TLW

Jürgen Klopp says that the depth of Liverpool’s squad was clearly illustrated after their emphatic 5-2 victory over Everton on Wednesday evening.The manager made five changes from the team that beat Brighton on the weekend with the likes of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and captain Jordan Henderson all rested while Alisson was suspended.Players like Divock Origi, Adam Lallana and Xherdan Shaqiri were given the opportunity to shine in one of the standout fixtures on the Premier League calendar.And it is fair to say that the fringe players did not let him down with Origi grabbing a double and Shaqiri scoring his first goal for the club in nearly a year.Sky Sports reported a delighted Klopp as saying:“ There were a lot of great football moments in that game.“ We made five changes. I speak a lot about the quality in the squad, so I have to show it from time to time.“It’s really important and gives us the feeling that we can do it more often – and we will do it more often.“ You give the responsibility to the boys and they have to show that they can perform and what they're made of, which is incredible.“ Divock's goal, Sadio's passes, Shaq's everything, Adam Lallana everywhere and he had so many really really good moments. "They are fantastic footballers. "I said before the season that there is no one in the squad who is not an outstanding footballer." Klopp said he was thrilled with the first half performance in particular, but wasn’t happy when his players switched off allowing Richarlison to score on the stroke of half time.“From time to time it was a bit rusty in defending because they were really direct."It was all good until 4-1, but the 4-2 I didn't like so much. "But we have to learn and have to improve and that's what we will do." View full article

We all know that Virgil Van Dijk is as graceful as they come on the pitch, but he has produced similar etiquette when it comes to social media.As widely predicted, Lionel Messi won his sixth Ballon d’or award in Paris on Monday night with Van Dijk coming in as runner up ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.It is only the third time in the last twelve years that Messi and Ronaldo have not finished 1/2 in the award.Before the event, a reporter said to Virgil, “Cristiano wont be here tonight so that is one less rival to worry about.”In a off-the cuff response, Van Dijk then said “Was Cristiano Ronaldo really a rival.”Ever the provocateur, the morning show host Piers Morgan piped up to say on Twitter,“No., Cristiano is a far greater player, you’re not in his league."While many would have bitten back in savage fashion, Van Dijk to his great credit did not feed the troll and responded:“ Hi Piers, If you don’t jump on the social media bandwagon and would listen to the whole interview then you would know I made a joke, and only got respect for those 2." The talismanic Dutchman was just as gracious after the event as the Official site reported:"You need to respect greatness. I was close, but there was just someone a little bit better. “I’m very proud of what I achieved last year, with Liverpool and Holland. Hopefully we can do it again this year.“I never thought I would be up for a Ballon d’Or until I was actually nominated. "It says a lot about how my career has been, it has never been easy. I came late but I never gave up on my dreams. I had to work very hard every step of the way.“Where I am right now is something I’m very proud of. To be here makes me very proud and makes me want to work even harder and hopefully be here next year again.”Van Dijk becomes only the third Liverpool player to finish in the top two of the award along with Kenny Dalglish (second in 1983) and Michael Owen who claimed the top gong in 2001.Liverpool were deservedly well represented in the top 10 with Sadio Mane (4th), Mo Salah(5th) and Alisson (7th).Roberto Firmino finished 17th, Trent Alexander-Arnold was just behind him in 19th while Gini Wijnaldum came in at 26th.The Brazilian gloveman was also awarded the Yachine Trophy for the best goalkeeper award in World Football voted by France Football magazine.It adds to his bulging haul of honours which includes the Champions League Goalkeeper of the season and Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award. Allison was humbled by the honour as reported by the Official site.“It’s a great honour to be here with those great players, men and women.“I just want to thank my family, my wife, who support me everywhere I go. To my parents, they are in Brazil – I think watching me! And to God. “ It is a great honour he is giving me in 2019, winning the Champions League and winning some individual awards.“I don’t feel lucky, I feel blessed and grateful. I also want to say thank you to my teammates, to all the Liverpool staff. Thank you very much.” View full article

Virgil Van Dijk says there is areas for Liverpool to work on despite comfortably sitting atop the Premier League table.The Reds made it 13 wins from 14 games after their 2-1 win over a gallant Brighton outfit.But with any team looking to go to the next level, you don’t always look at what you have accomplished, it is focusing on the things that you can improve on. The two-goal hero from Saturday’s clash identified one area in particular The Mirror reported:“The (lack of clean sheets) annoys me. “We want to improve but if you are going to look at negatives…it is a negative to be fair. “We are winning games, so we shouldn’t look too much at it, but as a defence we know we can do a lot better, especially with the clean sheets.”“We know we can do maybe that extra 10 per cent.“But we win games and that at the end of the day is what it is all about. The talismanic Dutchman was also unequivocal when asked about the eight point lead that Liverpool hold over Leicester.“The gap doesn’t mean anything, you see with Brighton, they were very brave and played very well, and that is what we will face.“We are in a good situation points wise but we know we can do maybe that extra 10 per cent.“We have to try and do it every week, but it is not easy. “That’s all we can do - try it and hopefully it will work out. “The most important thing is to win the games.” View full article

Naby Keita has declared he is fully fit and would love to be able to fill the void left by Fabinho in the Liverpool starting lineup.The Guinea international who came to the Premier League with big wraps from his time at RB Leipzig, has had a frustrating time of things in his Reds career to date.It seems for every couple of encouraging performances the 24 year old has produced, he then has spent the next month on the sidelines with a injury.And then when he returns to the park, it takes him a good while to get his game up to speed meaning all positive momentum has been lost.Keita who was a unused substitute in Liverpool's 2-1 victory against Brighton on Saturday is well aware of those inconsistencies and after playing a grand total of 14 minutes in the Premier League this season, is very keen to make up for lost time.The Echo reported Keita as saying:“ I would love to be involved.“My injury put me back a bit but now I feel as though I am back. “I've been quite pleased with my form but I'd like to do better.“I feel that, if I get to play in a lot of matches, I can really try to help the team. “I try to play every training sessions as if it were a match and I always try to raise my game.Keita also spoke about the heartbreak he felt when he missed the Champions League triumph against Tottenham after suffering a hip injury in the semi final first leg against Barcelona."It was quite hard for me. “All players dream of playing in a big final like that and it would have been great for me.Despite missing a fair bit of football over the past season and a bit, Keita is something of a lucky charm for Liverpool.In the 27 Premier League appearances he has made for the club, he is yet to be on the losing side. “ Well, a record like that can only serve to motivate me more.“We're all here to work for exactly those sort of records and then to surpass them. Hopefully by winning every match those records will come naturally.But the main focus on Keita’s mind is helping the club go one step further to claim the league title.“We don't want to repeat the error - if you can call it an error after getting 97 points of falling into second place at the last hurdle at the end of the season.“We want to push for new records right until the end of the season. "We want to beat our record and It's in the club's thinking to do so." View full article

Liverpool legend John Barnes says that the mindset and togetherness is the key reason behind the Reds current success.The European Champions are on a mission to go one step further this season in their quest to win the Premier League title.While the quality of players that Jurgen Klopp has in his squad is indisputable, Barnes says you need more than that if you are to be successful in this game.The Mirror (via The Offside Rules Exclusives podcast) reported Barnes as saying: “Liverpool haven’t got better players than Manchester United or Arsenal or Tottenham.“What they have is more harmony, more belief, togetherness, and belief in the manager.Barnes also said it is a great time to be a supporter of the club and that every person associated with the club have played a part in the current feel good environment. “It's an exciting time because we have now given Jurgen support. We trust him and we always have.“When you have that harmony and togetherness, the fans, the Liverpool family or football family, generally speaking, you can succeed."Of course, I'll be happy to win the league on 90 points this year, but I won't say that this is a better season than last season, if we lose three games and win the league on 90 points." View full article

Key Liverpool midfielder Fabinho could be sidelined for the most demanding part of Liverpool’s season to date.The Brazilian hobbled off before the 20 minute mark of the Reds 1-1 draw with Napoli on Wednesday evening.Fabinho did not have a scan on his troublesome ankle on Thursday as they were keen to let the area settle.But the Daily Mail says that there is a feeling within the Liverpool camp that he will out of action between four and six weeks meaning that he will miss the Club World Cup and the Christmas and New Year fixtures. Speaking after the game, Jürgen Klopp alluded to the fact that they could lose the Brazilian for a decent stretch saying:“That’s the biggest thing from tonight. “It’s still early and we all hope it’s not too serious but it’s pretty painful in an area you don’t want to have pain.Gini Wijnaldum who could well be the player to fill the hoiding midfield role in Fabinho's absence also said it was a big setback. " It is a blow, a big blow, for the whole team, of course also for him as a player but there are situations you have to deal with.“I think during the years we have had a few blows, in terms of injuries, and we just have to show we can deal with the situation.” Gini is right on the money with that observation, and in a way it is better if this kind of setback for Fabinho and indeed Joel Matip happen now than in the title run-in.Jürgen Klopp has built a fantastic squad mentality where one player comes in and plays their role such as what we have seen with Dejan Lovren.That same opportunity will arise for Fab's replacement. View full article

Jürgen Klopp has remained optimistic about Liverpool’s chances of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League despite being held 1-1 by old nemesis Napoli at Anfield.The Reds knew that a win would see them progress to the knockout stages, but with the wily old fox in Carlo Ancelotti in charge of the Italians, he was sure to have a few tricks up his sleeve.Napoli were looking to kickstart their season as they came to Anfield without a win in their last six fixtures in all competitions.After claiming the win on Matchday 1, the visitors got off to the perfect start through a classy finish by Belgian star Dries Mertens.Try as they might, Liverpool could not get their game into gear, not helped by the early loss of Fabinho with a ankle injury. While the tireless running and overall quality of Trent Alexander-Arnold was missing with Joe Gomez being preferred at right-back.The home team had to wait until midway through the second half to get parity when Dejan Lovren powered home from a.corner.That was how it remained and speaking after the game, the Echo reported Klopp.as confirming that Napoli are a team which trouble his side.“What do I think about the situation in the table? Still open“Obviously I struggle when I play Napoli so sorry about that. “It's more about how good they are. That's how it is.But the manager said the experience from last season would serve his team well.“Nevertheless last season we won here and went through. “This year we have to fight until the last game. That's exactly the same as what we had to do last year. It's not really new for us.“The Napoli guys probably think they are already through. But they have to play Genk at home."As fans well know, Liverpool are a club which never take the easy route, and it is something that Klopp touched upon after the match. “I am four years in, tell me when it was easy? "Last year we had to win 1-0 at home to Napoli. I cannot remember a bigger pressure game than that but we did it.“Now we have to go to Salzburg. In this moment my problem is Fabinho being injured and Brighton (in the Premier League on Saturday).“But I know how human beings are.While some thoughts may go towards the clash with the Austrian club in a few weeks time, Klopp said the focus will well and truly remain on the present. “People wished that we could finish the group tonight and make kind of a holiday game in Salzburg. “ But that will never happen.“If we have ambitions in the Champions League then we have to show that in Salzburg. “Until then we have to show our ambitions in the Premier League.” View full article

Andy Robertson says that Liverpool are pleased with their start to the season but still believes they can progress to another level.The Reds have shown once again this season that they are prepared to go the full ninety minutes to get the desired result, but the Left-Back said that they would prefer a more comfy ride for themselves and their fans. The Echo reported Robbo as saying:"We have found ways to win and have been going right the way to the end. “Against [Manchester] City and Tottenham we played unbelievable but Villa and Palace we had to dig deep.“We have 37 points in the Premier League, you can't do much better than that but we are always striving for perfection.“We haven't reached our best yet and it will be great when that happens. “Fans would love a game where they can sit down for the last 10 minutes and enjoy it, not biting nails." The Scottish captain is like a energizer battery running up and down his flank every game, but the 25 year-old admits he has been carrying his share of niggles of late.He admits that he hates missing any game time, but sometimes smart game management and preservation is necessary like what occurred against Genk when he came on late in that Champions League group game.“The lads will say I've been in the treatment room too long and the physio is getting sick of me.“It just takes longer to get things going, and once I get going it's okay. I have 30 mins to warm up rather than 10-15 mins.“Everyone is pushing each other in the squad. It's not about fear, it's about me personally wanting to play in every game. Watching isn't good for the heart! I'd sooner be playing. "We all want to play games and sometimes it's just not possible. You have to respect that." View full article

Andy Robertson says that Sadio Mane is finally getting the recognition he deserves after another quality display against Crystal Palace on Saturday.The Senegal star scored his eighth goal for the Reds in the current Premier League season and Robertson said that the confidence that he has in his game is clearly evident.The Mirror reported the Left-Back as saying:“Sadio belongs in the top bracket in world football. People are finally giving him more credit and that is deserved.“He has taken his game to another level.“Even when I came he was amazing, but maybe did not have as much composure as he does now in front of goal. “Now every time he is there you don’t think he will miss.“The chance he had at the start of the second half, we were surprised he did not score, and that is the type of player he is. “Then he has popped up with another crucial goal.“It has been a fantastic year for him and let’s hope he can keep going for a full season instead of a calendar year. Robertson also paid tribute to the unsung hero of the front three in Roberto Firmino who scored the winner against the Eagles.The goal was the first in two months for the Brazilian workhorse, but that stat pails into insignificance compared to the attributes he brings to the side.“ Our front three get talked about a lot. “Bobby does not score as many as the other two but his workrate is second to none and, if he did not do what he does, Sadio and Mo would not do what they do.” View full article

Pep Guardiola has claimed that winning the Premier League is not the most important thing for his side this season.In a statement which can be viewed in many ways, the Man City manger has said that winning is not everything in life and not a good message for the community at large.ESPN reported Guardiola as saying: “ I think it's not a good message for society, for our kids, for our teenagers, showing them that just the winner is perfect.“ It is not. "Important is the effort, the commitment, the situation. In football I know we want to win but just win once and the other is disaster?“It's not, it doesn't work in that way. “The only pressure we can have is that we are going to lose the Premier League.“It's not the first time in Manchester City's 125-year history. “I don't live the situation that when I'm going to sleep I'm (thinking), "Oh I'm going to lose the Premier League, what is going to happen?“That's why I said to the players relax, do your job, we will see in December, January, February, March and we will see what position we are in.“ If the position is far away, OK it's far away. We are going to try again next season."Guardiola continued his pensive view of the current footballing landscape.If we lose, we lose. "But I promise you, when I see my team don't fight with no spirit or lack of intensity and desire, I'll say I don't like my team, I don't like the way they play.“In these three years and half, people can say we play good or bad but give up? “That is not going to happen. "My teams, always we try but I accept that the others can better." The words by the Spaniard can be seen as a way of taking the heat of his players and indeed himself, as they face a substantial challenge in making it three league titles in a row.It could also be his way of luring Jürgen Klopp and his players into a false sense of security thinking the title is in the bag.Nice try Pep, but there is no doubt Jürgen will be well aware of any mind games that his rival will come up with from now until the end of the season. View full article

Young Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster has a number of clubs keen on his services for the second half of the season.Jürgen Klopp has signalled his desire to let the 19 year-old go out on loan to gain some all-important first team football.It is a clear change of heart from the manager who had reportedly told Brewster that he wants him to remain at the Reds for the entirety of this campaign.However it is one which clearly makes a great deal of sense.With the quality that Liverpool possess in the striking department, opportunities for Brewster to get meaningful minutes would be at a premium in the second half of the season. Brewster has only made two appearances in the Carabao Cup in this campaign and the Mirror reports that Aston Villa and Crystal Palace leading the chase.It is believed top six Championship clubs Leeds and Swansea have also registered a interest.Both Villa and Palace looked to boost their striking department during the summer transfer window but it has yet to prove dividends.Roy Hodgson’s men are the equal second lowest scorers in the league with 11 goals so far with the load falling heavily on the shoulders of Jordan Ayew who has hit the back of the net four times.Villa have a similar issue as the Midlands club look to put a gap between themselves and the bottom three.While Brewster will naturally benefit by staying in the Premier League, he will also learn a lot by playing for ambitious Championship clubs like Leeds and Swansea where the games come thick and fast and the competition is not for the faint of heart.Wherever the talented youngster goes, let’s hope he get the opportunity to show his wares on the big stage and comes back to the club as a all-round better player. View full article

Liverpool were given another searching test of their title credentials against Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon but managed to come through it with all three points after a 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park.You do not have to tell anyone associated with the club how tricky a trip to South London can be and that was magnified by the fact that a number of players were returning from international duty.While Liverpool teams of the past were not mentally and physically equipped for the challenge that Palace present on their home turf, Jürgen Klopp’s ‘mentality monsters.’ thrive on occasions like this.Sadio Mane put the visitors in front with his fifth consecutive goal against the Eagles and in doing so becoming just the third Liverpool player in the Premier League to complete such a feat following Michael Owen (vs Newcastle) and Luis Suarez (vs Norwich).Palace had a James Tompkins goal chalked off by VAR in the first half but Wilfried Zaha gave the hosts parity in the contest with a impressive strike on 82 minutes and Liverpool had it all to again with the clock ticking down.However it has become automatic for Liverpool to respond when challenged by the opposition late on in games, and this time it was Roberto Firmino who was on the spot to bundle the ball home from a goalmouth scramble.Zaha nearly had the final say in injury time but in acres of space he fired well over Alisson’s crossbar. Speaking after the contest, Reds defender Virgil Van Dijk told the Official site how happy the team were to claim the three points. "Very important and very massive. “Obviously everyone knows how tough it is to come here against a very well organised side after the international break, and we were very happy with the three points.“If you are prepared to suffer setbacks, because in the games that will happen, it’s about how you react and so far we have been doing that pretty well.“Obviously we try to minimise the setbacks in the game, we tried to not concede and today they scored the goal. “We had opportunities to score a second and it’s how you react, and so far we have been doing pretty well.Van Dijk also talked about the difficulties of playing such a fixture on the back of international duty.“It’s not easy.“Everyone is away playing for their countries in a different way, different tactics and we have to be back on the Liverpool way very quick.“We only trained two or maybe three times, maximum, with the players so we had to be ready for today and everyone knew how tough it could be.“We had opportunities to score the second and make it a little bit easier, but we won and that is the most important thing.”Liverpool look forward to the comforts of Anfield for the next three fixtures starting with Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday evening and following that with Brighton and Everton. View full article