I haven't posted since the massively frustrating draw with Sunderland so I thought I'd take this opprtunity to do a sort of catch up post while looking forward to Liverpool's next three fixtures in the FA Cup, League Cup and Premier League.
I never saw the Sunderland match so it's not my place to offer an opinion really, what I will say is that I knew we'd slip up against them, it's just bloody typical Liverpool isn't it? Solid performance against Manchester City on New Year's Eve and then scraping a point against Sunderland. Ah well, at least Chelsea lost to Spurs eh?
Next up for the Reds is Plymouth Argyle. Plymouth are currently second in League Two chasing down Doncaster Rovers. The Pilgrims have lost four out of their last ten games in the league and have scored 37 goals.
While Plymouth are expected to field their strongest side, including starting Garita who hasn't quite recoved from a knee injury, Liverpool are expected to do the opposite. Joe Gomez who has been out of action for a considerable amount of time for the Reds is due to feature on Sunday. It will be great to see the youngster back in defence and it will be interesting to see Karius in goal behind him. After being dropped by Jurgen Klopp, Loris will be desperate to make a good impression against Plymouth ready to pounce if Simon Mignolet makes any major mistakes.
The sides at one point in their histories would face each other on a regular basis but the Reds have not played Plymouth since 1962. In their regular meetings in the 50s and 60s, Plymouth were never able to record a win at Anfield.
For me, this fixture should be a win for Liverpool, I think it'll be a close call, maybe a 2-1, but our younger players are more than capable of putting in a strong performance and I expect them to get the better of Plymouth on Sunday.
Follwoing the FA Cup game, the Reds have the small matter of the first leg of their League Cup semi-final with Southampton. The first leg at St Mary's is the best option for Liverpool, with Manchester United to think about the following weekend, it wouldn't be a disaster if the Reds had to return to Anfield with a draw or even a loss. It's a difficult situation for Jurgen Klopp who will obviously have saved some of his stars after resting several players for the Plymouth game but if he isn't careful he could burn out some key players before the United game.
Manchester United away on the following Sunday is a huge game for the Reds after Chelsea dropped points against Spurs, Jurgen Klopp's side need to build up the damage ready to face Conte's side at the end of the month. Any trip to Old Trafford is a massive one but with the run of fixtures prior to this one and the added pressure of the league, I cannot wait for Sunday 15th January.
With Coutinho back in full training this week you have to assume that the boss will save the Brazilian for the clash with Manchester United. I personally feel that Roberto Firmino ramps up by another 50% when he is paired with Coutinho, here's hoping they link up against Mourinho's side.
Enjoy the next lot of fixtures folks, wherever you are watching and stay tuned to The Liver Bird for some post match blogs.
I never saw the Sunderland match so it's not my place to offer an opinion really, what I will say is that I knew we'd slip up against them, it's just bloody typical Liverpool isn't it? Solid performance against Manchester City on New Year's Eve and then scraping a point against Sunderland. Ah well, at least Chelsea lost to Spurs eh?
Next up for the Reds is Plymouth Argyle. Plymouth are currently second in League Two chasing down Doncaster Rovers. The Pilgrims have lost four out of their last ten games in the league and have scored 37 goals.
While Plymouth are expected to field their strongest side, including starting Garita who hasn't quite recoved from a knee injury, Liverpool are expected to do the opposite. Joe Gomez who has been out of action for a considerable amount of time for the Reds is due to feature on Sunday. It will be great to see the youngster back in defence and it will be interesting to see Karius in goal behind him. After being dropped by Jurgen Klopp, Loris will be desperate to make a good impression against Plymouth ready to pounce if Simon Mignolet makes any major mistakes.
The sides at one point in their histories would face each other on a regular basis but the Reds have not played Plymouth since 1962. In their regular meetings in the 50s and 60s, Plymouth were never able to record a win at Anfield.
For me, this fixture should be a win for Liverpool, I think it'll be a close call, maybe a 2-1, but our younger players are more than capable of putting in a strong performance and I expect them to get the better of Plymouth on Sunday.
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| Image via mirror.co.uk |
Manchester United away on the following Sunday is a huge game for the Reds after Chelsea dropped points against Spurs, Jurgen Klopp's side need to build up the damage ready to face Conte's side at the end of the month. Any trip to Old Trafford is a massive one but with the run of fixtures prior to this one and the added pressure of the league, I cannot wait for Sunday 15th January.
With Coutinho back in full training this week you have to assume that the boss will save the Brazilian for the clash with Manchester United. I personally feel that Roberto Firmino ramps up by another 50% when he is paired with Coutinho, here's hoping they link up against Mourinho's side.
Enjoy the next lot of fixtures folks, wherever you are watching and stay tuned to The Liver Bird for some post match blogs.