tlw content

Jurgen Klopp has once again reiterated that Liverpool will not be big spenders in the summer transfer window.Speaking in the aftermath of Liverpool's 6-0 triumph against Tranmere in their opening pre-season game at Prenton Park on Thursday evening, Klopp said the growth would come internally.Sky Sports reported Klopp as saying:"We brought them already. Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rhian Brewster, they didn't play last year. All the young boys today, they're all new players for us.""The transfer market is open until August 8th. This wonderful country, the whole of Europe had the idea to close the transfer window early and the only country who did it was England finally. "So we close it three weeks before the others. We will see what we do, but I don't think it will be the biggest transfer window of all time."One of the players that Klopp has identified as a exciting prospect is Brewster and the youngster certainly did not let him down which the manager was not the least bit surprised by. "I love the boy, he is a fantastic player but one of the goals I would have scored. "We knew Rhian was a good player before. Why should I play it down? I just don't want to talk after a game about the guy who scored two goals. I saw a really good game and Rhian is a fantastic player." The German said how much first team action the youngster gets this season will be purely down to his own performance and ability to adapt."100 per cent [it is a big season] but it depends on him as well. "Divock Origi stays which is good news, Bobby Firmino is still there."Rhian Brewster is a top striker, he is a top talent and I have told him already that he has an important role this year but how important depends on him."We will see. He has to play different positions as well - the centre, wing is possible I think, we will see how we line up, but there will be opportunities for him. I am sure."

Ryan Kent has emerged as another first team option with Jurgen Klopp rejecting the option of the 22 year-old going on loan for another season.Kent has been a regular on the loan circuit in recent seasons having spells at Coventry, Barnsley, Freiburg, Bristol City and last year under the tutelage of Steven Gerrard at Rangers.It was in Glasgow where he flourished, winning the Scotland PFA Young Player of the year as well as being in the Scottish PFA team of the year.Naturally, Rangers were very keen to hang onto the winger for another season where he scored six goals from over 40 appearances for the club. Leeds had also registered a interest, but the Mirror reports that with a number of Klopp's key attacking options having a busy off-season due to international duty, he is keen to keep him.It is another sign that the manager is looking to build depth from within, and to reward some of the players who have done the hard yards in aiming to get their career off the ground at the senior level.Kent will be on the plane to the USA for the Reds pre-season tour where he undoubtedly will get some opportunities to impress.

Harry Wilson seems likely to get a big move this transfer window with Aston Villa the short priced favourites to sign the Welsh international on a permanent deal.The 22 year-old was a revelation for Derby County in the Championship last season scoring 18 goals and contributing four assists for the Rams across all competitions, while the previous season saw Wilson win rave reviews for his performances on loan at Hull.The Birmingham Mail reports that the Villains have jumped to the head of the queue of a long list of clubs interested in signing the midfielder including Brighton, Bournemouth, Wolves, Leicester and Leeds.There had also been talk that Jurgen Klopp may look to use Wilson who signed a long term deal last season as a squad player once he returned from Derby.The Reds manager was in close contact with then Rams manager Frank Lampard who was constantly glowing in his praise of the youngster. While there is still a possibility that Wilson may be kept at Melwood season or indeed sent away on loan for the upcoming campaign, the more likely and logical scenario is that Wilson will be sold so he can look to build his career as a consistent first team player.

Liverpool's summer of efficient consolidation has continued with the re-signing of Divock Origi on a long term contract.The Belgian striker certainly has had his ups and downs in his time with the Reds and on a quite a few occasions seemed headed for the exit door.Being a back-up striker is never a easy position occupy in a squad, especially when you have the calibre of forwards that Liverpool have at their disposal.But when a rare opportunity came for Origi to show his talents on the big stage in the latter part of last season, he showed the poise and finishing quality of someone who had been starting on a weekly basis.Seemingly overnight he had transformed from a player on the periphery, into a very important and dependable member of Jurgen Klopp's squad.Still, there was reports that the 24-year old was exploring his options after entering the final year of his Liverpool contract in the prospect of regular playing time.However, the lure of playing a key part in a successful era for the Reds has seen him sign a long term deal.Speaking to the Official site, Origi actually said leaving was never on his mind. " I always felt comfortable here. I made steps during my career, I say that I became a man here at this club, I signed when I was 19. "When we had to make the decision I just wanted to speak with the club first and my entourage, but the feeling was always that I wanted to stay and extend my contract.The re-signing of the powerfully built striker is just one of a number of key players who have committed their future to the club over the past 12 months and Origi explained why that is the case. "It’s a combination of so many factors. It’s an amazing club, we have a good group, the staff are amazing. "Even coming into Melwood, the people that work here and everything, you feel there is something special going on here. "We’re still young so there’s a lot of potential in the group. 'I’m just having fun in training and on the pitch. Those are all important factors as a player.Klopp is incredibly protective of his players and often takes reporters to task who question them publicly.It is that sort of loyalty which builds tremendous relationships between players and managers and Origi said that Klopp is just someone you want to play well for. "We have a good relationship. Everyone knows how good a coach he is, he is a big coach – and before that he is a good man. "He pushes us as a team and, for me, it’s important to have somebody who knows football and knows how to speak with players and make them perform to their best. "I’ve made steps under him and that shows how the last couple of years have been.Origi said the manager is always someone that will give you a opportunity but you have to be good enough to grab that chance with both hands, something that he managed to do."It was a challenging season, but I always believed if I continued to do the right things and had fun on the pitch, it would come by itself. "In the end, I got the chance and I was happy to be able to contribute in the right way. It was a very special season. Whatever Origi does for the rest of his career, he will be always known as a Champions League winner who scored the all-important second goal which sealed number six for the Reds."It was a very special night. Words can’t describe the feeling I personally had that night and what we experienced coming back for the parade. "I’ve experienced special moments and I know sometimes it takes time to really fully realise what you did. What we do know is that we have a good group, a young group, good staff and the fans are behind us – everything is there to have a successful run. In terms of the goal itself, Origi said it was something he will never forget."It was emotional, it was very emotional. It was a dream for me as a young kid to play on that stage. "Then obviously you get the chance and to be able to score – and what that goal meant for the team – was a very special moment. It’s something I’ll never forget."For Origi, the plan for the upcoming season is simple."To keep progressing and trying to maximise the potential and talent I have each and every day. "At the end of my career I want to sit back and be proud that I used all of my gifts and talents. "I think the next years are going to be very special – prime years, maybe – and I’m going to try to use them to the fullest.As fans, we look forward to watching Divock's progression with plenty of interest.

For the top echelon of players, the pre-season may be all about fine tuning their body for the long season ahead.However for youngsters like Adam Lewis, it presents itself as a wonderful opportunity.With the departure of Alberto Moreno to Villarreal, Liverpool currently only have two senior left-backs on the books as it stands.James Milner has filled the position admirably when required to do so, while Jurgen Klopp feels that Joe Gomez can also play there.The Reds start their pre-season campaign on Thursday evening against League 1 side Tranmere at Prenton Park.The 19 year-old Scouser has come through the clubs' academy ranks at U/18s and U/23s level and is now ready to make an impression in the mind of the manager. Liverpool Echo reported Lewis as saying:"In my position, with Alberto going, there's obviously a chance and he (the manager) gives the youngsters a go in pre-season."Of course, pre-season is an opportunity where you can show what you have got."The manager has seen me play, I've been here last season a few times, but the most important thing for me is to stay down here (at Melwood) and get on the bench in the upcoming season."Training with them (the first-team squad) just gives you a taste, it makes you want it more."Being a part of a big club is massive and it gives you a big confidence boost, and getting the call up to Melwood is always a good thing for a young lad - being a Scouser it makes it even more important."However, in football you can never take anything for granted and Lewis is keeping a level head about what lies ahead."All I have to do is keep impressing in training and hopefully I get my chance." In this day and age of big money signings, having another local lad who lives and breathes everything about the club in the match day squad will be pretty special indeed.

Liverpool are closing in on their second signing of the transfer window with 16 year-old Harvey Elliott set to join the Reds by the end of the week. The right sided Fulham winger created history at the end of last season when he became the youngest ever player to make a Premier League appearance at just 16 years and 30 days, beating the record of another former Fulham player in Matthew Briggs by 35 days. Previously he broke the record for the youngest player to appear in the League Cup when he was just 15 years and 174 days away to Millwall in November.Starting off at QPR, Elliott crossed over to the Whites where he learnt the game alongside the likes of Ryan and Steven Sessegnon.Those who have watched Elliott closely say he has had a terrific ability to read the game, is certainly not afraid of taking his man on and is more than willing to put himself about on the pitch.Speaking after his Premier League debut, Fulham manager Scott Parker and captain Tom Cairney were glowing about the future of Elliott. Parker said " He's a special talent and we want to nurture him the best we can." While Cairney was even more effusive in his praise."He's been a sensation since he joined in training a few months ago. He doesn't look out of place and does some bits of magic that everyone says 'wow.'"His attitude and his belief in himself at such a young age is frightening. "He's got a great football brain, an eye for goal and is a very entertaining player. "Hopefully he will have a long and successful career."While Fulham saw Elliott's future with them, the England junior international at the U/15s, 16s and 17s level certainly had other ideas by letting his contract run out.The Liverpool Echo reports that just like central defender Sepp van den Berg, the Reds have beaten some of Europe's elite clubs for his signature including Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG.Once Elliott signs for the Reds like Van den Berg, he will be integrated into the first team squad where it is thought he will learn a lot more from experienced teammates.It is believed that the Reds will have to pay a compensation fee which will no doubt be negotiated in the upcoming weeks.By all reports, this lad has all the tools to make it at the highest level.And with Jurgen Klopp as his manager, he will be learning from one of the best managers in the world who has a adept quality of developing young talent.

The agent of Jurgen Klopp has revealed that becoming the manager of Germany is something that is of interest to the 52 year-old. There has been speculation over the past few days that Klopp may take a sabbatical at the end of his current contract which ends in 2022.However Marc Kosicke has made clear that the manager is currently extremely content as Liverpool manager and has fallen in love with the city.The Liverpool Echo via Die Welt reported Kosicke as saying:"Jurgen himself once said that in the event that Joachim Low someday no longer wants to be the national coach and it would be possible for him do that, this is an option for him."But as I have said before, he feels comfortable (at Liverpool) and has felt again at the recent festivities in the city, what a great club Liverpool is and that he in the right place at the right time.In terms of the club, chairman Tom Werner made it clear in the aftermath of the Champions League victory that they are very keen to extend his tenure which certainly make a lot of sense when you consider the impact he has made since his arrival.To refresh your memory, these were Werner's comments at the time."We don't really want to discuss his situation publicly, especially so close to the final, but I think you know that we think the world of him. We have already extended his contract once."While Klopp may leave the Reds one day to take over control of his national side, Kosicke put to rest any doubt that he could be poached by another club. "Jurgen is currently not affordable. But it is difficult to measure the transfer fee in his case anyway."How is it going to work with a coach, under which the value of the club has increased in just three years from just under £900million to nearly £2.8billion? That is not how it works."His work is highly valued [at Liverpool] because he has succeeded in becoming a top European club. But by winning the Champions League, how they look at Jurgen has changed again."Not only did he restore confidence to Liverpool Football Club, but he also satisfied his longing for silverware."Even without this title, he enjoys a high reputation. Jurgen is happy there and looks very [settled], but it is true that the Champions League title has relaxed a lot in terms of external perception."So this story seemingly has emerged out of nowhere and has a few angles attached. Is it a agent doing the best for his client by looking to get a better deal for him by throwing out the line about the national team, therefore putting the Liverpool hierarchy on notice?Or is it true that Jurgen may look to a fresh challenge like he has done at his past clubs after a set period of time?What is certain is that whenever Klopp decides to leave the Anfield hot seat, he will leave a legacy that will be very tough to surpass.

Jurgen Klopp has identified young striker Rhian Brewster as a player to watch as we approach the upcoming season.The Golden boot winner in the U/17 World Cup spent much of the 2018/9 season recovering from a serious knee and ankle injury, but he made the bench for the Champions League semi final second leg clash against Barcelona as well as the final against Tottenham.Speaking on the first day of pre-season training, the manager said that the talented 19 year-old will get his fair share of opportunities in the first team this season, especially with a number of departures from the striking ranks in the last 12 months. Brewster is in line to fill the void left by Daniel Sturridge. The Reds will be looking to go one better next season having missed out on the title by a single point this year. With the team not having reached their peak yet it would be a smart play to include Liverpool in an accumulator bet to win the title. Visit 888 sport to have a lucky 63 bet explained.While a new signing remains a possibility, at this stage it's looking as though Klopp plans on handing Brewster an important role this year. The Liverpool Echo reported Klopp as saying:“Rhian is a really big talent. "We’re really looking forward to seeing him in training and all that stuff. It will be an important role for us, we planned an important role for him. So, new player.Klopp also mentioned a couple of other players who are in a similar boat."If Ox can stay fit – new player for us."Like Joe Gomez is pretty much a new player. Adam Lallana, new player."After a lot of problems last year, if these boys can really stay fit then that’s completely different to last year for the team because there is real quality. That’s cool.”Klopp also spoke about his first summer signing Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg. The Official site reported the German as saying:"He is a big talent but a young boy and we already have a good team.“He took the challenge, he really wanted to be part of this and I’m really happy for him."We make signings for immediately or for the future and it’s always about the boys, what they make of it. "The first impression here was really good and I’m happy to have him around."The feeling is mutual for the young Dutchman who has enjoyed taking in his new surroundings."Everybody has been really nice to me, they all said ‘hi’ and helped me if I had any questions, so it feels a really nice place."Jürgen came to me when I walked in, too, so I’m really excited." I already feel really at home here and that’s a big thing for me. "I am just looking forward; I am going to train hard and hopefully I will play some minutes here."

Saturday Jun 29: Uruguay are out of the Copa America after losing on pens to Peru. The decisive penalty miss was from Suarez. Not been a good couple of months for him has it? In fact, I can pinpoint the exact moment it all started to go wrong for him. It was when Messi scored that free-kick and Suarez ran over and laughed in Robbo’s face. Ever since then, karma has been beating him like a red headed stepson. A lesson to be learned there. Don’t fuck with the best, coz the best don’t mess. I saw Paddy Berger posted a message today saying “Happy Birthday to the love of my life”. My first thought was, “Ah, it’s Vladi’s birthday?” Turns out he meant his wife. He posted a pic too, and it might be the first pic I’ve seen where Vladi wasn’t in it with him. I love how those two are though, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside every time I see Paddy and Vladi together, still best mates after all these years. It’s actually reached a point where I get worried when Paddy posts a picture and Vladi isn’t with him. “No Vladi? I hope he’s alright. What if they’ve had a falling out? Ok, Paddy, WHERE THE FUCK IS VLADI?!?!?” Mock me if you like, but I challenge you to look at this picture without smiling though. Meanwhile, Rafa Camacho signed for Sporting and says it was always his dream to play in their first team. That would be why he left them to join Man City, and then chose to sign for us rather than go back there then. Righto. Good luck to him though, I hope he does well there because we’ve got a sell on clause and a buy back option. Here’s a thought, if we exercise the buy back do we still get a percentage of the fee? It’s Michael Edwards, master negotiator, so probably. If there’s any flies on him, they’re paying fucking rent. Sunday Jun 30: Alexander Doni (remember him?) reveals he was the one who first brought Alisson to our attention a few years ago. “When I saw him play, I immediately recommended him to John (Achterburg) and tried to get him signed. I explained to John that he was a very skilful player and that he would soon play for the national team. The first time I saw him playing for Inter, I knew he had what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.” I liked Doni, I reckon he was probably the best back up keeper we ever signed. He had a good pedigree and that one game he played (at Blackburn I think?) he looked really good. He could have pushed for the number one spot if he hadn’t developed that heart condition. We then replaced him with Brad Jones, the worst keeper I’ve ever seen play for us (aside from that Itandje prick). I’ll never forget that game at Old Trafford when Jones dived the wrong way for all three United goals. Incredible scenes. Not as incredible as him getting Feyenoord’s Player of the Year. I can only assume that was an elaborate wind up of some sort. On the transfer front today, Bobby Duncan is reportedly wanted by Benfica and Porto. Really? This seems unlikely to me, as one thing Portuguese clubs have little trouble with is finding their own talented youngsters, and if they can’t produce them in house they go shopping in Brazil. I find it hard to believe they’ve been scouting down in Kirkby and have set their sights on Bobby somehow. Regardless, he isn’t going anywhere. In more wild speculation, Klopp is apparently ‘open’ to a re-union with Coutinho. So say Le10 sport anyway, whoever the hell they are. The Reds were supposedly impressed by him denouncing a move to United. I’m not sure I believe that, but even if it’s true it’s hardly enough reason for Klopp to think “you know what, he’s pissed the mancs off so let’s go and get him back”. I’d love it if it was (other than Mbappe no signing would make me happier than bringing O Magico back), but that’s not how these things work. Also today, Arsenal offered £40m for Zaha. I mean really? This is Suarez all over again, only without the extra pound. Palace will want double that, and even then they might not sell because the clown show have already given them £50m for their right back. Haha is fucking boss, but the problem is he’s worth a lot more to Palace than what people would see his market value as. How much would you say he’s worth? £60m maybe? £70m at an absolute push given how mad the market is now. What would Palace rather have though, Zaha or £70m? He’s worth £100m to them easily, as he might be the difference between staying up and going down. One club that doesn’t have to worry about transfer fees is Juve, who today signed Rabiot on a free. Of course they did. They’re such bad scabby bastards aren’t they? No-one loves a freebie more than Juve and they seem to be obsessed with collecting centre mids as well. They’ve almost got as many as we have. Some sad news to report now. Hendo has got a big tattoo of Big Ears on his thigh. I don’t like this at all. I’m not a tattoo fan as you probably know, but they’re fine on certain people. Skrtel and Agger could pull it off and actually looked quite cool. Hendo shouldn’t be doing this shit though as it looks completely out of place on him. He’s from the same school as Carra, Stevie and Milner. No tatts on those lads. Hendo has let himself down there. Monday Jul 1: United are paying Rashford 300k a week!!! Hahahahaha it’s a fucking clown show over there. He’s not even that good and he’s arguably no better now than he was when he first got into the team and people were talking him up like he’s the next Michael Owen. He might develop into a top player or he might follow the tried and trusted United Academy graduate route and end up at Everton or Sunderland. Giving him 300k a week because he played hardball is fucking pitiful though. They’ve got no idea what they’re doing anymore and it’s fucking boss. Guardiola went on Spanish telly today and spoke about the magic of Anfield. Loads of our fans are buzzing off it, but I couldn’t really give two shits what he thinks. I do find this hilarious though simply because his own press office will be fucking livid with him. So many people at that club hate us that this is really going to stick in their throats. Here are some of the best bits: “The motto “this is Anfield” is no marketing spin. There’s something about it you will find in no other stadium in the world”. “They score a goal and over the next five minutes you feel that you’ll receive another four”. “You feel small and the rival players seem to be all over”. “We’ve all been through what Barca went through. They were laughing at me when we were losing 3-0 after the first 15-20 minutes of the quarterfinal. It’s a bugger of a ground”. Not sure where that ‘bugger’ came from. Do the Spanish have a word that means ‘bugger’ or is the interpreter applying a little creative license? Also today, I played 18 holes at Royal Birkdale. Me!! At Royal Birkdale!! How mad is that. I usually play at Royal Bootle or Kirkby National so I couldn’t have been any more out of my comfort zone today. Commoners like me aren’t normally supposed to be in that environment, but my regular golf buddy has a relative who’s a member there and we got to play for £25. It was boss. I stood on the first waiting to tee off, and the starter comes over and wishes me luck. I was like Del Boy when he walked into that yuppy wine bar. “Now this is a bit of me!”. I’ve been there a couple of times before to watch the Open but I’ve never played it and never expected that I would. I kept looking around and thinking stuff like “Tiger Woods has stood on this tea”, “this is where Justin Rose chipped in from” or “this is where Tom Watson made a twat out of me at the 1991 Open” (long story). I got a bit emotional too when I reached the spot where I met my hero Payne Stewart and got his autograph. I got even more emotional when it reminded me that my mum accidentally threw it out and it was lost to me forever. It was windy as shit though. It reminded me of a game I watched at the Academy when the keeper took a goal kick, it reached half way and then blew back and went out for a corner. I thought I was going to have to dodge out the way of one of my drives at one point, but thankfully it stopped about 80 yards away. I shot 92, which would normally be a disappointing score for me, but not today. I’m on cloud nine. That’s one thing off the bucket list. Now I just need to swim with sharks, score at the Kop end and throw a touchdown for the Bears and I can die a happy man. Tuesday Jul 2: CHINA BUYS RAFA!! Hahaha fucking hell, this has tickled me. All those Newcastle fans who spent months pleading with him to stay and blaming Ashley for not doing enough to keep him, and now suddenly it all makes sense. Short of matching whatever crazy offer the Chinese are giving him (tripling his wages apparently), I doubt there’s anything Ashley could have done to get Rafa to stay. Good luck to him though, he’s managed big clubs in the biggest leagues for decades so if he wants to take the cash for a couple of years in China that’s fair enough. He’s earned the right to do it. Like Rooney going over to MLS. He’s near the end of his career so if he wants one last big payday who can begrudge him that? Not sure there’ll be enough boardroom aggro to keep him happy though, so I can see him back over here by the new year. Also today, that women’s World Cup game was a hard fucking watch. It was a tight game and could have gone either way but of course England found a way to lose in heartbreaking fashion. That penalty miss was just cruel, poor Steph Houghton. As if she’s not dealing with enough already with her husband Stephen Darby’s terminal illness. I was gutted for her, although I’d argue that the presence of that shitty brass band probably means England deserved to lose. Stick to ruining the mens games, you sad bastards. Why the fuck didn’t the Harry Kane lookalike up front take the pen though? She’s scored six goals already, take some responsibility, don’t leave it to your centre back just because she’s the captain. Fuck that US team though. The choreographed celebrations when they were putting 13 past some no hopers in the first game was bad enough, but the lack of remorse and humility afterwards was even worse. That Alex Morgan can fuck off with her ‘tea sipping’ celebration too. Yeah dead funny that, really original. She came out with some bullshit explanation about it being a reference to a tweet by a Game of Thrones actress, but it was clearly either a reference to the whole ‘Boston Tea Party’ thing or just a typically lame American stereotype about 'the Brits'. My guess would be the latter but the US press certainly seized on the angle of the former. Many of their headlines were worthy of the shitty jingoistic tabloids we have over here. The official account for the team even said something about ‘doing the 13 colonies proud’. Really? Fucking hell, cringe. Those buzzing off what Morgan did are just as bad as the ‘Ingerlund’ bell ends over here singing about German bombers and obsessing about world wars. Patriotism is an ugly thing for the most part and England and the US are right up there with the absolute fucking worst. What Morgan did is the equivalent of an England player scoring against Germany and doing the Basil Fawlty walk. I’ve seen loads dismissing it as being nothing and having a go at people for being offended. Generally they seem to be people like me who don’t give a fuck about being ‘English’. It’s missing the point though. Are people actually ‘offended’ or do they just think it was a dick move that shouldn’t be shrugged off? Anyone who is genuinely offended has much bigger problems in their life than this, but that doesn’t make what Morgan did acceptable. I'm not offended (I don't even drink fucking tea!) and it takes a lot for me to actually side with 'the English' over anything. It's not even really siding with the English, it's just calling a spade a spade. Twattish behaviour that was. And has an American ever done an impression of the English that didn’t involve trying to talk like the queen and making a reference about drinking tea?. So fucking lame. They’re like Brummies with their Harry Enfield Scouser impressions. Get some new material, you dicks. I’m only surprised she didn’t justify it with “it’s just banter”. The question shouldn’t be was it offensive or not, it should be why was she doing it at all, and there is only one answer to that; it was to take the piss out of the opposition. Just enjoy your goal and don’t be an unfunny try hard cunt. Megan Rapinoe obviously had her say too, responding with “wah wah wah” to anyone who didn’t like it. Fuck her too. Team USA - the Man City of women’s international footy. They’ll play either Holland or Sweden in Sunday’s final. If it’s the Dutch, Morgan can use the same celebration, as ‘sipping tea’ also doubles as having a toke. And if it’s the Swedes? At least she’s still got a few days to work on her “assembling an Ikea flat pack” mime. Meanwhile, Brazil are in the Copa America final after beating Argentina 2-0. Bobby scored one and made one. Made up for him. He also megged an Argie player, who flattened him and then threatened to break his jaw. When the ref intervened, the Argie lad doubled down on it and was explaining to the ref that he was gonna break Bobby’s jaw! I love Brazil / Argentina beef, it’s the best rivalry in international footy along with Germany / Holland. The last time Alisson conceded a goal I still had brown hair. Messi produced a carbon copy of the free-kick he scored against us at Camp Nou but this time Alisson knew it was coming and casually just plucked it out of the top corner. It helped that this one didn’t deflect off the shoulder of Joe Gomez. Messi may as well not have bothered going back on that decision to retire from internationals. I feel bad for him to be honest, as every time he doesn’t win a tournament all the Ronaldo fanboys are running around with their little cocks out talking about the “GOAT”. Let's get the right. Ronaldo is not a better footballer than Messi. He just isn’t. It’s not even worthy of discussion. There’s no comparison. He will end up with the more impressive career statistically, but in terms of who is the better footballer this shouldn't even be a discussion. Messi is on a different planet to anybody who has ever played the game with the exception of Maradona. Ronaldo is an exceptional talent with an unparalleled dedication and single mindedness to being great. He’s made himself what he is and he deserves massive credit for it, despite him being a massive tit. He’s one of the greatest players of all time, a ruthless goalscoring machine and a serial winner. But don’t be telling me that him winning stuff with Portugal makes him a better player than Messi. That’s like arguing that Nicky Butt is better than Stevie because he won more titles. Have you seen Messi’s supporting cast with Argentina? It’s fucking GARBAGE. Portugal aren’t full of superstars either, but all I’m saying is if you put Ronaldo in that Argie team they still wouldn’t win shit. And let's not forger that Portugal actually won a final without Ronaldo. I’m getting fed up of seeing hot takes about Messi not being all that (the word 'fraud' is actually being thrown around by some) because ‘he’ lost 4-0 at Anfield and because Argentina are shit. Messi was actually sensational in that game at Anfield. We’ve played against Ronaldo loads of times and although you’ve always got to be concerned about him, he’s never really scared me (Lovren had him in his pocket in the final last year and I’m not even joking). With Messi though, every time he got the ball my arse went. He’s incredible. Wednesday Jul 3: Fuck me, that Ayoze Perez loser is on the verge of joining Leicester for £30m. Brendan has gone full Brendan on this one. Bet Michael Edwards is sitting back laughing his cock off. He’ll be texting Henry and Werner and saying “He’s still at it. Told you those all those shit ones weren’t on me lolz”. It’s another kick in the balls for the Newcastle fans though. I’m almost beginning to feel bad for them. Almost. So I read today that the guy who created the FFP rules for UEFA is now head of finance at Man City. They headhunted him. Can’t think why. I mean, it’s almost like they’re looking for loopholes or something. Shower of cheating cunts. Hopefully they get what’s coming to them one day. Seen the above pic of Ox on his instagram. The old 'ecru' away jersey eh? I love all that, I always remember Djibril Cisse being pictured getting out of his hummer in town and he was rocking a silver 80s away jersey. Not the knock off, no brand name one the club sell, but the real thing (he must have got on eBay or something, which makes it even more endearing). Ox wasn’t wearing an original, but it’s still class that he’s on his hols and he’s wearing retro Liverpool shirts. Mind you, the last time this happened was Coutinho when he went back to Brazil and took a load of shirts for his mates. They were all playing five a side in them and then a few weeks later he was on strike trying to force his way out. Had to laugh today at a tweet by Ryan Babel in reply to an article that claimed Rafa hadn’t gone to China for the money. He just said “lol”. I saw it and thought “uh-oh, I daren’t look at the replies”. Sure enough, ‘the Rafia’ came after him. You know the sort, those Reds who just can’t sit by and let any perceived sleight against him go unanswered. They must have some kind of bat signal that goes off above their house any time someone takes a shot at him. It's proper weird. Is there anyone who genuinely thinks Rafa hasn’t gone to China for the cash? He shouldn’t be criticised for it but equally nobody should be feeling the need to make excuses on his behalf either. Like I said yesterday, he’s earned the right to take that massive payday so good luck to him. Babel didn’t even criticise the decision, he just mocked the ludicrous notion that it wasn’t about money. Thursday Jul 4: Lampard is officially named as Chelsea boss. Presumably they’re already planning their next move for when this goes tits up. It’s a smart appointment though. No top manager is going to touch them with a transfer ban in place and having sold their best player, but by bringing in someone who the fans love they’re buying themselves a bit of time and goodwill. It’s not going to end well for Lampard, but if he brings through a few of their talented kids then Chelsea might do well out of it a couple of years down the line. I’m all for this ‘top clubs giving former fan favourites the manager’s jobs though’. Quite like the idea of ‘Merse’ taking over at Arsenal and City bringing in Shaun Goater to replace Pep when he fucks off after the FFP punishments are laid down. Speaking of FFP. Atletico Madrid have just signed 19 year old Joao Felix from Benfica for, wait for it, £113m. There has to be something dodgy about that, surely? Genuinely blown away by that. He’s meant to be boss and all the top clubs have been looking at him, but who pays that kind of money for a relatively unproven teenager? Footy is off it’s fucking head at the moment. Friday Jul 5: Lots of talk today that Barca are getting Neymar and Griezemann, and that would spell curtains for a certain goofy Uruguayan. Firstly, I reckon it’s bollocks. They might get one of them, but I don’t see any way they get both, not when they’ve got a dilapidated stadium to pay for. Camp Nou is just like a giant Goodison these days. Hypothetically though, if they were looking to offload Suarez, what an opportunity that is for us. He’s not quite the player he was when he left but he’d still be fucking phenomenal as that fourth match winner we need. He could rotate with the front three and play any of those roles. Would it upset the harmony of the squad? Possibly but I doubt it, as he’s always been a great team-mate who was liked by everyone. No reason he couldn’t slot right into that little South American crew with the Brazilians. Obviously my judgement is a little clouded here as I’d say he’s the best player I’ve ever seen for us, but it’s not even about that. If he had never even played for us and a player like him came on the market I’d be all over it because he’s exactly what we need. An experienced pro, world class quality and still got a few years left in the tank. He’d provide a lot of the things Milner brings, although I wouldn’t compare the two directly as it would be insulting to Big Games James, who has always kept his nose clean and doesn’t have the kind of baggage Suarez brings. In short though, I’d be all over this because we’re not in a desperate situation where we’d be looking to bring him in as the saviour. He'd be a nice little piece to the puzzle, not the entire fucking jigsaw as he was in the past. It would need to be on our terms and he’d need to buy in. I feel as though it’s all moot anyway as the likelihood of all of those bricks falling into place is virtually non-existent, but there’s not much else going on today so I’m just spitballing. I actually think I might be in the minority on this one though, mainly because loads of you are fucking mental and can really hold a grudge! and that was the week that was…

Liverpool FC is a club that has given us some of the most spectacular games in footballing history, as well as some of the most shocking outcomes that left fans reeling. These are five examples of games where Liverpool defied the odds and where you wished you put on an accumulator from footy accumulators to cash in on this drama. Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan – Champions League 2005 Liverpool beat Milan in a penalty shootout, ultimately winning 3-2 in penalties, in the 2005 Champions League in Istanbul. It was a sensational win after coming from three goals down at half time – the match was even later dubbed ‘The Miracle of Istanbul’. Milan gained a first-minute lead thanks to Paolo Maldini, followed by two goals from Hernan Crespo, leaving them in a seemingly unbeatable position by half time. But in a stunning penalty shoot-out, the Reds came out on top to clinch an incredible victory. Liverpool 3-3 West Ham United – FA Cup Final 2006 This Millennium Stadium final in Cardiff was pulled into extra time, just when West Ham thought they’d snagged a victorious match. Gerrard’s second goal levelled things out 3-3 in the final moments of the game, after West Ham threw their 2-0 lead away. Jamie Carragher’s own goal and Dean Ashton’s finish put West Ham in control but Djibril Cisse managed to reduce the deficit before the break. Following a challenging match, Liverpool prevailed 3-1 on penalties, thanks to John Arne Riise’s decisive kick. Liverpool 3-1 Olympiacos – Champions League 2004 In order to advance to the knockout stages, Liverpool had to win by two goals and Rivaldo’s goal in the 27th minute left the hosts with a challenge. Florent Sinama Pongolle got the Reds back on good terms after the break and Neil Mellor managed to give them a lead with nine minutes left to play. It just took Gerrard firing a spectacular shot from 20 yards to secure a two-goal victory. Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle – Premier League 1996 This is labelled as the Premier League’s greatest ever game and many consider it to be the defeat that defined Newcastle’s title-race demise. Robbie Fowler scored for the Reds in just two minutes before David Ginola and Les Ferdinand put Newcastle in the lead 2-1. Fowler equalised after the break and by the hour mark, Faustino Asprilla had put Newcastle back in the lead 3-2. With only 20 minutes left to play, Collymore scored his second goal and placed the two teams at a tie, before Liverpool snagged another strike to secure themselves as the winners. Liverpool 4-3 Borussia Dortmund – Europa League 2016 Jurgen Klopp’s first season with the Reds saw him against his former club and 3-1 down in the second leg of their quarter-final tie. But with just 25 minutes to go, Phillipe Coutinho’s low shot and a header from Mamadou Sakho put them back on course for a surprising victory which was secure with a header from Dejan Lovren. Even Dortmund’s manager Thomas Tuchel said that the victory couldn’t be explained.

Last but not least in this series of report cards, we come to Virgil Van Dijk. I saved the best until last. And he was the best. The best at Liverpool. The best in the Premier League. The best in the Champions League. Basically, he’s just the best. Not just the best defender either. Over the past year he’s probably been the most dominant player in the world. He may or may not be rewarded for that form with a Balon d’or, but it doesn’t really change anything if he misses out. He's the fucking man. It’s always going to be more difficult for defenders to win individual honours, especially when Lionel Messi is around. It’s difficult comparing them too, because they do completely different jobs. Messi is the best ‘footballer’ in the world (perhaps the best to ever) but currently Van Dijk might just be the best ‘player’, if that makes sense? Look at it this way. Was anyone better in their respective position this season than Virgil? Could he (or any defender) have done any better than he did in 2018/19? How could he have improved on what he did? Other than scoring more goals I'm not sure it's possible. Virgil should score more goals but he did alright and is getting better all the time. Defensively though, he was as close to flawless as you’re likely to see. We’ve had some great centre halves at Liverpool. Truly great ones. None have been like this guy though. With the other greats, there was always something that you could say they weren’t the best at. Sami Hyypia wasn’t the quickest, Carra wasn’t either and he was also a little undersized for what you’d ideally want in a centre back. Alan Hansen wasn’t the most physical, neither was Lawro. All were world class, but none were what you could call the complete package. Virgil though? There isn’t one weakness there. He’s great at everything. There is no part of his game that you think ‘he needs to work on that’ as he’s just fantastic at everything. He’ll out run you. He’ll outjump you. He’ll outthink you. He’ll outplay you. If necessary, he’ll outfight you. He can run like Usain Bolt, jump like Michael Jordan, read the game like Franco Baresi and pass like Xabi Alonso. He’s ridiculous. He actually beat Adama Traore in a race down the touchline at Wolves. He also dominated aerially against every striker he faced and as we know, no-one was able to dribble past him. He makes it look so easy that sometimes it’s taken for granted just how well he’s played. Because he’s rarely having to make last ditch challenges and blocks, and he’s hardly ever at full stretch, it looks like he’s not had much to do. There’s a reason it looks like he hasn’t had much to do though. It’s because it’s easy for him and very few players can actually make him work for his money. One of the biggest differences he’s brought to our game is something that largely goes un-noticed. When the opposition try to put a ball over the top or just try to knock it long and play for second balls, we’ve had problems with that in the past. Defenders would be at full stretch and would often only be able to clear it straight to the opposition and allow them to mount attacks, or at the very least get up the field and relieve the pressure from themselves. Now? It just doesn’t happen, because Virgil doesn’t just win those balls, he knocks them down to his own team-mates and allows us to keep up the pressure. He does it constantly, and because he does it so easily it’s barely even mentioned. I see it all the time though and just marvel at the difference he’s made. There’ll be a difficult looking ball played down the channel that has him turned around, and he’ll just rise like a salmon and knock it down perfectly into the path of Robertson, or he’ll bring it down on his mighty chest and roll it to Fabinho to get us going again. It’s only a little thing but it makes a huge difference. Much is made of the “never been dribbled past” stat and while it’s importance is probably a little over-stated, it’s cool as fuck and it’s causing some serious fume from opposition fans, specifically the Blues and City (who are effectively one and the same these days anyway). When you look at the list of names Virgil has come up against over the past year, it’s remarkable that none have managed to dribble past him (apparently Leroy Sane did it on international duty, but that doesn’t count as Virg wasn’t playing for the Reds). How many have even tried though? That’s probably the more telling stat. Great players don’t even bother attempting to go past him because they know it’s futile. They just pass it to someone else and avoid the ignominy of being mugged by the big man. Van Dijk has transformed this team. He is the most expensive player in the history of the club and yet he’s also one of our greatest bargains. Seriously, he is. £75m is a steal. He’s at least doubled his value already, but that’s not even the point I’m making. He’s made everyone else better too. Joel Matip was being linked with Fulham six months ago, then he looked absolutely magnificent in the second half of the season. Joe Gomez looks like a superstar after playing four or five months alongside Big Virg. And if that’s not enough to prove my point, how about this; last year Dejan Lovren went from a whipping boy to performing like one of the best defenders in the world. Van Dijk is the common denominator in all of that. The players still have to perform and they deserve credit in their own right, but none of them would have looked as accomplished as they have without the influence of Van Dijk, on and off the field. Just by being around him players become better. He’s a leader, but he’s also humble and he inspires confidence in those around him. Now, even when they aren’t partnered by him they still look great because they’re all full of confidence in themselves. Lovren reached a world cup final without Virgil, but would he have performed as well as he did if he hadn’t spent those months building his confidence alongside Big Virg? No chance. The big man’s influence has been fucking huge. On our team, on the fans and on his fellow defenders. Everyone has so much more confidence now. Losing him for any significant period of time would be a huge blow, but when he missed the home leg with Bayern Munich Matip and Fabinho held down the fought and we kept a comfortable clean sheet. We can cope without him for the odd game, but his availability is the biggest key to any success we will have. He’s our most important player and it’s not even close. The impact he’s had on his own team-mates is matched only by that he’s had on the opposition. He intimidates people. Not through fear, but just because he’s so good and so dominant. No-one looks forward to playing against him. The real beauty of it is that we’ve now got the Van Dijk of goalkeepers in Alisson, and the Van Dijk of midfielders in Fabinho. Imagine being an opposing player lined up next to them in the tunnel. You’d be thinking “we’ve got no fucking chance here”. Big, physical, dominant specimens. When he first arrived, I compared Virgil to LeBron James. By that I mean when you watch him, it’s almost unfair how superior he is to everybody else. Both Van Dijk and LeBron always look like they’re the fifth year senior (or year 11 or whatever the fuck it’s called now) who gatecrashed a game with the little first years on the playground. They’re just bigger, faster, stronger and better than everyone else. Physically they’re just superior, but ability wise they are too. Most opponents are powerless when they come up against them, Troy Deeney summed it up better than anybody really, saying “I’ve said it many times, I hate him. I hate going up against him. He’s too big, too strong, too quick, too good on the ball, loves fighting, a good head of hair. He’s one of those guys that sprays on his top as well, so it smells lovely!” Quite. Rating 10 / 10 As difficult as it is to top what he did this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was even better next year. Best Moment: It would have been the marvellous way he handled the two against one break against Son and Sissoko, but Andy Robbo stole his thunder when he did the same thing, only against Messi, Suarez and Alba. I'm tempted to go with the ‘assist’ for Origi’s derby winner, but it’s probably the vital header away at Bayern. That was a great moment. The pass to set up Mané in that game was pretty special too. Worst Moment: I’m struggling here. There was the mix up with Alisson at Fulham that led to Babel scoring, but I’ll go for letting Suarez run off the back of him for Barca’s first goal in Camp Nou. The future? More of the same. He’s coming into his prime but probably still has six or seven years left at his best level before he starts slowing down. He seems to love it here so there’s no reason why he won’t spend those years here, and if he does (and if we continue to win trophies) there’s a chance he might go down as our greatest ever player.

Maybe it’s just me, and this might be an unpopular view, but I never felt like Bobby fully got going this season. He was good, but he only reached the heights of the 17/18 season in fits and starts. You know his attitude and commitment is always going to be there, but I felt like he suffered early in the season, initially from not having much of a break over the summer, and then from Klopp changing the system to 4-2-3-1. Bobby as a number nine in the front three is brilliant. I wouldn’t swap him for any centre forward in the world. Genuinely, there’s no-one I’d rather have. He’s perfect for how we play and is vitally important in so many aspects of our game. Bobby in any other role though just isn’t as effective. With Klopp using Salah up top and Firmino behind, it just never looked right to me. It never looks right when Bobby goes out wide either, although his phenomenal work ethic does make us stronger defensively than when Mo is out there. I quite liked the tactic of switching them over late in games when we had a lead, but I’m not keen on us starting that way. To me, Bobby is just not the same when he isn’t the number nine and the fulcrum of our attack. He sets the tone and everyone plays off him. When he wasn’t in that role we still got results because we’re a great team, but it wasn’t as free flowing as last season. Firmino still had his moments, with a late winner against PSG and a hat-trick at home to Arsenal the obvious highlights, but in general this year’s Bobby wasn’t as dynamite as last year’s Bobby. He got off to a slow start and prior to that hat-trick against Arsenal on Dec 29 he had only scored six goals. While his contribution to the team can’t simply be measured in goals *cough* Harry Kane *cough*, six goals in 26 games isn’t what you’d expect, especially after how many he scored the season before. As I said, the system change didn’t really help him and there were times when it looked like he just couldn’t get into the game and looked frustrated. The thing with Bobby is he’s a workaholic and he has to be involved. He’s not going to stand around and wait for the ball to come to him, he goes and gets it. When he’s the nine, the ball comes his way naturally and he can work across the line and come short and do whatever it takes to be involved in the game. When he played as the ten it was different. He ended up coming deeper and deeper to get the ball and there were times when he was picking it up off the centre backs like Hendo or Fabinho. His work ethic was admirable but that change in set up often left him looking like a spare one at a wedding. He’s the ultimate team guy though so you’d never hear him complaining or see him showing any signs of frustration. He just does what’s needed, even when it means others get the glory for his hard work. It’s not even that he was out of form or playing poorly, he just didn’t seem able to make his usual kind of impact, and I do put a lot of that down to 4-2-3-1. The notable exception to that was the Arsenal game when he banged in a hat-trick. One was a tap in and another was a penalty, but the second one was glorious. Generally though, based on everything I’ve seen, Bobby is twice the player when he’s the nine than he is when he plays anywhere else. The second half of his season was better than the first, but an injury picked up in training ahead of the Huddersfield game basically ended his season early. He returned for the final but he had no sharpness or rhythm and it showed. As I say, it felt like he never got into his stride at any point. It was fits and starts. Of course the great thing about Bobby is even if he’s not dazzling he’s still contributing a lot with what he does off the ball. He’s one of our most important players but the closing weeks off the season showed that we can cope without him much better than I thought we would. We’re a better team when he plays, but at least we know we can win without him if necessary. We might need to do that again in the opening weeks of next season as his involvement in Copa America may see him get an extended rest. The problem is that Sadio and Mo are also away on tournament duty and we can’t leave all three of them out to start the season. Generally Bobby is pretty indestructible but given the injury problems he had at the end of the season it is a bit of a concern that the lack of rest might catch up with him. Like Mo and Sadio, he’s played solidly for two whole years with only a few weeks off. Next year is massive for us with all the games we’re going to have, so we could have done without all three of our forwards playing through the entire summer like this. The start of the season might be quite tricky for us. Rating 7.5 / 10 I accept this might be a little harsh. Maybe an 8 would have been fairer, but *shrugs* it is what it is. He’s still boss, he just wasn’t as boss as he was the year before. Best Moment: The goal against Arsenal when he slalomed past three defenders and left them all on the seat of their shorts was a thing of beauty, but coming off the bench to score a last minute winner against PSG (and then doing the one eye celebration) was the best moment. Worst Moment: Rushing back from injury to face Barca and then re-aggravating it, causing him to miss the second leg and be a shadow of his normal self in the final. The future? I worry he might get off to a slow start but I still expect him to be great next year, especially if we sign another forward who can come in and allow us to freshen things up rather than have to keep picking ‘the big three’ and running them into the ground.

Another long serving player may be heading to the exit door with fresh reports saying that Dejan Lovren may be in the sights of Italian giants AC Milan.Following the departure of Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno, The Mirror reports that representatives of the Croatian central defender have met with Milan officials over a summer switch for the 29 year-old. Italian media have also reported that members of Lovren's management team have been seen at AC Milan's training ground.Predrag Mijatovic is a key representative for agent Vladimir Lemic who looks after some of the elite footballing talent from Eastern Europe including Luka Modric and Nemanja Matic to name just two.It was believed that dialogue was opened between the parties when Milan executive Zvonimir Boban was very keen on signing Modric.When that did not transpire and their number one defensive target Ozan Kabak joined Schalke, attention has turned to Lovren.Lovren who has made 170 appearances in all competitions for the club, has another two years to run on his existing deal and it is believed that Liverpool would be looking at something in the region of £25 million for his services.Since joining the Reds from Southampton in the summer of 2014, the central defender has been one of the most discussed players when he has taken to the pitch, and quite often in a less than complementary fashion. While he was a constant figure under Brendan Rodgers and the early part of the Jurgen Klopp tenure playing in a number of big games along the way, the past season saw Lovren become a peripheral figure, firstly because of injury, and then due to the consistent performances of others.It appears that the veteran is now placed fourth in the CB pecking order behind Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip, and Joe Gomez, while summer signing Sepp van den Berg is highly rated and believed to be a candidate for first team action despite only being 17yo.While his on-field performances haven't reached the heights he would have liked, Dejan seems to be a great presence around the squad, always supportive of others, extremely passionate to the cause of the team and generally striking up great relationships with his teammates. Talent is obviously a non-negotiable in terms of succeeding as a Footballer, but having the kind of personality that bonds people together in a team environment is also a crucial element.

If we forget that the 2017/18 season ever happened, we’d probably be a lot more excited about what Mo did this year. Last year was always going to be difficult to live up to, but I’d kidded myself into thinking there was no reason he couldn’t break the 40 goal barrier again. What he actually did was impressive enough in it’s own right, but viewed through the prism of the year before it seemed… well it seemed almost disappointing. That’s unfair (and ridiculous) when you think about it. I mean, he ended the season with a second successive Golden Boot! I was a bit disappointed with him though, there's no point pretending I wasn't as I mentioned it in enough match reports throughout the season. I think what has happened is that last year he overachieved and this year is closer to what we can expect in future. Don't get me wrong, I expect him to score more goals next year than he did this year, but he probably won’t ever be hitting 44 again as that is the lofty air usually only occupied by Messi and Ronaldo. In his first year with us virtually everything Mo hit ended up in the back of the net. He couldn’t miss, but this year he squandered loads of chances. More worryingly for me, there were times when he just didn’t look like himself. His body language wasn’t right, he wasn’t smiling and he generally just seemed like he had the hump over something. He hit a hat-trick at Bournemouth but didn’t celebrate, he just gave the stink eye to someone on the bench. I have no idea what that was about but it was weird. There was definitely something going on with him at that point. We may never know what, but that wasn't normal behaviour. There was a spell during the season when the question everyone seemed to be asking was “what’s wrong with Mo Salah?”. In fairness to Mo that wouldn’t have even entered anyone’s head if he hadn’t scored 44 goals the previous year. We’d all be saying what a good season he was having. He couldn't reach the ridiculous high bar he set the previous year, that's all. He was still jumping as high as anyone else though. It’s a cliché but he really was a victim of his own success, not only in terms of the increased expectations last year brought, but also in the way opponents would focus on stopping him. He definitely gets extra attention from opposition coaches now, but perhaps next year it might get easier again? Maybe Sadio will draw a bit more attention? His role was often different this year too. He's played centre forward on a handful of occasions during the 44 goal season, but he was almost exclusively used on the right in a 4-3-3. Sometimes he'd be switched to a central role in the closing stages of games in which we had a lead, as it allowed him to use his speed on the break and Bobby was able to help out defensively on the flanks. This year it changed. At least in the first half of the season it did. He spent a lot of time playing as the central striker in a 4-2-3-1. The results were mixed. He actually did alright there, but the team didn't look as fluent. The results were fine because we were keeping clean sheets and winning games, but the spectacular football of the previous season wasn't as frequent. My hunch is that the formation change was as much about making Fabinho and Shaqiri comfortable until they were completely up to speed, as in the second half of the season it was usually back to the tried and trusted 4-3-3 with Mo on the right. He started the season slowly, with just three goals in his first eleven games. He missed a lot of chances during that time so there was no reason to think this was a big deal. If he'd taken two or three of those nobody would have thought anything about it, but because he didn't, the general perception was he was struggling. Then he caught fire. Five goals in his next four games, and overall seven in a nine game spell brought him up to double figures by the end of November. His form was streaky but his goal record was fine at that point. Then he went through a spell when he just couldn't score. Eight games without a goal, which felt like an eternity because of how prolific he'd been up until that point. Two games without a goal seemed like a drought for Mo, and now he was going eight? His form wasn't necessarily bad in that spell, but it was inconsistent. He was awful at Old Trafford and Goodison but in between he absolutely destroyed Watford at Anfield. He didn't score that night but what he did to the Watford left back was absolutely savage. He had some really good games and some bad ones, but he just couldn't score. It was never going to last and he ended the goalless streak with a massively important goal at Southampton. One of the more under-rated big moments of the season that, as it felt like it could have massive title implications, and indeed it would have done if City hadn't reeled off 35 wins on the spin or whatever it was. Statistically Mo apparently had a very good season. All that stuff about XG, chances created and the rest of it, he came out looking good from what I hear. Better than Mané some will tell you. My eyes tell me something different though. There were a handful of games when Mo looked great. Like the Salah of the season before. Then there were a lot of games when he was fine. Not brilliant, but he contributed and was a threat. The thing that influenced my overall view though was just how many bad games he had. It was too many. It didn't matter usually because the defence was so good we tended to get the result anyway, but in some of those costly draws we had he was terrible. He was absolute garbage away at United for the second season running, and he missed two sitters at Goodison. Don't misunderstand me here, I'm not blaming Salah for us not winning the title. That would be unfair and it would also be stupid. What I would say though is if we had 2017/18 Mo and Bobby playing for us this season then we would have turned at least three of those draws into wins and ran away with the league. As I said in the opening though, that was a tough act to follow. Sadio improved on 17/18 but he didn't hit the heights that Salah and Firmino had so it was easier for him. For Mo and Bobby, matching what they'd done the year before was always going to be difficult. Mo gave us some great moments again. Not as many as the previous year, but he still provided some genuine highlights. The hat-trick at Bournemouth, the brilliant goal against Napoli, the assist for Mané in Munich, the length of the field run and goal away at Southampton, the list goes on. He converted a penalty in the Champions League final to lay to rest the ghost of the previous year and he's currently banging them in for Egypt in the African Nations Cup. He didn't make the shortlist for Player of the Year this season and he was also left out of the Team of the Year. That will have stung him, and knowing his competitive attitude I wouldn't bet against him ripping it up next year and running away with the Golden Boot again. Rating 8.5 / 10 My gut tells me that rating might be too generous, but then I also can't shake the feeling that I'm judging him too harshly based on the ridiculously high standards he set last year. I'm all over the place on this one to be honest. Best Moment: Seeing the (poor) penalty hit the back of the net in the final will probably have been his personal highlight, but for me it's a toss up between the Chelsea goal and the winner against Napoli at Anfield. I'll go with the Napoli goal simply because it proved to be more important. Without it we don't get number six. Worst Moment: Had we not turned things around against Barca I might have said the absolute sitter he missed in Camp Nou, which would have given us a vital away goal. Divock came to the rescue though, so I'll say missing two one v ones at Goodison was his lowest point of the season. The Future? Next season should be a big one for him. Not as prolific as 17/18 but more prolific than 18/19. 35 goals maybe? Hopefully he spends most of his time on the right and not through the centre. He's fine in either role, but the team generally looks much more balanced when he's on the right.