand was one of many saying that United will win the title, in his words because "they have a good manager and the right captain in Rooney (who he also said would be the top goalscorer in the country)". Jesus Christ. The Verve put it best I think, the drugs don’t work, they just make you worse… Just say no kids, just say no.

This “United will get top four” bandwagon is completely insulting to the six sides who finished above them last season. They finished 7th and then lost Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra. That’s three of their first choice back four. They’ve signed a fat 18 year old left back and a midfielder many of us wouldn’t be able to pick out of a line up (nice little player, basically the Spanish Joe Allen though) and they’ve still got the likes of Chris Smalling and Darren Fletcher in their team (they even made him vice captain!). Van Gaal may be good but he’s not Superman. Far from it, in fact he looks like he was sketched by the fella who created Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill.

The notion that they’re going to break back into the top four this season is ludicrous unless they bring in two or three shit hot new players this window. Just who do these United loving media types think are dropping out of the top four to allow them back in? Us probably, just because Suarez has gone. Sorry, we’d have to lose a lot more than Suarez for United to overhaul us.

I didn’t watch them in pre-season other than when they played us, but I did have a look at their line ups for a few of the games. I just assumed Van Gaal was just having a look at all of their squad players and wanted to give some kids a chance, just as we were doing in our games. Then I saw the starting line up to face Swansea and realised that this is actually their team!! Haha I’d never even heard of two of them, and I bet a sizeable chunk of the United "fans" around the world hadn't either.

Ashley Young at left wing back? Really? Lingard at right wing back? I honestly thought he was the back up keeper. Google has since informed me that is in fact Lindegaard, and Lingard is an attacking midfielder who normally plays central. They may as well have played Lindegaard for all the use the other kid was. He looked like a fish out of water before going off injured.

Januzaj was sent on to play wing back in his place. Tell you what, I hope they do that when we play them as Sterling will run riot. It looks to me like Van Gaal had some success playing 3-5-2 at the World Cup and he’s decided he’s gonna stick with it, regardless of all the square pegs he’ll have to shove in round holes. Long may it continue I say.

They were shite in the first half and trailed to a quality goal by Ki, which came after a whopping 29 passes. He’s a good player that lad, he was boss when Sunderland gave us a bit of a scare at Anfield late last season too. The most notable moment of the half though was when Young was yelling at Rooney and suddenly ended up with a mouthful of bird shit. A couple of weeks ago there was a piece in the Echo about how there are 4,000 scouse seagulls now living in Liverpool City Centre. Co-incidence? I think not. Anything you like it was one of those bad boys that dumped one into Young’s piehole. Bet he couldn’t wait to fly back and tell his mates too. “Should av seen it lad, it went raar down his gob!”

The Swansea fans were taking the piss out of the mancs all afternoon by singing “You’re Man United, your captain is scouse”. They really are gormless bastards those mancs though, yelling “You scouse bastard” at Shelvey, a South London kid playing for a Welsh team, and in the next breath chanting “Rooney! Rooney!”. I’d pity them if they weren’t so loathsome and dense. First game of a new season, with a new manager on board and who were they singing about for most of the first half? Why Steven Gerrard of course.

Those Gerrard taunts fizzled out eventually as the ineptitude of their team own team began to sink in and shut them up. The tactical genius changed it at half time and went to a back four. United were a bit better and equalised from a corner when Shrek overhead kicked one in from close range. As all the United tipsters sat back and relaxed, expecting Van Gaal’s men to go on and win the game, suddenly they were behind again when Sigurdsson bundled a shot home.

Swansea were good value for it, they played the better football and were the more organised unit. The Mancs just became desperate and ended up with Screech up front and Mata and Januzaj punting diagonal balls to him. Poor old Moyesy must have been sat at home muttering “if I’d have done that they’d have crucified me” He was also no doubt telling anyone who’d listen “I battered Swansea on opening day last year y'know, and it was at their place. I’m just sayin’ like..”

United had never lost at home in the league to Swansea, and they hadn’t lost a home opener in my lifetime. Moyes was breaking records all last season but Van Gaal is on course to eclipse him.

 

 

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by Dave Usher

Liverpool need another striker. Everyone knows it, and Brendan Rodgers certainly hasn't been shy about admitting it.

They probably wouldn't need one if Daniel Sturridge came with an injury-free guarantee, but given the prolific front man's tendency to miss games with various ailments, Rodgers knows it is imperative that another top-quality goal scorer is recruited before the close of the transfer window.

It can't just be any old striker, though. Liverpool aren't desperately lacking bodies up front, but they are now down to one top-class goal scorer, having lost Luis Suarez to Barcelona. Bringing in a striker is easy; bringing in one who is better than those they have is not.

As well as Sturridge, Rodgers still has Rickie Lambert (who is more of a Plan B ) and Fabio Borini (still desperately hanging on to his Anfield career by his fingernails) to call upon. Both are full internationals, so bringing in someone who does not offer an upgrade on those two would be pointless.

They clearly do need an upgrade, though, as the drop-off between Sturridge and those behind him is significant. In an ideal world, whoever was brought in would be flexible and also be able to play wide, as that would make it easier to integrate him into the team along with Sturridge.

 

Read the full article here

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All of us think we've cornered the market on reality. Our viewpoint is true, we know what we saw, we are certain about what we heard. Seems logical, right? If you can see it, touch it, hear it, it's real, except, it's not really that simple. Anyone, who has gone to the pub after a game, will know that it is perfectly possible for two people to watch the same player in action, but have two different versions of 'reality'. In one he was a world-beater, in the other abysmal.

 

It's a problem that has troubled history's scientists, philosophers and artists. Einstein said that reality was merely a persistent illusion. Neitzsche doubted the existence of facts, stating there are only interpretations. Psychologists have demonstrated, time and again, that people tend to see what they expect to be there, not necessarily what is actually there. Lennon was a bit more emphatic and came up with the title to this article.

 

Interestingly, the same issue has been troubling Merseyside's football journalists. Recently, a fight, or spirited debate, depending on your version of reality, broke out on twitter, over the relative merits of print versus broadcast media. According to LFCTV's Peter Mcdowall, when it comes to revealing the inner workings of a player’s mind, you cannot beat television interviews.

 

He was referring to the channels decision to air a programme, which gives Michael Owen the chance, in a one hour long show, to share his version of history, as it relates to his association with our club. Given the lack of esteem the former number ten is held in, it is an interesting programming choice.

 

In response to a barrage of tweets concerning the show, McDowall chose to get behind the idea with a somewhat provocative tweet. “Loads of tweets re Michael Owen, it's where newspapers can never compare to TV, looking into someone's eyes beats print any day of the week”, he said.

 

The tweet was immediately, and predictably, jumped on by the regions print journalists. Fortunately, peace, or an uneasy truce is now in place. But who is right? James Pearce waded in accusing his colleague of sweeping generalisations, and strange statements, while Dominic King talked of painting pictures with words.

 

Tony Barrett, who had already taken a swipe at the idea with an earlier tweet: “Liverpool doing a Michael Owen documentary. They should've filmed him in a half & half scarf so MUTV could buy the show”, re-entered the fray by pointing out that McDowall had made his career in radio, and was now trumpeting the value of pictures.

 

It's easy to have sympathy with McDowall's argument. After all, if you read an interview in a newspaper, you do so through the writer's own lens. Regardless of their integrity, every writer (in fact you could say every human being) has biases. They may not even be aware of them. Equally, they may perceive emotions or intentions that simply aren't there. The very questions they ask may be loaded with their own prejudices, and all of this is before the editor gets their hands on the piece and spins the headline their own way. The reader can't look into the players’ eyes and tell which bits are true, and which are fabrications.

 

Surely with television it's totally different. Or is it? It might be if the interview is live, but even then the interviewee may have been given a heads up regarding the questions. They have time to construct their answers, showing themselves in the best light. Who wouldn't? The questions themselves set the agenda. They are decided by the producer, director or interviewer, not always by the viewer. Assuming they are all human, they will also have their own biases.

 

A Nixon tapes-style interview, complete with awkward pauses and stammers would possibly get us closer to the truth. It doesn't necessarily make the best television though. If the interview is recorded, it will undoubtedly be edited before it is broadcast. So, we now find ourselves in the same awkward territory as the print trade.

 

If television does get us closer to objective reality, it's not by much in my opinion. Both have value. Both can inform and entertain. I agree with Tony Barrett in this respect.

 

I haven't got round to it yet, but I will try to watch the interview with an open mind, but it is inevitable that my own bias' will get in the way. After all, Michael Owen was always more concerned with, well, Michael Owen than with anything else, wasn't he? This interview is nothing more than a cynical charm offensive.

 

He let Rafa down twice. First, he left for Madrid, leaving the club with a pittance. He did it again by snubbing us for Newcastle. Then, he betrayed us all by choosing to join the enemy, instead of joining Stoke City, like a good boy. Sadly, he probably doesn't stand a chance of changing my view of him.

 

That's my reality. What's yours?

 

Jeff Goulding

 

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by Dave Usher for ESPN

 

Life without Luis Suarez began with a win, but Liverpool certainly made hard work of it against a spirited and surprisingly well-organised Southampton side. Daniel Sturridge's late winner gave Brendan Rodgers' men a 2-1 win Sunday and three points they probably didn't deserve; the Reds will need to shape up pretty quickly given their next fixture is a daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium to face defending champions Manchester City.

 

It was far from being the ideal way to kick the season off, but Kopites don't have too much cause for concern; the performance against Southampton was poor, but even the best teams have off days. There are plenty of worse things than playing badly and winning 2-1. Playing badly and losing 2-1, for example -- just ask Louis van Gaal.

 

Days like these have been extremely rare for Liverpool in 2014. The trademark vibrant attacking football was nowhere to be seen and this was a plodding, uninspired display. That was in no small part due to the strange setup employed by Rodgers. The manager got it wrong, just as he did in the corresponding fixture last season. Thankfully, he corrected his initial error and his substitutions ultimately helped to turn the game in Liverpool's favour.

 

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It was this time last year I was ranting and raving on twitter (I was not the only one); "Ian Ayre is useless" "He can't negotiate a big deal" and generally mocking him and his Harley Davidson. A season on though, I feel differently about the situation. I think it may be time to cut Ayre some slack.

 

For me, he has definitely improved in his role over the last season, and I think this is down to the 'committee' being more settled in terms of finding and discussing targets since we first heard about the group (which apparently consists of Ayre, Brendan Rodgers, Dave Fallows, Barry Hunter and Michael Edwards). Last summer was disappointing as we lost out on targets such as Diego Costa, Willian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the fact of the matter is that with them Ayre was unfortunate.

 

The first two used us to gain more money from other teams, and everything seemed sorted with the last name but for his agent to be replaced and him then opting for Dortmund. As for Yevhen Konoplyanka, the Dinipro owner seemed to block that move, but unless Ayre was going to force him to sign the papers Liam Neeson style, surely there was very little he could do?

 

A year on from the birth of the committee and it feels to me that the recruitment is a lot smoother, certainly compared to when we used to hear the rumoured disagreements between Rodgers and the committee and not knowing whether a player was forced upon him or not.

 

I think also we have excelled commercially in the last year, that presumably being down to commercial director Billy Hogan. The clubs income and worldwide status has strengthened, with new commercial deals with Dunkin' Donuts, Subway, Chevrolet and Garuda as our training kit sponsor, along with bringing in around $5million altogether off the back of our pre season tour of the states. It means with the club in a strong position commercially Ayre can concentrate on bringing players in.

 

He has done that very well this summer. Certainly Emre Can for £10mil whilst having to contend with Bayern Munich's buyback clause was good business. Ayre also finally penned the signature of Adam Lallana despite Southampton being extremely reluctant to let him go, and factoring in that he was club captain and the inflated prices on English players, £23million isn't too bad. Same goes for Dejan Lovren, especially when you think Mangala cost City £32million, and David Luiz was £50million.

 

I think Ayre's best work though this summer has been with Lazar Markovic and Alberto Moreno. I have moaned about us not completing big deals, but Markovic was. Not necessarily in terms of price, but the work put in to get the deal over the line with third party ownership as we have been stung by that in the past.

 

Moreno for £12million + addons is fantastic, considering Seville have been messing us around this summer, upping the price every time we were close to an agreement. But we dug our heels in too and it has now paid off as we refused to be bullied to pay a high amount up front.

 

Also we have to take into account the sales. Removing Martin Kelly, Pepe Reina and Connor Coady from the wage bill, agreeing a £4million rising to £7mil deal for Assaidi, a £14million deal for Fabio Borini who I expect to be gone come September 1st and Daniel Agger looking likely to leave will significantly reduce the wage bill, and cuts the deadwood in the squad. He can be happy with the business he has conducted this summer, he can be ecstatic if we sign a striker before the window shuts.

 

I feel now we are very well managed on the business side along with the football side. I think we are in good hands and everyone is pulling in the same direction. Keep it up Mr Ayre.

 

Owen Morris

 @LFCOpinion1

 

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They say Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. They're wrong, it isn't. This is the most wonderful time of the year, the opening weekend of the football season. Hope abounds, everyone starts the season level and it's a time to dream of what lies ahead. Here's five memorable opening days for the Reds. . .

 

Crystal Palace 1 Liverpool 6 (20 Aug, 1994)

 

 

This was so good because it was so unexpected. With no new signings yet on board (John Scales and Phil Babb would join soon after) and coming off the back of some poor pre-season form, no-one saw this coming. Roy Evans went with a midfield diamond formation to allow Steve McManaman the freedom to roam, and it worked a treat as the shaggy haired scouser ran Palace ragged.

A Jan Molby penalty, a typically predatory strike from Robbie Fowler and a brace apiece from McManaman and Ian Rush set the tone for a surprisingly good season in which Liverpool lifted the League Cup and improved their league position to 4th following an 8th placed finish the previous year.
 
 

 

Arsenal 1 Liverpool 2 (15 Aug, 1987)

 
 

 

Life without Rush got off to the perfect start as Kenny’s new look Reds won at Highbury in their first game of the 87-88 season. The win was the start of a 29 game unbeaten run that brought the title back to Anfield.
 
Aldridge scored first after just 9 minutes but Paul Davis levelled for Arsenal not long after. It appeared that was how it was going to finish until Steve Nicol scored a remarkable winner with two minutes remaining. For many Reds it remains the finest headed goal they’ve seen.

Nicol obviously gets the credit for the win, but for me the game clearly turned on it’s head with the introduction of Paul Walsh for Beardsley with five minutes to go. Within three minutes of Walsh’s arrival Nicol had scored the winner, so I’m crediting Walsh even if no-one else is! Admittedly I may be biased (what with him being my all time favourite player and all) and I’m not even sure he touched the ball after coming on, but his mere presence and fantastic hair will have definitely unsettled Arsenal.
 
 
 

Liverpool 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0 (19 Aug, 1995)

 

 

 
Stan Collymore had arrived at Anfield in the summer of 1995 and was believed to be the ‘final piece of the jigsaw’. He’d been in great demand following a brilliant season at Nottingham Forest and Liverpool beat off interest from Everton to secure his signature. 
 
He had been brought in to partner Fowler, but on opening day Evans opted to leave his precocious young goalscorer on the bench and opted the experienced Rush to partner his club record signing.

Things weren’t going Stan’s way against Wednesday and he’d been fairly poor until all of a sudden he sprung into life by wriggling away from two defenders and curling one into the corner from 25 yards with his left foot. The crowd went wild, and Collymore broke down in tears. He showed it was no fluke by scoring an almost identical goal at home to Blackburn a few weeks later.
 
 

Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 2 (11 Aug, 2007)

 
 

 

Fernando Torres made his Liverpool debut as Rafa Benitez’s men made the trip to Villa Park to kick off the 2007/08 season. The Reds went in front through a Martin Laursen own goal on the half hour mark, but with just three minutes left Jamie Carragher was adjudged to have handled in the box and Gareth Barry buried the penalty to level things up.

With the home fans still celebrating Steven Gerrard bought himself a soft free-kick 30 yards from goal, and promptly smashed it into the top corner to spark manic scenes in the away end and secure three points for his team.
 
 

Liverpool 2 Sheffield Wednesday 0 (14 Aug, 1993)

 

 

 

The new boys made an instant impression to give Graeme Souness a dream start to the 1993/94 season. Nigel Clough opened the scoring with a terrific strike that went in off the underside of the bar, and then added a second with a poachers finish in front of the Kop after a towering header by fellow debutant Neil Ruddock was only parried by visiting keeper Kevin Prestman.

“He’s red, he’s white, he f***ing dynamite, Nigel Clough, Nigel Clough” sang the Kop. The 20 year old me came out of Anfield that day convinced we were going to win the title and that Clough would live up to his billing as the “new Dalglish”. We actually finished 8th, and sadly Clough was more “Paul Dalglish” than “Kenny”. I’d like to say I’ve learned my lesson since then but I haven’t. If we tonk Southampton on Sunday, just watch my hopes and expectations soar, especially if any of the new signings have a significant part to play in it.
 

Dave Usher

 

Issue 94 is out this weekend for the Southampton game. You'll be able to pick it up from the usual people in the usual places before and after the game, or you can order online from our webshop. All postal subscriptions will be sent out on Monday and Tuesday of next week, while those of you who normally buy from WH Smiths in town will be able to pick up a copy there later in the week (probably Friday).

 

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Referring to SD as a 'baby killer' needs to stop now.

by Dave Usher for ESPN

Not much seems to have gone Liverpool's way these past few weeks. Luis Suarez left for pastures new and the transfer of the man identified to replace him, Loic Remy, fell through on medical grounds. Several key players -- including new big money signings Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic -- have missed valuable playing time through injury and another expensive recruit, Dejan Lovren, was prevented from joining up with his new teammates on their tour of the US after being denied a visa.

All things considered, results and performances have been encouraging for the most part, although the second half capitulation to Manchester United in Miami ensured an otherwise successful trip ended on something of a sour note. Despite the numerous setbacks, there have been positives for Kopites to take from preseason, with the displays of Raheem Sterling at the top of the list.

The teenager is in absolutely scintillating form at the moment and looks set to take the Premier League by storm this year. It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise if he does, as he was arguably Liverpool's best forward for much of the second half of last term and was one of the few to emerge from England's pitiful World Cup campaign with his reputation enhanced. Rather than simply "carrying on where he left off", however, the 19-year-old looks set to elevate his game even further.

His performance against Manchester City in Charlotte was electrifying; he led the City defenders a merry dance, scored one terrific goal and was later denied a brilliant second by an incorrect decision from a linesman. It was a fantastic individual display full of direct running, skill, composure, tenacity and searing pace. There was one moment when he knocked the ball past Gael Clichy, gave the full back a five yard start and then just blew by him like an express train. Clichy is no slouch but he was left eating the teenager's dust.

He took that form into the United game and in the first half Phil Jones and company were made to look incredibly foolish at times by the young England man, who has well and truly put a disappointing 2013 behind him now and is fulfilling the promise shown when he first broke into the senior side.

There's a Suarez-shaped hole in the Liverpool attack and while it would be both unrealistic and unfair to expect Sterling to fill that, it's certainly not unrealistic to suggest he might just be the Reds' most important forward this year.

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