“I put big demands on players and sometimes that takes a bit of time to get used to.” – Brendan Rodgers, April 2013 _____ ON Wednesday night, I was on a flight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg. Translation: Just over 10 hours of manoeuvring your body to locate maximum...
I’M going to let you in on one of my (many, very, very many) idiosyncrasies: I like order. Specifically, I like order in terms of dates, in terms of history. I like things to tie up, to be neat and tidy and…well, orderly. I used to have this history...
ARSENAL have you on pins. Before the game we talk about how Arsenal away ties with City as the worst away. Because they have you on pins. Chelsea bludgeon you. United wear you down. But Arsenal and City have you on pins. They probe. They pen. They ratchet up the...
FOOTIE is a passionate game. From furrowed brows to foaming mouths, jumps of joy to manic laughter; it’s a sport that provokes extremes of emotion that are on display at every match and beyond. It’s one of the reasons you stick with it. You’re all...
AT half time on Monday, Liverpool sent out five substitutes to warm up. The two they didn’t send out were Roberto Firmino and Emre Can — the two that first got on the pitch. Those two pretty much started warming up as soon as the second half began. The...
BRENDAN Rodgers was blamed for a lot last season. However, a new season is here with new hope, new players, new kit, new grass, new truss, new criticisms and…. the same old blame game. We’ve played two, won two, scored two, conceded not a sausage, but...
IT seems the opening two matches of Liverpool’s campaign — a pair of dogged, 1-0 victories — have Reds in one of two camps. For every supporter that is lauding wins over Stoke City and Bournemouth, there is another moaning about the substance of six points...
AUGUST 20. Aye, here we are with problems after two games, two wins and two clean sheets. Six points and zero goals zipping past Simon Mignolet. Five more than Chelsea, shipping in five less than them. Did you predict that before the campaign kicked off? Sure you did....
“Each team I see (that is successful) has to be comfortable playing with three systems. They need to adapt to each game, depending on the circumstances. It is not about not being loyal to your identity. No, no, no. It is about knowing your strengths and showing your...
WINNING has always been the most important thing in football. Winning games, winning trophies, winning leagues — just winning. Liverpool have played two football games this season and won both of them. This should be seen as a great positive — a platform...
