Liverpool
Report: European giants running the rule over Leeds man ahead of potential summer swoop
According to France Football (via GFFN), Liverpool scouts have placed Leeds United forward Raphinha at the top of their shortlist for targets that they intend to recommend for the summer. Sportslens View The 2018-19 Champions League winners could do with some quality additions to their attack given their recent struggles in front of goal, and it is not a surprise that their recruitment department feels that the Leeds man is worth being watched in the coming months. Liverpool scouts would have run the rule over Raphinha against Crystal Palace last night, and there is no doubt that they would have been left impressed with what they saw. The Brazilian joined Leeds from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes for around £17 million last summer, and he has since established himself as a regular under head coach ...
Three Things: Liverpool get cold feet, Arsenal going nowhere, big call needed on De Gea
It has been a while since we ran our ‘Three Things’ column on a Monday morning, but we couldn’t resist given events in the Premier League over the weekend. Manchester City’s stunning 4-1 victory at Liverpool was the standout result and left Reds fans everywhere bemoaning the rapid demise of the reigning champions. Without further ado, we offer our take on three of the key talking points from the latest round of Premier League fixtures. ‘Bad champions’ get cold feet Man City’s demolition job on Liverpool at Anfield sparked plenty of debate, with Roy Keane’s epic rant on Sky Sports perhaps the best of the bunch. 🗣 “They are making a lot of excuses, to me they’ve been bad champions.” Roy Keane has not been impressed with Liverpool’s mentality this season pic.twitter.com/jjxyCdnhwM — F...
The worst title defences in Premier League history
Liverpool’s title defence hasn’t exactly gone to plan. Following a severe injury crisis in defence which saw Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, the Reds find themselves ten points off the summit. Sunday’s 4-1 home defeat to leaders Manchester City compounded their misery further, leaving them with 40 points – 27 fewer than they had at this stage last season. This is statistically the biggest drop off from a title winner in the history of the English top flight. 27 – After 23 games this season, Liverpool (40) now have 27 fewer points than they did at the same stage last season (67), the biggest drop by any reigning champion at this stage of a campaign in English top-flight history. Molehill. #LIVMCI pic.twitter.com/lrwiL8Ndko — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 7, 2021 However, maybe it’s...
Tactical analysis: How Manchester City broke their Anfield curse with a fantastic victory over Liverpool
It was that time of year again – it was time for the big one. Two of English football’s most rampant and successful teams in the last few years, who had formed an elite century-nearing or even – in the case of Manchester City in 2017/18 – century-completing duopoly. This match was always a title-decider in the last few years, and it had the potential to be just that once again. With the chasing pack stuttering and stumbling (Manchester United drawing late on to Everton and Leicester’s blank against Wolverhampton Wanderers), City were almost running away with the league, as they went into this match two points clear with two games in hand. 13 (non-penalty shootout) wins in a row in all competitions represented their best-ever winning streak, while over 450 minutes without conceding a league...
Joey Barton comments on ‘superb’ £90k-per-week Liverpool player after latest display
Former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton has reacted on Twitter to Alisson’s performance after Liverpool lost 4-1 at Anfield on Sunday. After going 68 games undefeated at home, Liverpool have now lost three games at Anfield in a row, and their latest defeat against City will hurt them badly. Alisson was at fault for two of City’s four goals as Pep Guardiola’s side stretched their lead to 10 points over the Reds, and they also have a game in hand. The Brazilian, who is on £90k-per-week wages at Anfield, had a dreadful afternoon. His two poor clearances dropped at the feet of City players, both resulting in goals. Barton took to Twitter to suggest that Alisson will recover from this mistake as there aren’t enough keepers who are better than him. Allison has been superb fo...
Liverpool fullback: I haven’t been good enough this season
Liverpool fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold admits his performances haven’t been up to standard this season. Alexander-Arnold has claimed there is no excuses for his below-par showings and has claimed he is committed to rediscovering his best form. In an interview with Sky Sports, he was asked if he was playing at the top level this season: “Me? No. “There’s been times this season I felt like I’ve been playing quite well. Recently I’ve been trying to get back into that rhythm I was talking about earlier from a personal point of view. “It’s been a tough reason in that respect in just trying to find that rhythm and get back into it and just letting things happen naturally. It’s been quite difficult. “But again there’s no excuses. I want to try to make things happen for the team and perform as ...
Report: Liverpool monitoring 24-year-old Leeds United star ahead of possible summer move
Liverpool are monitoring the progress of Leeds United winger Raphinha as they plan to bolster their attacking options in the summer, Football Insider reports. The 24-year-old joined the Whites from French side Rennes last summer and he has made a good impact with four goals and four assists in his 16 league appearances. His progress appears to have caught the eye of Reds scouts and it is reported that the Merseyside outfit could be interested in signing the Brazilian later this year. Sportslens view: The Reds have had a fixed partnership in the attack with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane being the regular wingers to accompany striker Roberto Firmino. Both Salah and Mane are undisputed starters when fit and it is unlikely that a new signing will come in and take the place of either player. Sti...
Liverpool v Manchester City – Liverpool out of title race?
Liverpool v Manchester CityEnglish Premier LeagueAnfield, LiverpoolSunday, February 7, 202116:30 GMTReferee: Michael Oliver This Sunday, league leaders Manchester City face-off against defending champions Liverpool. This match is a must-win for Liverpool if they hope to retain their crown. Liverpool are currently fourth with 40 points. City are first with 47 points and a game in hand. Liverpool Preview: Liverpool’s horrendous season continues, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be defending their Premier League title. The Reds have been poor lately, having lost back-to-back games at Anfield after their historic 68-game unbeaten streak. On Wednesday against Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool were not up to scratch. This game should have been a walk in the park for the Reds, with Brigh...
Premier League 2020/21 Week 23: EPL Results & Table
The 23rd round of fixtures in the Premier League features some eyecatching fixtures, particularly towards the top of the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the weekend. The eyes of the football world will be on Anfield on Sunday as Liverpool go head-to-head with Manchester City. The Reds have struggled to produce their best form over the past few weeks and desperately need a victory to keep themselves in the title race. The action is already underway this weekend, with Aston Villa meeting Arsenal. 🗣️ #AVLARS pic.twitter.com/6yRZdlXKvc — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 6, 2021 The afternoon and early evening line-up on Saturday is fairly uninspiring, but things should pick up in the fina...
Premier League 2020/21 Week 22: EPL Results & Table
The 22nd round of fixtures in the Premier League features some intriguing match-ups at the top and bottom of the table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the weekend. Manchester United bounced back to form in style with a 9-0 home victory over Southampton – Anthony Martial (2), Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford, Jan Bednarek (OG), Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes and Daniel James were on the scoresheet. Goals by Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho secured a 2-1 home win for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Arsenal. Sheffield United recovered from a goal down to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at Bramhall Lane – Jayden Bogle and Bill Sharp were on target for the Blades. Jairo Riedewald and Gary Cahill got the...
Arsenal clearout, last-ditch Liverpool – the best of January transfers across Europe
It’s been a rather quiet January transfer window. Previous years have seen the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Virgil van Dijk make big money moves, but nothing of that magnitude happened this time around. Nonetheless, while there wasn’t a headline-making move, there were still some exciting deals being made. Here’s a look at the best signings of the 2021 January transfer window. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal to Fenerbahce, free transfer) Ozil in his first training session at Fenerbahce Once one of the world’s best playmakers, Mesut Ozil’s time at the Emirates had gone sour, having been left out of Mikel Arteta’s 25-man squad back in October. Sitting on a contract estimated to be worth £350k-a-week, the World Cup winner couldn’t be left to sit in the reserves much longer. Along came Fenerbahce, who off...
‘Written in the stars’, ‘We’re genuinely cursed’ – Some Liverpool fans react to 29-yr-old’s injury
Premier League champions Liverpool have been dealt another major injury blow with Joel Matip ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with ankle ligament damage. According to Paul Joyce from the Athletic, the 29-year-old centre back picked up the injury against Tottenham Hotspur. Joel Matip to miss rest of season for Liverpool. — paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) February 1, 2021 The Cameroon defender has been exceptional since his move from Schalke but his career at Liverpool has been plagued with injuries. Jurgen Klopp will be thoroughly disappointed to have lost him for the remainder of the campaign given how important he is to the team. Matip is undoubtedly Liverpool’s best defender after Virgil van Dijk and it will be interesting to see how the Reds cope with his absence. The reigning Premi...
