The Liver Bird  

Liverpool make the short trip to Huddersfield this weekend as the Reds look to pick up where they left off prior to the international break. A draw with City for many at the time felt like quite a frustrating result for the Reds but having had time to ponder, in the grand scheme of things, if Klopp's side can get back in the saddle this weekend, things are looking rather rosy.

Huddersfield are struggling to say the least and so far this season they have yet to find the back of the net at home. The Terriers currently sit 18th in the table on just three points. By contrast, the Reds are in third only due to goal difference, joint on points with both Chelsea and Manchester City.

Injuries for Liverpool took a bad turn during the international break as news of knocks and even broken bones began to filter through. A suspected broken thumb for Sadio Mane has seen him undergo hand surgery, Naby Keita left the field with an injury in the Guinea v Rwanda match and Mo Salah also went off injur…

In just a few hours Liverpool will walk out at Anfield against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. The Sky Blues are currently sitting top of the Premier League table thanks to a better goal difference than Jurgen Klopp's side. Liverpool will be desperate to make the most of this chance against City and to put distance between themselves and every other team in the league for the time being.

Onlookers Chelsea will be begging that this game ends in a draw and to be honest it's definitely a possibility. If it is a draw, it'll be a 2-2 or a 3-3 because I'm convinced this game will have goals. For me, the way in which City play will massively assist Liverpool and players such as Mane, Salah and Firmino should be able to capitalise on the gaps left by the visitors.

Injuries for Liverpool are pretty much the same, thankfully though, for the Reds, Naby Keita who went off against Napoli with a back problem may still be able to feature having been checked over thoroughly by medi…

1) First time since 1990Saturday's victory over Spurs at Wembley made it five wins on the bounce for Liverpool. It's the first time the Reds have won five games in a row at the start of the season since 1990.

Jurgen Klopp's side were in complete command for the majority of the game and it could have been 4 or 5-0 at one stage but the Reds lacked a little when it came to the final ball. Despite this, goals from Gini WIjnaldum (confirmed by goal-line technology) and Roberto Firmino were enough for Liverpool to take all three points.

A late surge from Spurs wasn't enough for the home side to take away any points but it was a great goal from a tight angle by Lamela with two minutes of extra time to go.

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2) Selfish strikers, good or bad?One of the many positives of this Liverpool side is the fact that the goals can come from anywhere. We have an immense front three and if one or even two of them are having a bad day, you are almost guaranteed that the oth…

The international break is over, hooray! My god that week seemed to drag but we're back and Liverpool make the trip to London to face Spurs at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds are sitting pretty at the top of the table with four wins out of four. Victories against teams such as Crystal Palace and Brighton are precious to the Reds who would have struggled to secure all three points in games like this last season. When it came to sides like City, Arsenal etc the Reds could usually guarantee that their performance would be much, much better. Here's hoping that's the case on Saturday.

Spurs shocked several football fans recently in the league when they beat Manchester United 3-0 but then followed this up with a loss to Watford who came from behind to get the better of Pochettino's side.

There is no doubt that Spurs, despite not buying anybody in the transfer window, have a very strong side with some game changers in their starting XI but do they have enough in terms of…

1) Alisson needs to tone down the anticsI like seeing a bit of skill as much as the next person but not from my bloody goalkeeper. I mentioned in a previous post that Alisson only performs these tricks because he's confident and there's nothing wrong with having a confident keeper but he needs to stop his antics.

The Brazilian gifted Leicester their goal just after the hour mark and for a time it felt as though the home side might be able to get back into the game. Thankfully for Alisson that never happened and hopefully he's now learnt his lesson. Away from that daft mistake, he looked strong once again when called into action against the Foxes.
2) Sadio Mane could be the star of this seasonMane now has four goals in four matches for the Reds and when our Egyptian king couldn't quite find the net early on, it fell to Sadio to put Liverpool 1-0 up. A strong finish from an Andy Robertson cross was just what Klopp's side needed and I feel Mane could be a very important…

Liverpool face Leicester in a 12:30 kick off on Saturday in what will be Klopp's fourth match of the season. A duo of draws on Thursday evening allowed the Reds to find out who was in their Champions League group and who they would face in the League Cup. Both results meant that Liverpool's fixture list in September and October has suddenly got a lot busier.

And so, it would be useful for the Reds to start September with a win. Leicester have lost just one of their opening games, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at the start of the season. The foxes are currently 7th in the table on six points, three points behind the Reds who remain top of the table.

Injuries for Liverpool mean they are still without defender Dejan Lovren who remains out with a pelvic issue. Jamie Vardy sits this one out as he serves a three match ban and Matty James is unavailable due to an Achilles injury.

The last time the two sides met was in December last year at Anfield. The Reds went down af…

1) We can win ugly

For me, the main thing we should take away from today's victory over Brighton is the fact that Liverpool are now a team that can "win ugly". It's a phrase that's been thrown around regularly for teams such as Manchester United or Chelsea, teams who are always in the mix at the top of the table and seem to have that annoying ability to see out a result despite playing terribly.

I wouldn't go as far to say Liverpool were terrible on Saturday, far from it, but the Reds were definitely below par. For me though, instead of being a negative, this is actually extremely encouraging. Similar to the Palace result, the Reds were able to hold on to a slim lead and convert it into an all-important three points. 

Brighton were always going to be a difficult side to play against because the Reds have always struggled under Klopp against organised teams. This season however, Klopp seems to have found the key to unlock the points in these tight situations and …

Liverpool welcome Brighton to Anfield on Saturday afternoon as the Reds look to continue their winning start in the Premier League. Crystal Palace created a bit of a test for Jurgen Klopp's side on Monday night but back at Anfield many are hoping the Reds might be able to make the most of their effective attack.

Injuries for Liverpool mean they are still unable to call upon Dejan Lovren. For Brighton, they are potentially going to be without Lewis Dunk who picked up an injury in Brighton's win over Manchester United. 

The last time the two sides met was in May this year. Liverpool put four past Brighton at Anfield with goals from Salah, Lovren, Solanke and Robertson. The Reds also put several goals in the Brighton net during their last trip to the Amex. In December 2017 the game ended 5-1, Firmino scored a brace that day.

It's very early days but Liverpool fans all over are already daring to think about the title. Even the neutrals are starting to say that the Reds are the on…

Liverpool collected an important victory over Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace on Monday evening with James Milner and Sadio Mane on the scoresheet. The Reds needed to keep their momentum going after a solid win from Manchester City at the weekend and Jurgen Klopp’s side did just that.
In seasons gone by, this is exactly the sort of game that Liverpool would have failed to see out. Palace away from home was always going to be a tricky fixture but the Reds did very well to maintain their composure and continue a consistent run of attacks.
Palace’s main threat Zaha got a few chances to try and punish the Liverpool defence but on the whole, Liverpool’s back four dealt with any danger. A shot from Townsend also had Kopites panicking when his long-range shot thankfully smashed off the bar.
A particular highlight should be placed on the young Joe Gomez playing alongside the superb Virgil van Dijk, I don’t need to sing the latter's praises, we all know how lucky we are to have signed that man b…

The Reds travel to Selhurst Park on Monday evening as Klopp's side look to get the better of Roy Hodgson's men. In a game that some are calling an easy three points for Liverpool it's important to remember that Palace have tended to get the better of us in recent seasons and Hodgson is capable of grinding out a result.

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The last time the two sides met was in March this year, Salah and Mane both scored in the second half to secure victory for the Reds who were 1-0 down initially. The last match at Anfield came in August last year with Sadio again on the scoresheet, this time in a 1-0 win for the Reds.

In their last ten trips to Selhurst Park in all competitions, Liverpool have picked up four wins, they have drawn on two occasions and lost four times. 

Injuries for Liverpool mean they are unable to call upon Dejan Lovren who remains out with a pelvic issue he was carrying during the World Cup. Joel Matip is expected to return to the bench. Crystal Palace, …

Liverpool collected their first victory of the Premier League season in some style on Sunday after putting four past West Ham with no return. Expectations were high for the Reds who had strengthened their side during the summer transfer window but there was no reason to fear as Klopp’s side made this game look relatively straightforward.

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The Liverpool XI featured new signings Keita and Alisson but Shaqiri and Fabinho started on the bench. Keita, in particular, made a real impression on the game leaving pundits drooling over his obvious ability. He’s the kind of player who is always looking for the next ball, the next pass, the next move forward and just going off Sunday’s performance I think we can expect to see a lot from him this season.

The first goal for the Reds came from a familiar face, Mr Mo Salah! In the right place, at the right time, the Egyptian king was never going to miss this opportunity as he converted Andy Robertson’s cross. I was never in any d…

I very rarely get the chance to go to Anfield due to a variety of reasons, so when I saw that my favourite italian team Torino were coming to L4 for a friendly, I knew I had to try and get to the match.

It would be just two days after returning from a holiday in Montenegro and I'd need to convince the fella to drive us all the way up from Wolverhampton and back on a school night, but it could work? 


It did work, thanks to a very kind fella and a mad rush running across Stanley Park, I'd made it to my seat on the Kop just in time for You'll Never Walk Alone.

It was fantastic to get to see the likes of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in the flesh and I was also lucky enough to get a glimpse of the new signings. Firmino, Wijnaldum and Sturridge all scored for the Reds. Sturridge's at the Kop end after a link up with Shaqiri was particularly special. 

I was also happy to see Belotti net one at the Kop End, which I know may seem like a strange thing to say but I have a…

A comfortable win for Liverpool over Brighton at Anfield on Sunday has secured the Reds' place in Europe's elite for another season. Prior to kick off with Chelsea on their tail, it could have been a tricky afternoon for Klopp's side but in the end, it was a walk in the park.
Mo Salah opened up the scoring, stretching his lead for the golden boot. Harry Kane tried his best in Spurs' tie with Leicester but thankfully the forward remained behind, nobody that desperate to steal a goal off a teammate should win the boot! Salah thorough deserved the award. In the process, the Egyptian also broke the record for the most goals scored in a 38 game Premier League season. Phenomenal. 
The remainder of the score sheet for the Reds contained some interesting names. Dejan Lovren who we've seen net a couple, but not often, managed to find a header just before half time. 
In the second half, Solanke with a great strike put his side 3-0 up. It was his first goal for the club. 
Then fi…

1) Liverpool have nothing to be embarrassed aboutYes we lost and yes it was pretty darn terrible but as far as I am concerned, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have nothing to be embarrassed about. That match went perfectly with Mourinho's plan. A couple of long balls and some solid finishing thanks to errors in defence, once United were 2-0 up it was always going to be immensely difficult for the likes of Mane, Salah and Firmino to get through.

Mourinho plays a very negative game and it gets them results but if anybody tries to tell me United play better football than Liverpool, they can jog on. I would much rather watch the football we play with flair players leading the attack than turn up to watch a relatively bland United side slog out another last-minute win and have Fellaini as a key player. Mourinho is the first to complain when a side plays long ball against his team but when he does it? Genius. It drives me mad. Let them have their moment, I still think we'll finish above t…

Rafa Benitez brings his Newcastle side to Anfield on Saturday evening and instead of doing a standard, short match preview I thought I'd take this opportunity to look back at just a few of Rafa's memorable away days as Liverpool manager.

Here's hoping he doesn't get another iconic win this weekend though...


Barcelona - 21st February 2007
Result: 1-2 
Scorers: Bellamy and Riise


It's February 2007, Liverpool are once again storming it in the Champions League under Rafael Benitez and the Reds have drawn Barcelona in the last 16. 

In the run-up to their visit to the Nou Camp Liverpool had seen a goalless draw in the Merseyside derby and lost at the hands of Newcastle. Tactical magician Benitez though wasn't going to let this poor form ruin his chances of being one of the very few managers to walk away victorious from Barcelona's precious ground. 

On the night, Barca actually took the lead thanks to a goal from Deco but Benitez's side remained focused and Craig Bel…