FA Community Shield – Arsenal 1 (5) – Liverpool 1 (4)

Lacklustre Reds narrowly beaten on penalties 

Alisson – 6 

Alisson could do nothing about the goal from Aubameyang which was an excellent finish. The Brazilian made a crucial save to deny Nketiah from doubling Arsenal’s lead. Alisson got nowhere near to any of Arsenals penalties and had no chance of saving any of the penalties. 

Neco Williams – 5 

Williams came in for the injured Trent Alexander Arnold, who should hopefully be back for the Reds opener against Leeds United in two weeks’ time, and it showed how much we missed Trent in an attacking way and defensive way. The young full-back should off got a lot closer to Aubameyang to prevent him from getting the shot away but he gave the Arsenal striker far too much space. Williams looked uncomfortable on the ball at times and really struggled to give Liverpool that attacking edge in the final third that Trent gives us so much. 

Williams really struggled in the community shield.

Joe Gomez – 7 

Looked back to his comfortable best after a few tricky games that he had after the Premier League was restarted. The Englishman was always sweeping up at the back and showed his pace times a number of times as well as showing how comfortable on the ball he is. 

Virgil Van Dijk – 7 

The Dutchman had his normal game he didn’t put a foot wrong and with empty stadiums right now you can just hear how much of a leader he is at the back. Had a goal which was rightly ruled out for offside early in the game. 

Andy Robertson – 8 

One of Liverpool’s standout players in the game, the Scotsman was often at his marauding best down the left-hand side. With Trent not playing on the other side the reliance on Robertson was obvious to see. Put in some wonderful crosses into the box which was never taken advantage off by the strikers sadly and put in a really good shift. 

Andy Robertson was one of the standout performers

James Milner – 7 

James Milner was probably one of our best players in the first half before he was substituted in the second half. The Englishman was handed the armband today in the absence of normal skipper Jordan Henderson and definitely looked like a leader. The veteran was everywhere in the first half and was probably our most advanced midfielder. 

Fabinho – 6 

The Brazilian had a very quiet game, certainly in the first half where he struggled to put his stamp on the game. He was moved to center-back in the second half alongside Van Dijk when the struggling full-back Williams departed the pitch and Gomez had to be moved to right back. Looked really comfortable at the back and this looks like it will be a long-term solution for Klopp who just has three senior central defenders at his disposal. 

Georginio Wijnaldum – 6 

The Dutchman could not really get any sort of influence on the game, kept his passing too simple and didn’t really look a threat at all to be honest. The Dutch midfielder is rumored to be leaving Liverpool for Barcelona and this type of performance would not off endorsed him to the Reds fans, but he often has games like this where he really struggles to put any sort of stamp on the game.  

Sadio Mane –  6  

Sadio Mane had two really good chances to either get the Reds equalizer or put them ahead after the goal from Minamino but he squandered both of the chances straight at the Arsenal goalkeeper Martinez. The Senegal international looked lively going forward and showed good pace but defiantely lacked a bit of match sharpness as some of his touches were very sloppy. 

Roberto Firmino – 7 

The Brazilian was probably the best out of the Reds front three and was always looking to link up with Salah and Mane. Showed some really good touches and did succeed in getting Liverpool higher up the pitch. 

Mo Salah – 5 

Salah really struggled in this game and looked like he was missing a hell of a lot of match sharpness. Never really threatened the Arsenal defense once to be honest and kept on coming deep just to try and get a few touches of the ball.  

Substitutions  

Naby Keita – 8 

Keita came on just after the hour mark and made such a huge difference to the side. As soon as he came on Liverpool looked way more threatening. Yes, the 25-year old lost the ball a number of times but he was always the player that was willing to take a few risks to find the goal which is what you need. Every time Keita got the ball, he was willing to beat a man or play the ball forward, he was never looking sideways which our other midfielders were constantly doing all game. 

Minamino – 8 

A massive goal and performance from Minamino who really had an impact on the game when he came on. Plays very similar to Firmino in how he links the play up and how he is always dropping deep to pick up the ball. Could be a big performance from Minamino who has struggled to have much of a impact on the other games.  

Minamino had a big performance after coming on

Curtis Jones – 6 

Came on at the end of the game so wasn’t really enough time for the Scouse midfielder to have a impact on the game. Did dispatch his penalty though in the shootout. 

Rhian Brewster – 5 

Came on for the last two minutes of the game and was then on the list to take a penalty. A big mistake this from Klopp as it cost us the game in the end and it could destroy any confidence that Brewster. This is not me slating of Brewster but his penalty did cost Liverpool the game, a penalty which was more or less Brewster’s first touch of the game which should not happen. 

Rhian Brewster missed the crucial penalty having just come on the pitch

Are Liverpool at risk of standing still

It appears on the surface and with everything coming out of the club that Liverpool will be having a quiet transfer window after winning the Premier League last season but how big of a risk is that with other clubs quietly confident that they can mount a serious title challenge on Liverpool’s crown this coming season. 

Now it is no secret that clubs will have to be very careful in spending money this summer due to the Covid pandemic and how deeply it will impact every single club in the world right now, so of course it is understandable if clubs are going to be very cautious about their finances and rightly so, certainly when football is going to be played with no spectators for the foreseeable future. But having seen what other clubs have pulled off in the transfer market so far and hearing the noises out of other Premier League clubs this is a huge risk for Liverpool who will be looking to defend their Premier League crown. 

Let’s have a look at Chelsea, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season and were defeated in the FA Cup final. The Blues have made big waves in the transfer market this summer and look certain to compete for the Premier League this coming season having signed basically a whole new spine of Frank Lampard’s team. Timo Werner was wanted all the way across Europe, even Liverpool’s name was mentioned, but the German striker ended up signing for the Blues for close to 60million giving them a whole new edge going forward. Hakim Ziyech was snapped up from Ajax for close to 35million giving them a new creative edge. Chelsea looked at their defence as a massive weak spot having conceded far too many goals last season and snapped up the hugely experienced 35-year-old Thiago Silva on a free transfer to lead their defence as well as snapping up the highly talented English full-back Ben Chillwell from Leicester for close to 60million. That alone is a mass amount of money but they are also rumoured to signing the super talented German youngster Kai Havertz for a figure believed to be 90million if completed and they are also on the lookout for a goalkeeper with that being a massive problem area last season with Kepa really struggling for form at the Blues.  

Frank Lampards men have made some big signings

Player ratings: Liverpool 3 – 1 Manchester City

Alisson              8 

The reds stopper was not called into action an awful lot but made a couple of smart saves. It was more his commanding presence that gets him this rating with him constantly throughout the game catching the ball in the box from some dangerous Man City set pieces and giving the Reds that breathing space which was much needed every now and again. 

 

Trent Alexander Arnold       9 

What a talent the Reds fullback continues to show week after week, he was a constant menace to the City backline and played his part in the Reds second goal with a beautiful 60 yard cross field pass to Robertson before he played in the ball for Salah. He often takes a lot of flak for his defensive work but today he dealt with the threat of Sterling very well overall, getting the better of the former Reds star numerous times. Lucky not to have conceded a penalty due to his handball, but luckily for Liverpool the ball came of Bernardo Silva’s hand on its way to Trent. 

Trent was at the centre of the action at both ends in todays bout

 

Virgil Van Dijk        8 

Van Dijk was his normal classy self, he never put a foot wrong and was constantly the player clearing the ball when City were crossing the ball in. Commanded the backline well when Liverpool came under pressure from City late on in the game, and was overall a classy performance from the Dutchman. 

Liverpool player ratings on FIFA 17: Are they fair?

Phillipe Coutinho 85

Coutinho is our best ranked player and it’s probably fair to say most supporters will say Coutinho is our best player. He was 84 last season and FIFA continue to bump up his ratings as he deserves.

Coutinho is Liverpool’s best player according to FIFA

Fairness: 9/10

Daniel Sturridge 84

FIFA have taken the chance to upgrade Sturridge to a 84 after being 83 on the previous game, what he has done to warrant this upgrade as he was mostly injured last season I’m not sure but no doubt about it Sturridge is one of the best strikers in the Premier League when he is fit.

Sturridge’s upgrade seems confusing after a injury hit season last season

Fairness 7/10

Karius 82

We haven’t seen much of Karius in a Liverpool shirt so a 82 could maybe be a bit high for a goalkeeper that may not be our starting goalkeeper just yet. He has been upped by two from FIFA 16 but he was the second best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga last season so maybe it is deserved.

Karius has a strong rating and has a way better card than Mignolet

Fairness 5/10

Dejan Lovren 82

Lovren has had a huge upgrade from his average 79 rating on last year’s FIFA, Lovren is our starting centre back and he had a very good season last season.

Fairness 8/10

Lovren has got a huge upgrade, maybe this goal has something to do with it?

Joel Matip 82

Matip has been one of the most solid performers in the German League for a number of years so deserves a high rating and he has slotted into our side seamlessly so far. Quicker than you think and dominant in the air his FIFA rating is very good.

Fairness: 8/10

Derby County 0-3 Liverpool: Player ratings

Loris Karius 7.5

Karius made his Liverpool debut and looked a very confident goalkeeper. He had a couple of dodgy moments with his feet at times but nothing overly concerning, the German bailed out Henderson’s poor error when Karius was quick out of his area to clear the danger. Constantly on his toes and with our high pressing game he could be the goalkeeper we need.

Karius could of put himself in contention for the game with Hull after a good game here.

Nathaniel Clyne 7.3

Clyne never really seems to get a rest, he plays nearly every game and is always consistent. We are so thin in this area it’s unreal but we only play a game a week this overall this season so its not a massive concern. Clyne got forward well and helped out in attacks as he normally does but his end product on the final ball could improve at times.

Joel Matip 7.2

Matip put in another really composed game tonight and looked so dominant whenever Derby got forward. That’s four good performances in a row now and if he continues he could prove to be bargain of the summer as he arrived on a free transfer. Looks good with any partner to, tonight he played with Klaven and he has also played next to Lucas and Lovren in recent games with Matip impressing in all of them.

Ragnar Klaven 7.3

Klaven made his comeback from a small injury tonight and performances like this will continue to push Mamadou Sakho further down the pecking order. Got his first goal for Liverpool with a neat finish where he had to sort his feet out and he looked comfortable at the back all game.

Klaven scored his first goal for Liverpool with a neat finish

Predicted starting eleven for EFL third round tie with Derby

Goalkeeper

Loris Karius

This is certain to happen, as Klopp has already stated Karius will make his debut later on. A cup game is the right moment to throw in Karius without too much pressure on him. Joel Matip made his debut in the EFL cup tie against Burton Albion and has started every game since then so Karius needs a good solid game here to really put the pressure on Simon Mignolet.

Defence

National Clyne

Clyne seems to start every game for Liverpool and so rarely misses a game. We are so thin in this area that Clyne can’t be rested too many times at all. Our back up right back options are youngsters Conor Randall and Trent Alexandre Arnold so we are very thin in this area so I expect Clyne to start again.

Lucas Leiva

Klopp may choose to rest first choice centre back pairing Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren for this cup game and give other players a chance. Lovren has only just recovered from an eye injury and Matip iis only just reaching full match fitness. There is a case for Mamadou Sakho  to start this game but he isn’t fully match fit yet so I expect Lucas to get the nod.

Ragnar Klaven

Klaven started our first two league games of the season but since then Joel Matip has replaced him as most people expected. Klaven picked up a injury on the recent international break for Estonia and this is why he hasn’t featured on the bench either.

Alberto Moreno

James Milner has replaced Moreno as our starting left back but is now 32 years old so he could do with a deserved rest. This offers a big opportunity to the much maligned Spanish fullback to prove to Klopp he can improve defensively and grow into the role.

Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool: Player Ratings

Simon Mignolet – 7.2

Mignolet didn’t have a awful lot of saves to have to do, but he looked solid and controlled his six yard box comfortably. The Belgium has had a good start to the season so let’s hope it continues.

Nathaniel Clyne – 8.1

Clyne was up against in my opinion the best winger in the league on his day in Eden Hazard and he did extremely well to shackle Hazard who had a poor game overall. Clyne seems to be building a good connection with Sadio Mane on the right hand side with Clyne helping out in attack and Mane coming back to help defend.

Joel Matip – 8.3

Matip continued his strong run of form and he looks like he has been at Liverpool for years, comfortable on the ball, dominant in the air and strong in the tackle. Did extremely well all game and shackled Diego Costa extremely well. Made a slight error when he went to ground to early in the box and this lead to Chelsea getting a goal back but there were countless other errors in this goal.

Dejan Lovren – 8.4

Got his first Premier league goal for Liverpool and to boot he had a impressive game at the back for us. Lovren’s goal was a fine finish from a superb Coutinho cross into the box. The Croatian is building a good relationship with Matip at the back and this can only improve over time.

James Milner – 8.2

I didn’t personally think that Milner could play left back but he’s been fantastic in our last three games, gets forward extremely well and helps out Coutinho but its his defensive work where he has impressed me most. Coutinho doesn’t track back a awful lot so Milner has to do a lot of defending on his own and he’s been holding his own in recent games, another fantastic performance as he stifled Willian extremely well on his side.

Adam Lallana – 7.6

Another good game for Lallana, albeit he was less effective today than in other games. Lallana worked extremely hard and ran around 12 kilometres once again, heckled Chelsea when they had possession and distributed the ball well when he had it.

Jordan Henderson – 8.6 Man of the match

Wow, that goal probably would of won him this award anyway but a great performance to boot to for our skipper. He probably will never score a better goal than that as our Gerrard would have been proud of that himself. He’s adapting to playing as a number six really well as he has great balance to his game, he knows when to run and when to hold his position. Henderson really looked like a captain tonight, he was leading by the front foot and was shouting in the middle of the park, he really is proving the doubters wrong right now.

Georgina Wijinaldum – 8.3

I said this in the game with Leicester but this is his game in a Liverpool shirt so far, I didn’t think he was such a work horse but boy did he put in a shift in for this game as he looked absolutely knackered when he came off as a late substitution. Goals will come for the Dutch international if he carries on playing like this.

Phillipe Coutinho – 7.9

Coutinho wasn’t involved in the game to much, especially in the second half but he still proved he is a difference maker with a beautiful ball to the back post for Lovren to smartly finish. Liverpool were sat deep for most of the second half so Coutinho understandably couldn’t get fully into it and he was substituted later on for Lucas.

Daniel Sturridge – 7.1

Sturridge was probably our least effective player on the park today, even in the first half when we were brilliant. He showed composure on the ball and a willingness to run but just struggled. Was taken off for Origi really early in the second half and he looked like he was injured but Klopp confirmed that he wasn’t and it was a tactical approach as Sturridge looked extremely tired, maybe a lack of match fitness.

Sadio Mane – 8.1

Mane was his normal busy self, turning and running at their backline constantly but was impressed me with his game today was his defensive work. Countless times he came back to help out Clyne nullify the threat of Hazard as he put in a selfless display. Red fans now have a chant for Mane and this shows just how quickly fans have recognized his talents.

Substitutions

Origi 55 (Sturridge) – 6.7

Origi struggled when he came on to be honest, we were sat extremely deep so Origi had no support with him up top as he constantly lost the ball. Had a huge chance to make it 3-1 after a good cross from Milner but Origi couldn’t convert from 8 yards as begovic made a great save to deny what should of been a goal.

Lucas 74 (Coutinho) – 7.0

Came on and his job was to protect the back four which he did extremely well as he really helped calm the game down when he came on. Gave away a silly foul on Hazard just outside the box and if that gone in he would be criticized but overall he did well.

Steward 89 (Wijaldum) – N/A

Played about four minutes so really can’t give a rating.

Liverpool predicted team vs Chelsea

Goalkeeper

Simon Mignolet

Mignolet will carry on in goal for this game as Karius had just returned from a injury and this game has come too soon for Karius. Mignolet hasn’t made a direct error yet this season so should remain in goal for this goal, but Karius should eventually displace Mignolet the German will start in Tuesday’s game against Derby.

Defence

Nathaniel Clyne

This is a no brainer as we have no other senior right backs at the club and Clyne is one of our most consistent players and offers us such a big outlet on that right hand side, seems to have a good understanding with new signing Sadio Mane as well.

Joel Matip

Matip has started the last three Liverpool games in a row and has been cool and composed in every game, set pieces will be huge in this game with Chelsea as they have such a big side so we will need Matip for his aerial prowess, which he has showed already. He sets up attacks well and can play out of the attack well but if we are to win this game Matip must have a good game.

Dejan Lovren

Lovren received a nasty looking eye injury last week in training and had to sit out the game with the champions. Klopp has confirmed that Lovren has recovered and the swelling has gone down so I expect him to come in for Lucas.

James Milner

Many fans had their doubts with Milner playing left back but he is adapting to the role quite well really, he has had good games against Spurs and Leicester where he had got a goal and a assist from these two fixtures. Milner will have to be solid defensively this game as he is going against the workaholic Willian.

Midfield

Georgina Wjinaldum

Wjinaldum has been adapting quite well to this position and his role in this Liverpool side, with two assists this season already. He has played with such energy and has won the ball back extremely well and he is showing signs he can add to Liverpool’s attack as well. Had his best game in a red shirt against Leicester at the weekend so I expect him to start, despite Can returning to training and isn’t ready to start a game just yet.

Jordan Henderson

The Liverpool skipper is starting to adapt to this new defensive role that Klopp has put him in, he has had two impressive performances in this role recently and his energy, pressing and passing from deep has been crucial to how we are currently playing. Henderson will need support defensively in this game though as he is still not a natural defensive midfielder and he is not naturally someone who will continually win the ball back.

Adam Lallana

Lallana is the player in the midfield that it didn’t even cross my mind to drop him, his two goals and one assist mean he is adding that end product that fans wanted to see for a number of years and his linkup play and his energy have been a crucial part to how we have played as well as how he has adapted to his new more deeper role playing in centre midfield instead of one of the attacking positions.

Attack

Phillipe Coutinho

Coutinho didn’t start the game with Leicester as he wasn’t fully ready due to his Brazil commitments but he will be chomping at the bit in a fixture where he scored twice last season. The Brazilian will start on the left as he usually does and he will cutting inside constantly.

Roberto Firmino

I expect Firmino to go up top for this game, despite Sturridge being impressive in the game last weekend. Firmino notched two goals last week on the wing but he will be essential to drag their defenders out of position leaving more space for the midfield runners and attackers. David Luiz is a touch tight defender and he likes playing against a striker and nicking the ball ahead of them, Firmino will be key to exposing this weakness in Chelsea’s defence.

Sadio Mane

Mane has recently picked up our player of the month for August and he will look to continue his impressive form, hopefully adding more to his goal tally or assist tally. Mane is a player who has walked into this side and given us a different edge,  he will need to help out Clyne defensively as Hazard will be playing on that right hand side of midfield.

Would you make any changes to this team?

 

 

Adam Lallana has transformed his Liverpool career and is becoming a key player for Liverpool

When Liverpool signed Adam Lallana back in the summer of 2014 eyebrows were raised at the 25million price tag that former boss Brendan Rodgers forked out. This was a player that had just two years experience in English footballs top flight division having played for Southampton for 8 seasons, playing in league one and the championship before Southampton were promoted to the Premier League in 2012.

Lallana was a key figure in Southampton earning back to back promotions from league one to the Premier League, he scored 8 goals in the season they were promoted to the championship from league one and scored 11 goals in the championship where they spent just the one season before reaching the so called ‘holy grail’ having fallen so far away from top level football for a number of years.

Lallana was a key figure to help Southampton get back to back promotions from league 1 to the Premier league

Lallana struggled to get to grips with the Premier League in the Saints first season back in the top flight and it wasn’t till the second season where he showcased his talents to the world, he scored a impressive 9 goals in the league for Southampton as they had achieved a top half of the table finish and he also got in the PFA shortlist for player of the season at the annual Premier League awards. Lallana was rewarded for his good season with a place in England’s 2014 World Cup campaign, and this prompted Liverpool to swiftly move in for him.

Lallana earned a move to Liverpool after a having a great season at Southampton

Daniel Sturridge’s performance against Leicester causes selection headache for Klopp

Daniel Sturridge produced a scintillating performance against Leicester City at Anfield on Saturday night, the kind that showed he can and is adapting to Klopp’s high tempo style of play.

Sturridge had a scintillating game against Leicester

There has been much criticism of Daniel Sturridge not suiting Klopp’ style of play and there is a fair point as there was a time when he really didn’t look like he was willing to run for the team. Much has also been written about Klopp’s relationship with Sturridge after Divock Origi came on of the bench before Sturridge in the 1-1 draw with Spurs before the international break, thus people saying that Sturridge has been relegated to third choice striker even though he is our best striker that we have.

Much was made of Sturridge’s reaction when Origi came on of the bench before him

When Klopp named Sturridge in the starting line up to face Leicester for the grand opening of the new and impressive stand at Anfield it raised a few eyebrows after what has been written by many newspapers and media outlets about Klopp and Sturridge’s so called ‘relationship’. To Liverpool fans we were not surprised to see Sturridge back in the starting line up as simply put he is our best striker and finisher, this Klopp surely knows regardless of what is being written and simply isn’t true.