TLW

Luis Suarez has said that in his opinion Liverpool supporters are the best in World Football.The once-adored Uruguayan was public enemy number one for Reds fans in the semi final Champions League tie against Barcelona last May due to his running battles with Liverpool players, most namely Andy Robertson.The pair clashed on numerous occasions and Suárez was at his snidey best when he put the left-back out of action with a kick to the calf just before half time in the second leg.However as we know all too well, Robbo had the last laugh on that occasion. The antics were a taste of what opposition fans had known for years about the 32 year-old.You absolutely love to have him on your side, but when he wears the colours of the team you are coming up against then it is a whole different story.He is the ultimate competitor, he may not always go about it the right way, but it is his way of making sure his team is successful.Currently on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, Suarez spoke about how much the supporters meant to him in his 3 and a half seasons at the club.The Liverpool Echo via OTRO reported Suárez as saying"I would say amongst the best.“ They are amongst the best football fans because of all the love they always gave me during my time at Liverpool.“They have always loved me and treated me exceptionally well. “That's why they are amongst the best football fans in the world. "For me, the best."There has been plenty of discussion about the future of Suarez and if Barcelona will look to move on the veteran in the summer as they look to freshen up their front line. Suarez will always be remembered for his outstanding performances at the Reds, and it is nice that he still respects those who spent their hard earned to watch him play.Losing a player who could easily be described as a generational talent is always incredibly hard to overcome.There have been some dark times over the subsequent period, but the recovery has been executed superbly. View full article

Trent Alexander-Arnold says that the team was made to show their fighting qualities but were well worth their 2-0 victory against Man United at Anfield on Sunday.After a goal in the first 15 minutes by Virgil Van Dijk coming from a pin-point corner from the 21 year-old, it appeared that the Reds were in the mood to put their bitter rivals to the sword.But despite carving out a fair share of chances, the scoreline stayed the same until second half injury time when Mo Salah finished superbly after a sublime clearance from Alisson.Alexander-Arnold is sure to be one of the key men for England this summer, and if you like England's chances then you should take advantage of some of these euro 2020 sign up offers. Speaking to the Official site after the game the right-back said it was a deserved victory.“I think it was well deserved from us. “They never had many clear-cut chances, we should have scored more than two goals but to get that goal at the end was the icing on the cake really – especially the fashion we did it.“Ali getting the assist which is unbelievable. “There’s comparisons with one we scored [against United] about 10 years ago and then he’s ran up and celebrated like Pepe Reina did! “So yeah, it was a good way to end the game.”However Alexander-Arnold said that there were things that they could improve on.“They obviously came to defend really and it was hard to break them down, but we created chances. Obviously we got the set-piece goal quite early on which helped us, scored a few that were ruled out in the first half and then should have finished the game off early in the second half. We were all over them for 10 minutes, they couldn’t get out, and obviously we’re disappointed with that because putting it to bed earlier then you’re not nervous near the end of the game. “That’s something that we obviously need to improve on a little bit.” The England international also discussed the impact of Van Dijk at set-pieces“He’s probably one of the, if not the, most prolific centre-halves in the league and to have someone like that, who is going into the box and putting his head on the end of things is fantastic“I think he’s showed that he’s probably the best centre-half in the world over the last 18 months and he showed that again today.“His defensive work probably goes a bit unnoticed because we’re so used to seeing it but you can’t take it for granted. "He's always there in the right places, the amount of headers he was getting out the box for us, winning headers off corners, is priceless for us.” View full article

Gary Neville says that the Mo Salah goal will go down as the moment that Liverpool fans truly believed they will become champions this season.In a match where Liverpool made most of the running, they were made to wait until second half injury time to seal the three points. Virgil Van Dijk put the hosts in front in the 14th minute with a strong header from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner.Liverpool remained on the front foot, but they had goals by Roberto Firmino and Gini Wijnaldum chalked off meaning that the game remained in the balance. The visitors belatedly came to life in the final 20 minutes but were unable to find the finishing touch when they needed it the most.They were made to pay the ultimate price when a pin-point clearance from Alisson found Mo Salah on the break and he was able to hold off his opponent and finish with aplomb.It was a goal that had a clear sense of symbolism about it, as Salah celebrated his first goal against the Red Devils in truly joyous fashion in front of a ecstatic Kop. While it would have been hard to take for a Man United stalwart like Neville, he has been a part of enough winning sides to understand what the moment felt like for the supporters. Speaking on his own podcast Neville said:“We’ve just witnessed Liverpool there today announce that they are going to win the league, even though we all knew it.“In this stadium at the end of the game when Mo Salah ran through you just felt they knew that was the moment.“I don’t think they are going to get what would be a euphoric feeling of a last minute goal to win the title on the last day.“Yeah it will be emotional when they win the title. But that today felt like a huge moment, and being in the stadium to witness it… I’m glad I witnessed it. I’m glad I witnessed it as a Manchester United fan because you need to suffer sometimes and you need to feel pain.”While Jürgen Klopp understood the emotion of the moment, he was certainly not willing to join in the euphoria, keeping to the line he has maintained throughout the campaign.“They can sing that. They have sung that a couple of times in the past I think. l have no problem with that. Everyone should celebrate the situation, apart from us. Nothing has changed, we have the same situation plus three points.“I will tell you immediately the moment if it feels different, at the moment it doesn't. I have no idea whether we will be caught or not, I don't care.“First and foremost it's the Premier League. We play Wolves on Thursday, it's our next exceptional challenge. I don't have enough space in my brain to contemplate anything else."

Liverpool are set to go head to head with rivals Chelsea for the signature of Bundesliga star Timo Werner according to reports.The RB Leipzig hotshot has averaged a goal a game (25 in 26) across all competitions this season and has undoubtedly alerted a number of big teams across Europe.The Mirror reports that Chelsea are in the market for a striker and are free to enter the market after their transfer ban was overturned.Werner is at the top of their list and are believed to already opened negotiations with the German international who has signalled his intent of testing himself in the Premier League. The Striker recently told Bild: "The Premier League is certainly the most interesting league, you have to say. "There is a certain flair to watching the English league and playing there." The interest from Chelsea has prompted Liverpool to make their move with Jürgen Klopp a known fan of the 23 year-old. With Leipzig flying high at the top of the Bundesliga and in the last 16 of the Champions League, it seems highly unlikely that Werner will leave in the current window.One other player that seems to be staying put at his current club is Xherdan Shaqiri with Klopp adamant in not wanting any first team members leaving during this month.Roma are believed to be very keen on the Swiss international who has struggled for consistent minutes at the Reds during the past 12 months due to increased competition and a series of niggling injuries. View full article

Former CEO Ian Ayre has identified some of the outstanding qualities that saw Jürgen Klopp become Liverpool manager.Ayre who held the position at the club between 2014-17 said there was an instant connection between Klopp and the big decision makers at the club.ESPN reported Klopp as saying:“I'm a big believer that when you run a football club that first impressions are everything."And the first time I met Jurgen... I can honestly say within 15 minutes I thought this guy is perfect.Ayre said that it was clear that Klopp understood what makes the club special and gave him a lofty accolade.“It was one of the times that you know that your team, your city, your club and, with all the greatest respect to all the managers that came before him, I think Jurgen is almost like this prophet type level of manager and he is absolutely perfect for that club."From the early days of the Klopp tenure, the German has been extremely big on bringing a real sense of energy and enthusiasm to his role of manager. And he certainly does practice what he preaches to his players.There is no sense of letting the game drift along, animated discussions with the fourth official are a common sight, as is making sure the Anfield crowd are constantly energised in the contest. And the celebrations after a win are a symbol of true team spirit.Ayre says that those emotions is Klopp in a nutshell.“Everything you see from him, going on the field and hugging everybody [after matches] and that whole thing, it's very natural.“He doesn't do it for effect, he doesn't do it to make himself seem like a nicer person, it's just real and I just connected with him immediately." In contrast, Ayre he was a figure who rankled with the fanbase in his time at the club. Since leaving Liverpool nearly three years ago, the 56 year-old has spent time at 1860 Munich and is currently CEO of Nashville in the MLS who are gearing up for their first season in the competition.He talked about some of the challenges associated with setting up a new franchise.“Having patience is the hardest piece and that's why I think you have to be aligned as a group.“The owners, the coach, the management, the players, everybody has to be aligned with the plan and you have to stick together."The hardest people to bring along on that journey is the fans. “Everyone wants instant success, but if you keep aligned as people and you can look at all the people in the room and say 'we're on the same path,' then I think you can achieve great things.” View full article

Paul Merson has showered praise on Jürgen Klopp saying he take any team into the the top league of English Football.Merson became the latest Sky Sports pundit, following his colleagues in Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher to give the German the due credit he deserves.“I'm a great lover of Jurgen Klopp. I could use any team here, but I'm just going to say Rotherham.“I think Klopp could go to Rotherham and take them to the Premier League in time. “He's that good.”The Arsenal legend then identified some players who Klopp has been able to fit into his system and in turn become key players, in direct comparison to what Pep Guardiola has done with Man City.“He gets players in and plays them the right way. “They don't have household names. Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, Fabinho. "People talk about the full-backs, but if those three don't play, I don't think it actually works as well for Liverpool.“I know Pep Guardiola's record is great, don't get me wrong, but every player is £80m, £90m in every position. “I haven't seen anybody at Manchester City become much, much better, they were already great players." Merson believed despite the outstanding season that Liverpool have had to date, they are not getting the respect they are due.Something he struggles to understand. “Why are Liverpool not favourites to win the Champions League? They've been at two straight finals. "Manchester City haven't even looked like winning it, and they are favourites."I don't think Liverpool get the respect they should get; this is the best team in Europe by some distance.“If you want to beat them, you need two or three goals. They don't go to park the bus. “You watch them against Tottenham, they were 1-0 up and they still bomb forward, it's in their make-up, and they can defend."When you can defend like that, you're always going to dictate football matches.“I can only really see Man City beating them.” View full article

Andy Gray believes that Jack Grealish would instantly become Liverpool’s best midfielder if he was to join the club in the summer.The Aston Villa star regularly had been linked with big money moves over the past couple of seasons, but there was a big query on whether he had the commitment to take his game to another level. Undeniably blessed with a great deal of footballing talent, it was the off-field professionalism of Grealish which was regularly called into question by many associated with the club.But to his credit, he has knuckled down with the responsibility of captain given to him by manager Dean Smith and the boyhood Villa fan played a key role in gaining their re-entry into the Premier League, and has been a critical figure in this year’s campaign.Former Villa star Gray speaking on Bein Sports says it won’t be long before the midfielder has a big decision to make.The Mirror reported Gray as saying:“I know he's a Villa fan, his family are all Villa fans, he loves the club and he loves being captain.“But Jack's 24 now and I think there is a decision coming at the end of this season. And I hate to say it, but I don't think he'll be there in August.When identifying where the 24 year-old could go next, Gray was unequivocal in the role that he can play for Liverpool, rating him considerably higher than some members of the current midfield set-up."If I was a coach of any of the top-six, and I include Liverpool in this, he would make the team better."He is, in my opinion, better than any of Liverpool's midfield players. "I think he is better than Keita. I think he's better than Wijnaldum.“When you give someone a football. You watch somebody on a football pitch. "He has a football at his feet and in his control. Special players, they just stand out."He might make mistakes, Jack, and he's only 24. But the ball is part of his body. "He moves with it beautifully. He has a goal in him. He creates for other players. He works hard.The former Villa legend continued to assess where Grealish could end up. "He'd walk into Spurs' side. "At Chelsea , I know they talk about Mason Mount but I think right now he's better than Mason Mount.“If he's getting sold this summer then I guarantee you that a host of the biggest clubs will be after him."Certainly many fans will disagree with the veteran pundit assertions on Grealish being better than Gini or indeed Hendo for instance.Talent is one key factor, but would Jack be willing to do all the hard graft and live by the "team first" ethos that Jürgen requires from his players?That is the key question. View full article

Andy Robertson believes that a professional attitude to all facets of the game is something that has pushed the team to their current level.Liverpool made it 38 games without defeat on Saturday evening with their 1-0 win against Tottenham and with that victory they are off to the best ever start to a campaign in the top five leagues in Europe with 61 points from 21 games.While Liverpool are deservedly picking up a number of accolades, this level of success does not happen overnight or by accident.To be the best you can be, you naturally have to make a number of sacrifices along the way.The left-back documented some of those per The Echo:“As footballers you invest everything, you invest your life into football.“It’s a short career and nobody likes being in the treatment room, not being fit to play the game.“For me, I put everything into it to ensure I can play the game or be available.“That’s what I’ve always done.“Lifestyle, I always eat well and watch what I eat. The Scottish captain said that he avoids one of the main temptations for Footballers during the season, that being alcohol.“I don’t drink during the season but don’t get me wrong, off season, I have a couple of weeks. I am Scottish after all.“During the season I try not to and that’s important because you need to invest in your body.“It’s the most important thing. “The team behind the team at Melwood every day, they make sure our bodies are ready and we’re as fit as we can possibly be.“It’s the most important thing. “The team behind the team at Melwood every day, they make sure our bodies are ready and we’re as fit as we can possibly be.”While Robertson did not know for certain whether his teammates were also on a alcohol ban, he thinks that it is not too far from the mark.With the season now past the half way mark, discussion has switched from whether someone will challenge Liverpool, to whether the Reds can match the Arsenal invincible side from the 2003/4 season.However, the left-back says that kind of discussion is not something they are focussed on and instead can distract them from the main goal at hand. “We’ll let you say that. "We won’t say that because look at the run both us and Man City went on last season.“What’s to stop Man City doing that again? “Being unbeaten in every single game. This league is so hard.“Maybe sometimes we’ve made it look easy, but believe me it’s not – it’s so hard to perform against every team that wants to beat you.“The longer the run goes on, the more everyone wants to beat you – ‘we beat Liverpool’ or whatever.“We don’t take anything for granted. “We are not celebrating in there that we are champions."As for the points record and run of consecutive clean sheets, once again Robertson says are not a main focus for this team.“For us, they are irrelevant. Yes, if we break records on the way, fine, great, but we will look at that (only) if we get a trophy.“Because last season we broke records in terms of clean sheets and ended up empty-handed in the Premier League.“Records don’t mean anything unless they get you the end goal, hopefully this season it will.” View full article

Jürgen Klopp is looking closely at the idea of signing Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona according to reports in Spain.The French winger was touted as one of the next generation of stars when he signed for the Catalan giants from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 as a replacement for Neymar who had departed for PSG.Dembele set back Barcelona £96 million but it is fair to say he hasn’t even repaid even a quarter of that largely due to a catalogue of leg injuries which has marked his time at the club and restricted him to just nine appearances this campaign.In his spell at Barca, Dembele has totaled 74 appearances and scored 19 goals in all competitions.The Mirror (via El Desmarque) says that despite signing Japanese international Takumi Minamino earlier this month, that he has not finished his spending and is “open” to the idea of adding the 22-year old to his squad.When Dembele returns to full fitness after his current hamstring injury (scheduled to be in late February), it remains to be seen how many minutes he will get to see as we will be hitting the crucial part of the season.While the French international may decide he needs a change of fortune is in order, It appears completely fanciful that such a deal to the Reds would take place at this time.But perhaps it is something to monitor when the summer window gets into full swing.A deal that could be on the cards is the arrival of Turkish goalkeeper Ugarcan Cakir while at the same time seeing the end of Loris Karius’ time at the Reds. The Mirror via Sport Witness reports that Liverpool are looking to use the bait of Karius to lure the 23 year-old who currently plays at Trabzonspor who are in the midst of a title challenge of their own, currently five points behind leaders Sivasspor.Any deal that gets done will see Cakir stay at the club until the end of the season and Karius finally come of the books of the Reds and join Trabzonspor from his current club Besiktas where he is in the second year of his loan.Karius who had a difficult first season in Turkish Football is believed to impressed observers with his general play this season, but a permanent deal at Besiktas is off the table due to his transfer fee. View full article

Liverpool overcame another obstacle on their way to claiming the Premier League trophy overcoming Tottenham 1-0 in North London on Saturday evening.A Roberto Firmino strike approaching half time after some excellent work in the lead up by Jordan Henderson and Mo Salah was the difference in a game which saw the Reds add some more records to the seemingly never ending list their have made over the last 18 months or so.The victory sees Jürgen Klopp’s men compile 61 points in 21 games which is the best ever start to a campaign not just in English Football, but in any of the top five leagues in Europe.It also marked the 38th league game that Liverpool had avoided defeat (33 wins/5 draws) and the first time they had kept six consecutive clean sheets since December 2006 but despite these notable landmarks, Klopp was far from a man popping the champagne corks after the game.“ Look, I really try to respond in an appropriate way, but when somebody told me I didn’t feel anything. “It is just not like that. I am in football for 50 years or so and if somebody would have told me that would ever happen I would probably have said it’s not possible. “Now it happened I don’t feel [anything]. "I don’t know exactly what is wrong with me, but it’s really cool and it’s exceptional.Klopp struck a tone of a man who was intent on living in the present, knowing full well that the ultimate prize is all that matters and has not yet secured, which in turn left the accolades to others.Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Garry Neville filled that breach perfectly.Carragher hailed the evolution of this side under the tenure of the German from ‘edge of the seat Football’ to consistent brilliance.“They always do enough in games and in the big games they are at their best, although maybe not today. “We knew Klopp was a top manager but I didn't think this development of the team over several years was possible. “To get to this stage they are the best team in the world"Carra also raised a pertinent point when saying how this team was made in a way not often seen with successful teams in the modern era.“It's not that Liverpool are just buying players with this special ability that nobody else sees these players.“Robertson came from Hull, Wijnaldum was relegated with Newcastle, Salah had been at Chelsea, Mane had been in the Premier League…they are not just going to the best clubs in the world and buying the best players.“ It's okay buying players but it's what you do with them. Sometimes we forget that. Once you have that player you have to improve them, and Jurgen Klopp probably doesn't get enough credit for that, the work he does as a coach.“Liverpool are not buying superstars, they are making them."Meanwhile Neville wanted to identify a particular player for specific praise.“Their centre-forward, Firmino, I think any manager in the world would have him as their centre-forward in their team.“I think he's absolutely incredible, Firmino. Selfless, brilliant, scores goals, sets things up, you can link off him, he makes all the right runs. He's just an outstanding player." The man who won countless honours in his playing career certainly knows a special team when he sees one.“They are outstanding, brilliant to watch and doing everything a championship-winning team should be doing. I can't see anyone stopping them.“ I think the lead is unassailable "Klopp will never say it but his team are playing so well and are so in control and they are still growing and getting better.” View full article

The January transfer rumour mill has produced another name to the mix of possible signings for the Reds.The Mirror reports that Liverpool along with Lyon are looking closely at Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze who has impressed many by his development in La Liga.The 20 year-old Nigerian international who was part of the U/17 World Cup winning side for the Super Eagles in 2015, joined the Yellow submarines’ youth set-up two years later and graduated to the senior squad for the 2018/9 campaign. So far he has made just over 50 appearances for the club scoring 11 goals in all competitions with his performances playing a big part in them staying in the top flight last season.The UEFA website had Chukwueze on their 50 young players to keep an eye on this season, describing him as a “ Precocious winger with Europa League experience.”His style has been likened to former Chelsea and Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben and in a interview with Goal said he is a player that he has specifically looked to model himself on.“ He’s the king, to me.“He’s the perfect player. I watch so many YouTube clips of him, and there are so many things I can learn from watching him.“On the way to games, even now, I will still stick on clips of Robben and watch his goals, his dribbling. He’s my inspiration, one of the greatest. “I like to be me, and of course you have to be yourself, but you need to learn from people like him. What a player!”But just like any professionally run club, it isn’t just the present that Liverpool are concerned with as they cast an eye to the future.The Mirror (via Goal) report some of the names on their hit list include English international Jadon Sancho, Sevilla defender Diego Carlos, Bayer Leverkusen's Leon Bailey, and teenagers Sandro Tonali of Brescia and 17 year-old Liverpool born youngster Joe Gelhardt who is currently at Wigan.Certainly something to keep an eye on in the months ahead. View full article

Steven Gerrard says that he will only take on the Liverpool managerial job if he feels that he is completely ready to do so.Jürgen Klopp recently mentioned that the club legend is his natural successor, but speaking to former teammate Jamie Carragher, says that there is a lot of water to go under the bridge.Sky Sports (via The Greatest game podcast) reported Gerrard as saying:"I wouldn't take the Liverpool job just because of what Jurgen said.“I am mature enough to know that I have to be ready for the Liverpool job.“It’s very flattering because of who he is, and there is a lot of people out there that naturally think that if Jurgen goes in a year or two year's time, I am next. "I don’t and there's a couple of reasons behind it.“I have to go and prove that I can do it, first and foremost at Rangers.” Gerrard says his record as a player should have nothing to do any future appointment.“I’m mature enough to know that I have to be ready for the Liverpool job. “I’m not daft enough to think I‘m going to get it just because I was a good player for Liverpool Football Club. “If I got offered it, it's a completely different ball game because you are getting offered the Liverpool job. “But sitting here where I am now, doing what I am doing, I am fine. I am calm and happy.Gerrard who currently has Rangers within two points of Celtic with a game in hand as well as successfully leading them into the last 32 of the Europa League says he is more than happy to remain in Glasgow and continue to evolve and improve as a manager."If I stay at Rangers for another two, three or four years I am OK - it means I am doing something right and happy. “I am in no rush to try and jump, I am not looking over the fence at anything, I am properly content. "If Jurgen stays at Liverpool for another four or five years, brilliant.“If Liverpool decide there's another guy that is more suited to the job after Jurgen, that is a better candidate than me at that time then fine, no problem. “For me, it's lets crack on and be as good as you can.“If that comes in two years or 10 years, no problem." Gerrard says that it is only natural for him to want to test himself at the top level, but he also admits that he will not be a career manager.“I don’t see my managing until I’m 60/70 years old. “But I want to experience managing at the top. If that happens in two years, great, if it happens in four. “Obviously the perfect situation would be for my team, for Liverpool, but I'm not daft enough to think I'm going to get it just because I was a good player for Liverpool Football Club.“I have to prove I can do it, first and foremost at Rangers.”Gerrard keeps close contact with Klopp and says he is a fantastic resource for himself."I had a conversation with Jurgen when he took the job and he thought he could sort the problems out.“I’m in his office straight away he’s an open book and he’ll give you whatever you need. “He’s not one of those people. He’s that thick skinned and that confident and he backs himself so much.” View full article