Now before I start, I just ordered a couple of shirts for me and Wen for the upcoming season! So it's gonna be a good one!
Pre Season:
The ball is gonna roll actually pretty soon. About a month after writing, we're already starting to play to build up our fitness. But before we do that, I really feel that we need to get a few transfers done. Because not counting some of the other cups, like FA cup, carabao cup, UEFA Champions League, we've got a minimum of 48 games, including at least 30 of pre-season and season till the end of 2019. So games will come very thick and fast which is why we need a lot more players than the current lineup we have. But with that said here's our run:
JULY:
11 - Friendly - vs Tranmere
14 - Friendly - vs Bradford
20 - Friendly - vs Borussia Dortmund
21 - Friendly - vs Sevilla
25 - Friendly - vs Sporting Lisbon
28 - Friendly - vs Napoli
29 - Friendly - vs Lyon
Quite a lot of big teams especially from 20th onwards for the ICC. And we know the caliber that Dortmund, Sevilla, Lisbon, Napoli and Lyon are capable of. But it'll give a good warm up.
AUGUST:
04 - Com Shield - vs Man City
06 - Friendly - vs Schalke 04
09 - BPL - (H) vs Norwich
14 - UEFA Super Cup - vs Chelsea
17 - BPL - (A) vs Southampton
24 - BPL - (H) vs Arsenal
31 - BPL - (A) vs Burnley
More big stuff, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Schalke. This is pretty crazy.
SEPTEMBER:
14 - BPL (H) vs Newcastle
21 - BPL (A) vs Chelsea
28 - BPL (A) vs Sheffield United
There's bound to be more matches in September, given that we haven't taken the other cup matches into account yet. So stay tuned for this space.
OCTOBER:
05 - BPL (H) vs Leicester
19 - BPL (A) vs Man U
26 - BPL (H) vs Tottenham
All big games, that's why I said we need players and fast.
NOVEMBER:
02 - BPL (A) vs Aston Villa
09 - BPL (H) vs Manchester City
23 - BPL (A) vs Crystal Palace
30 - BPL (H) vs Brighton and Howe
A match to keep an eye is the home match vs Manchester City. We'll need to win this one especially to get a much firmer foothold in our race for the title.
DECEMBER:
04 - BPL (H) vs Everton
07 - BPL (A) vs Bournemouth
14 - BPL (H) vs Watford
21 - BPL (A) vs West Ham United
26 - BPL (A) vs Leicester City
28 - BPL (H) vs Wolves
For now keep an eye on this space! We'll update this list as time goes on and a seperate one will be done for the 2020 season!
Friday, June 14, 2019
UEFA Champions League 18/19 Final: Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham, Finally a Trophy!
The Good:
The fact we could hold the 1-0 lead for near entire duration of the game with Tottenham really cranking the heat in the latter stage of the 2nd half, was testament of the steady defensive backline and Alisson also helping us to stay in the hunt. And once again Origi the supersub giant killer, stepped up and effectively killed the tie with Tottenham unable to break and score for 87 minutes and there was not enough time for them to score 2 goals and bring the game to extra time and penalties.
That said though, you can say that it also came to the squad line up on the Spurs end. When I saw Harry Kane in the line-up, I was kinda expecting him not to perform too well. He's only just recovered from his 2 month injury and he was tossed straight back into the lineup. He was absolutely nowhere till Lucas Moura came in which was too late. If Lucas had started earlier, building on the momentum he just had with his Hat Trick the last round, things would have been drastically different.
The Bad:
Well, not that it was a big deal. Liverpool didn't really produce the clinical style of play this time round, with Firmino being sometimes anonymous and not really converting any chances. Maybe because of being away from football for 3 weeks kinda lost momentum which could very well be the case. We were basically playing park the bus football for the whole duration after scoring early, with Tottenham beating in possession and time on the ball. But you know what? Possession didn't win for Tottenham and for most Reds Fans, who's gonna complain. 2-0 is still a fair scoreline for a top 6 club, despite feeling that we should have kicked into gear alot earlier and faster.
RATINGS:
Alisson Becker: 10
Alisson put the money where his mouth is and maintain yet another clean sheet. Even when Alisson was faced with a flurry of White Attacks from the 70+ minutes onward, he stood his ground and held off everything that was being thrown in the defensive backline.
Trent Alexander Arnold: 8
Virgil Van Dijk: 8
Typical Mr Van Dijk was able to hold his backline. Contributed to the numbers for the 2nd goal via set piece. We don't need to say more there.
Joel Matip: 9
Contribution: 1 Assist
Held the ground well with Virgil in his usual fashion. Even was sharp enough to contribute to the late game goal and notched the assist to Mr Late Game Origi. It was a long time coming for Joel to notch his very first assist.
Fabinho: 9
Provided the all-important 1st line in front of the back four. He was well worth the wait after having a slow start in the season.
Jordan Henderson: 9
Gini Wijanldum 9
Andy Robertson: 8
Firmino: 6
Didn't play too well but he was only back from injury and not really that match fit. But at least in a better state than Kane. Subbed for Origi
Sadio Mane: 8
Won the penalty when his cross was blocked with an obvious blatant handball and was a constant menace. Could have converted his chances a lot more.
Mohamed Salah: 8
Again, Salah may not have his best game. But still, calm as you like with the penalty and he made no mistake. That super early goal was perhaps what it needed for him to redeem himself and wipe that memory of last year off him and started the ball rolling. He was feeling real chuffed and buzzing that he played the full 90 and rightly so. Ended the season with a respectable tally of 27 goals in all seasons and I'm happy for him.
Substitutes
Divock Origi: 10
Contribution: 1 Goal
He didn't play much, he didn't touch or see the ball much. But that doesn't matter as 1 crucial and clinical shot was all he needed and took to kill the game off completely. Nuff' said. These tiny spells from Origi had unexpectedly yet absolutely brilliant impact especially in late game and I don't know why. Please don't sell him! He brought us here after scoring the first and last goal against Barcelona and then was clinical again.
Milner: 8
Typical Industrial self and adjusted the tempo of the side once he's introduced. He sent in the corner which led to Matip's and Origi's involvement in the 2nd winning goal.
Gomez: -NA-
The fact we could hold the 1-0 lead for near entire duration of the game with Tottenham really cranking the heat in the latter stage of the 2nd half, was testament of the steady defensive backline and Alisson also helping us to stay in the hunt. And once again Origi the supersub giant killer, stepped up and effectively killed the tie with Tottenham unable to break and score for 87 minutes and there was not enough time for them to score 2 goals and bring the game to extra time and penalties.
That said though, you can say that it also came to the squad line up on the Spurs end. When I saw Harry Kane in the line-up, I was kinda expecting him not to perform too well. He's only just recovered from his 2 month injury and he was tossed straight back into the lineup. He was absolutely nowhere till Lucas Moura came in which was too late. If Lucas had started earlier, building on the momentum he just had with his Hat Trick the last round, things would have been drastically different.
The Bad:
Well, not that it was a big deal. Liverpool didn't really produce the clinical style of play this time round, with Firmino being sometimes anonymous and not really converting any chances. Maybe because of being away from football for 3 weeks kinda lost momentum which could very well be the case. We were basically playing park the bus football for the whole duration after scoring early, with Tottenham beating in possession and time on the ball. But you know what? Possession didn't win for Tottenham and for most Reds Fans, who's gonna complain. 2-0 is still a fair scoreline for a top 6 club, despite feeling that we should have kicked into gear alot earlier and faster.
RATINGS:
Alisson Becker: 10
Alisson put the money where his mouth is and maintain yet another clean sheet. Even when Alisson was faced with a flurry of White Attacks from the 70+ minutes onward, he stood his ground and held off everything that was being thrown in the defensive backline.
Trent Alexander Arnold: 8
Virgil Van Dijk: 8
Typical Mr Van Dijk was able to hold his backline. Contributed to the numbers for the 2nd goal via set piece. We don't need to say more there.
Joel Matip: 9
Contribution: 1 Assist
Held the ground well with Virgil in his usual fashion. Even was sharp enough to contribute to the late game goal and notched the assist to Mr Late Game Origi. It was a long time coming for Joel to notch his very first assist.
Fabinho: 9
Provided the all-important 1st line in front of the back four. He was well worth the wait after having a slow start in the season.
Jordan Henderson: 9
Gini Wijanldum 9
Andy Robertson: 8
Firmino: 6
Didn't play too well but he was only back from injury and not really that match fit. But at least in a better state than Kane. Subbed for Origi
Sadio Mane: 8
Won the penalty when his cross was blocked with an obvious blatant handball and was a constant menace. Could have converted his chances a lot more.
Mohamed Salah: 8
Again, Salah may not have his best game. But still, calm as you like with the penalty and he made no mistake. That super early goal was perhaps what it needed for him to redeem himself and wipe that memory of last year off him and started the ball rolling. He was feeling real chuffed and buzzing that he played the full 90 and rightly so. Ended the season with a respectable tally of 27 goals in all seasons and I'm happy for him.
Substitutes
Divock Origi: 10
Contribution: 1 Goal
He didn't play much, he didn't touch or see the ball much. But that doesn't matter as 1 crucial and clinical shot was all he needed and took to kill the game off completely. Nuff' said. These tiny spells from Origi had unexpectedly yet absolutely brilliant impact especially in late game and I don't know why. Please don't sell him! He brought us here after scoring the first and last goal against Barcelona and then was clinical again.
Milner: 8
Typical Industrial self and adjusted the tempo of the side once he's introduced. He sent in the corner which led to Matip's and Origi's involvement in the 2nd winning goal.
Gomez: -NA-
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
BPL 2019 / 2020 SUMMER TRANSFER: Who should Liverpool Get?
Well the season has drawn finally to a close and the time of the year of transfers is here again! Now the big ace of cards right now is that we have Champions League football for the next season and having won that this week should draw some further attraction in.
This morning we have news that Alberto Moreno and Daniel Sturridge have left on a free. Now to stay competitve we definitely need to supplement and make up for the losses.
Honestly, there's pretty much nothing that we actually need and even some of our budget players have been absolutely beyond huge like Matip, Robertson and Trent. But some big names are definitely on the cards to push Man City again this time. And I have named 2 big names.
Defender: Matthij De Ligt
This is a super obvious choice. As much as Matip was on top form this season and I absolutely like the guy, De Ligt is absolutely a top class teenage tank. And since the World cup Runner up has played and will continue to play with Van Dijk at the back internationally and also fellow flying Dutchman Gini Wijnaldum, this choice will definitely be a no brainer. The synergy is already there. And at 19 he will have a lot of years ahead of him.
Forward / Striker: Timo Werner
In the long run, we will need a powerful forward. At 23, Timo will be a great choice should our front 3 not click at times and one of our Fab 3 is injured. And Firmino can shift back to his natural Number 10 role rather than sticking as a False 9.
Striker Pierre Aubameyang:
This may be a surprise to you. Rumors say that he may join China and also his profile pic had been removed on Instagram. If Aubameyang is intending to leave, then I rather FSG snag him. It also makes sense since Klopp knows the guy well. He demonstrated in the gunners his class and there is no doubt about it.
Promotions from reserve:
I guess now would also be a good time to start playing our Youth Keepers, Kelleher and perhaps sell Mignolet or Karius or even both. Another 3rd Choice keeper would be good.
Other positions to consider:
A left back to replace Moreno and Supplement Milner would be a good choice in the long run. Because as far as I know, Milner would only have a few years left till he retires. Milner is a more than good enough backup already for Robertson, as shown in the Barcelona match at Home and I love his monster endurance. But let's have one more on the safe side.
I'll update more names here. But that's what I would love to add.
This morning we have news that Alberto Moreno and Daniel Sturridge have left on a free. Now to stay competitve we definitely need to supplement and make up for the losses.
Honestly, there's pretty much nothing that we actually need and even some of our budget players have been absolutely beyond huge like Matip, Robertson and Trent. But some big names are definitely on the cards to push Man City again this time. And I have named 2 big names.
Defender: Matthij De Ligt
This is a super obvious choice. As much as Matip was on top form this season and I absolutely like the guy, De Ligt is absolutely a top class teenage tank. And since the World cup Runner up has played and will continue to play with Van Dijk at the back internationally and also fellow flying Dutchman Gini Wijnaldum, this choice will definitely be a no brainer. The synergy is already there. And at 19 he will have a lot of years ahead of him.
Forward / Striker: Timo Werner
In the long run, we will need a powerful forward. At 23, Timo will be a great choice should our front 3 not click at times and one of our Fab 3 is injured. And Firmino can shift back to his natural Number 10 role rather than sticking as a False 9.
Striker Pierre Aubameyang:
This may be a surprise to you. Rumors say that he may join China and also his profile pic had been removed on Instagram. If Aubameyang is intending to leave, then I rather FSG snag him. It also makes sense since Klopp knows the guy well. He demonstrated in the gunners his class and there is no doubt about it.
Promotions from reserve:
I guess now would also be a good time to start playing our Youth Keepers, Kelleher and perhaps sell Mignolet or Karius or even both. Another 3rd Choice keeper would be good.
Other positions to consider:
A left back to replace Moreno and Supplement Milner would be a good choice in the long run. Because as far as I know, Milner would only have a few years left till he retires. Milner is a more than good enough backup already for Robertson, as shown in the Barcelona match at Home and I love his monster endurance. But let's have one more on the safe side.
I'll update more names here. But that's what I would love to add.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
LIVERPOOL SEASON RATINGS CONTINUED
To continue with the ratings so far. I've got a few contenders that I would name and a few categories they fall into. And note for some categories of the seasons, I will have 2 or 3 entries for each one.
GOAL OF THE SEASON:
There are quite a few contenders for the goal of the season which I have 3 entries for it which the last one was my favorite.
- Salah's long range volley in our home win against Chelsea.
That was a thing of beauty where we played Chelsea off the park and ensured our hunt for the title race.
- Sturridge's long range volley in our away game against Chelsea.
Against his old team, Sturridge did just that.
- Origi's Linkup from Trent with the Smart Corner against Barcelona.
That was actually important as this goal essentially sealed the deal in our push for the Grand Final. The way that Trent just switched back on and read the napping Barcelona backline was genius that paved the way for a totally open Origi to rout Barcelona and complete the comeback.
GAME OF THE SEASON:
I've got a couple which were quite a bit of a big deal.
- Liverpool vs Man Utd (3-1) Win
This was one where Shaqiri came off the bench and punished the Devils so silly. But there was a bigger importance for that game, as it led to Mourinho getting the boot. It may have resulted in making it worse for us initially, but in reality it wasn't much. After a resurgence that led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer permanently appointed at the wheel, shit again hit the Man U fan pretty badly. But this moment has to get a mention because it was so fucking hilarious.
- Liverpool 4-0 (4-3 Aggregate) vs Barcelona
This one was an obvious choice because of how we were trailing in aggregate where we didn't deserve it. And to overturn a 3-0 deficit without Firmino and Salah and without conceding a goal was thought to be a near impossible job. It came from 2 unlikeliest of the Champions League Heroes; Origi and Gini Wijnaldum and it paved the way to our Grand Final in June 1st.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: TRENT ALEXANDER ARNOLD
Quite a few players fit into this category that I singled out with an A* Rating. Trent Alexander Arnold, Joel Matip and Divock Origi. However Origi didn't really make the largest impact come to think about it. Most people it would be Virgil Van Dijk but I'm gonna give props to Trent Alexander Arnold. Age 20, 2 Grand Finals, Assist King of Defenders and 3rd best amount of assists in the BPL. 15 in all competitions, considering he was out for a while, and he's a right back! That should be a stat from an attacking midfielder or winger. Let it sink in for all you youngsters out there. Nuff' said.
MOST IMPROVED / UNDERRATED PLAYER OF THE SEASON: JOEL MATIP
Hardly anyone talks about Joel Matip. He's so underrated! To think that we bought him for free in 2016, wasn't good then and now he's the best of the trio to partner Virgil Van Dijk. Refer to the stats in the link below. Win ratio aside that favoured Gomez and Lovren, his pure defensive contributions was the reason why he's superior to Gomez and Lovren in every way.
https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/comparing-joel-matips-2018-19-pl-stats-to-his-competition-at-liverpool/
Really, the stats speak for themselves. I'm just gonna leave it there.
SIGNING OF THE SEASON: ALISSON BECKER
This was close. Face it, the Brazilian boys that were signed this season were nothing short of awesome and all worth their penny. Fabinho and Alisson. Fabinho took a while to adapt but he later became the essential to the shield of the backline. Whereas Alisson Becker wasted no time and got stuck in straightaway in the action. Either way, the 2 of them with Van Dijk made Liverpool essentially like Fort Knox. But Al held that fort for us in all 38 Premier League and all 12 Champions League Matches (not counting the final coming up) for an exact total of 50 appearances. He amassed 21 BPL clean sheets surpassing the record of clean sheets in a debut season held by Pepe Reina of 20. He also had 5 more in the Champions League for a grand total of 26. As a result, he was largely responsible for having us go a 20 game unbeaten streak at the start and the first goal only coming in after almost 10 games which was pretty insane. He currently is ranked 2nd of most BPL clean sheets held sharing the spot with Edwin Van Der Sar, only bested by Petr Cech of 24. Rightly deserved his Golden Glove.
MOMENT (OR TWO) OF THE SEASON:
- Alisson's huge save vs Napoli at the last minute.
Truth be told. That was critical because had he let the ball in, we would have been out of the Champions league and wouldn't even get past the group stages.
- Anfield Buzz in the Barcelona Win.
There's no doubt for many of us, the Barcelona Win was one of the greatest moments in this season. Just YouTube the videos for the various reactions and the Anfield Atmosphere. What more can I say? What would be better is the moment we lift the Champions League and Klopp's Maiden trophy.
GOAL OF THE SEASON:
There are quite a few contenders for the goal of the season which I have 3 entries for it which the last one was my favorite.
- Salah's long range volley in our home win against Chelsea.
That was a thing of beauty where we played Chelsea off the park and ensured our hunt for the title race.
- Sturridge's long range volley in our away game against Chelsea.
Against his old team, Sturridge did just that.
- Origi's Linkup from Trent with the Smart Corner against Barcelona.
That was actually important as this goal essentially sealed the deal in our push for the Grand Final. The way that Trent just switched back on and read the napping Barcelona backline was genius that paved the way for a totally open Origi to rout Barcelona and complete the comeback.
GAME OF THE SEASON:
I've got a couple which were quite a bit of a big deal.
- Liverpool vs Man Utd (3-1) Win
This was one where Shaqiri came off the bench and punished the Devils so silly. But there was a bigger importance for that game, as it led to Mourinho getting the boot. It may have resulted in making it worse for us initially, but in reality it wasn't much. After a resurgence that led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer permanently appointed at the wheel, shit again hit the Man U fan pretty badly. But this moment has to get a mention because it was so fucking hilarious.
- Liverpool 4-0 (4-3 Aggregate) vs Barcelona
This one was an obvious choice because of how we were trailing in aggregate where we didn't deserve it. And to overturn a 3-0 deficit without Firmino and Salah and without conceding a goal was thought to be a near impossible job. It came from 2 unlikeliest of the Champions League Heroes; Origi and Gini Wijnaldum and it paved the way to our Grand Final in June 1st.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: TRENT ALEXANDER ARNOLD
Quite a few players fit into this category that I singled out with an A* Rating. Trent Alexander Arnold, Joel Matip and Divock Origi. However Origi didn't really make the largest impact come to think about it. Most people it would be Virgil Van Dijk but I'm gonna give props to Trent Alexander Arnold. Age 20, 2 Grand Finals, Assist King of Defenders and 3rd best amount of assists in the BPL. 15 in all competitions, considering he was out for a while, and he's a right back! That should be a stat from an attacking midfielder or winger. Let it sink in for all you youngsters out there. Nuff' said.
MOST IMPROVED / UNDERRATED PLAYER OF THE SEASON: JOEL MATIP
Hardly anyone talks about Joel Matip. He's so underrated! To think that we bought him for free in 2016, wasn't good then and now he's the best of the trio to partner Virgil Van Dijk. Refer to the stats in the link below. Win ratio aside that favoured Gomez and Lovren, his pure defensive contributions was the reason why he's superior to Gomez and Lovren in every way.
https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/comparing-joel-matips-2018-19-pl-stats-to-his-competition-at-liverpool/
Really, the stats speak for themselves. I'm just gonna leave it there.
SIGNING OF THE SEASON: ALISSON BECKER
This was close. Face it, the Brazilian boys that were signed this season were nothing short of awesome and all worth their penny. Fabinho and Alisson. Fabinho took a while to adapt but he later became the essential to the shield of the backline. Whereas Alisson Becker wasted no time and got stuck in straightaway in the action. Either way, the 2 of them with Van Dijk made Liverpool essentially like Fort Knox. But Al held that fort for us in all 38 Premier League and all 12 Champions League Matches (not counting the final coming up) for an exact total of 50 appearances. He amassed 21 BPL clean sheets surpassing the record of clean sheets in a debut season held by Pepe Reina of 20. He also had 5 more in the Champions League for a grand total of 26. As a result, he was largely responsible for having us go a 20 game unbeaten streak at the start and the first goal only coming in after almost 10 games which was pretty insane. He currently is ranked 2nd of most BPL clean sheets held sharing the spot with Edwin Van Der Sar, only bested by Petr Cech of 24. Rightly deserved his Golden Glove.
MOMENT (OR TWO) OF THE SEASON:
- Alisson's huge save vs Napoli at the last minute.
Truth be told. That was critical because had he let the ball in, we would have been out of the Champions league and wouldn't even get past the group stages.
- Anfield Buzz in the Barcelona Win.
There's no doubt for many of us, the Barcelona Win was one of the greatest moments in this season. Just YouTube the videos for the various reactions and the Anfield Atmosphere. What more can I say? What would be better is the moment we lift the Champions League and Klopp's Maiden trophy.
Monday, May 13, 2019
Liverpool SEASON RATINGS: We should have at least one Victory Parade and BPL should still give us a trophy regardless of what happens!!
*ARTICLE STILL UPDATING:
Now rumour has it that Liverpool has already planned the route for the victory parades as we may have a potential double on our hands. Normally it'll be for the trophies.
But having seen this article,
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/plans-two-victory-parades-liverpool-16243902?fbclid=IwAR2TdS7lUty7EoPNBjnbpO2LSiUhCn0UI5073r0qKncZ-CQ-Jc4qaOZj-ws#ICID=FB-Liv-main
I really feel regardless of the way that we lose the league title or the champions league trophy or both, I honestly feel that we should have at least one victory parade. From the way we pushed the boys pretty crazily for the last 3 months, a massive back and forth tug of war with Man City, and us gonna tango with Tottenham in June for the final, that is something. We're pushing all our opponents to the absolute limit here.
Believe me when I say that. We didn't have it easy at all, no sirree, in fact we had it plenty difficult on the road, especially for Champions League. PSG, Napoli, Bayern Munich double leg, and even freaking Barcelona to win 4-3, these are ultra tough teams which we gone through including those in the group stages.
This definitely should be celebrated, amazing season even though I honestly freaking hate to go back empty-handed.
But to debrief really about the season, even we still have 2 games to go:
THE GOOD
- Fort Knox. Nuff' said. All we needed really was a goalie and Alisson alone completely fixed our backline despite Karius actually drastically improved in the latter part of last season. We can have anyone at the back 4 and still won't leak that many goals. For a large portion of the game, we didn't have Joe Gomez, but who stepped in and did a colossal job? Joel Matip who really is having his best season in a Liverpool shirt. He's a perfect partner for Van Dijk. And it's greatly helped with Alisson Becker. This alone fixed the problem our backline had been plagued with.
- The Art of Transfers: We don't really need as much of a coffer as Man City to do the job but when we needed to spend, we did just that. In fact we did an awesome deal by selling Coutinho who is frankly speaking doing far worse in Barcelona than here, and got Alisson, Fabinho and Van Dijk, not counting Keita as the deal was already done and we're just waiting for him to show up.
- Fortress Anfield: Win or Lose, we celebrate with the squad and push them on. And we've never lost on home soil for ages. It is our 12th man. And face it, Anfield's crowd is like a mega-sized community.
THE BAD AND UGLY
- I was actually pretty angry that we dropped quite a lot of points in the beginning of the year. This would have otherwise stretched our open lead so far that catching up would have been impossible and would have secured the title as early as March.
- Something I feel that needs to be addressed is the jeering of snakes. I was actually rather appalled when we lay the boos and smacktalk on Suarez and Coutinho.
- Man Utd proved a formidable opponent for us with Ole Gunnar. But we can all still get a few laughs at the fact that we caused Mourinho to be sacked and in the end made it worse for ourselves!
PLAYER SEASON REVIEWS (D being the worst, A* (A-Star) being the best)
GK: Alisson Becker - A+
Verdict: He goes nowhere. Too valuable to lose to a transfer or through injury.
Contributions: 26 Clean Sheets, Premier League Golden Glove
Signed for almost 70 Mill pound in the summer to reunite with Mo Salah and to play with Firmino on a much more regular basis, something had to give for that penny. But he put where his mouth is, for Big Al had an amazing debut season in goal. 21 clean sheets in the premier league for a debut season is nothing to sneeze at. Sure he is no means perfect but he stepped up when needed. Should be handed the number 1 jersey number. That business with Coutinho and Becker, with former rotting in Barca and the latter now doing nicely holding the fort for us, looks pretty freaking sweet and it didn't take him long at all to show his class. Compared to the actual record transfer Keeper Kepa, I could very well give a case to spend that much on Al over Kepa. Another Keeper like him should be brought him though because I can't trust Mignolet.
RB: Trent Alexander Arnold - A*
Verdict: Keep. Young but extremely mature. One of the 2 Assist Kings
Contributions: 15 Assists, 1 Goal.
Age 20, youngest player to reach 2 Champions League Grand Finals. PFA team of the year, World class. Assist King with a hat trick of them against Watford, even after missing a period through injury. That says a lot of his maturity for someone this young. He doesn't score a lot but he doesn't need to. When he does though, his strikes are glorious, pulling some magic out of the hat similarly to what Coutinho would do. In fact he is I feel like Coutinho, but with also a defensive mindset while being a winger at the same time. With time, he'll get even better. That assist with Origi that caught Barca napping was what sent us into the grand final. Nobody else would have had the vision to catch an unmarked Origi in time because that itself was critical. He and Andy Robertson have each recorded double digits of assists, the only time where 2 defenders have each double figures in assist from the same team.
CB: Dejan Lovren - B-
Verdict: Keep as a backup for Joel.
Contributions: 1 Goal
Initially Lovren worked well with Van Dijk or Gomez and was primarily the first choice partner with Virgil. But for a while, some of the goals conceded were due to his errors sometimes. However with Van Dijk sometimes not around and Gomez out through injury, at least Dejan tries and does decently. However, since the return of Joel Matip, Dejan has fallen out of the pecking order, with the former, Joel proving himself at least as good a partner if not better than Dejan or Gomez.
CB: Joel Matip - A*
Verdict: A must-keep, Amazing Bargain now. An unsung hero. A Fort Knox with Virgil and Alisson. End of story.
Contributions: 1 Goal
Who would knew that we actually have someone that is now several times better than Lovren and even Gomez in form of Joel Matip. To think that we bought him as a freebie a couple years back and was not as good. But look at him now. The Cameroonian having his best season by such a long shot is something unheard of and his statistics show that he's far superior than Gomez and Lovren: https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/comparing-joel-matips-2018-19-pl-stats-to-his-competition-at-liverpool/
Combined with Virgil, both were absolute tanks. It's like having a completely new Joel Matip 2.0. Although a world class center back would be better to partner Virgil, Matip as long as he's consistent, he'll be fine. And even without Virgil Van Dijk against Bayern Munich and in sometimes, he will pair well with whoever's he's playing with at Center Back. Moreover, even though he was only brought in for Gomez and Lovren, what this has done is stiffen the competition of center back slots since he has done this well. He's someone to keep an eye on, as he's proven himself worthy that getting a replacement center back is not a necessity right now although good to have.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk (2nd Vice Captain) - A+
Verdict: Must Keep. Use him whenever possible.
Contributions: 6 Goals and 4 Assists.
Didn't do well in Southampton, but a colossal tank in Liverpool. But Virgil can also be an offensive player in set pieces and it was nice to recently see him score on a more regular basis with 6 goals to his credit including one brace. 4 more assists then add up to a total of 10 Goal contributions, impressive for a center back. And for the last 400 days of using him, not one player has ever dribbled past Virgil, that says alot of his quality and reason why he deserved the player of the season award for 18-19. And also currently the Dutch Captain the 2nd Deputy / Vice-Captain of the Reds. But Virg doesn't really need the armband to be a captain, his presence is sometimes why he captains the squad over Milner and Henderson. He still doesn't get an A-Star from me haha as he's expected to do well which he did, but he's definitely a world class.
LB: Andy Robertson - A+
Verdict: Must Keep. The other of the 2 assist Kings and an absolute bargain of a World Class Left Back.
Contributions: 13 Assists.
Does what Andy Robbo does, provide both a defensive and attacking support for his fellow Reds. This season in particular is where he just amasses assists like nobody's business with fellow assist king Trent. No nonsense Scottish Captain, as he usually keeps things simple. His passing and times where he gave the ball away may leave much to be desired at times but otherwise an outstanding and indispensable Left Back and an unsung hero of of the squad.
CDM / CB / RB: Fabinho - A
Verdict: Must Keep as a first line of midfield defense and backup RB.
Contributions: 2 Assists, 1 Goal
He started the season slow but eventually got into the groove where he started to play very well. Defensively minded, he is the first line of defense and shield in front of the back 4. And when one of the backline is down with injury, Fabinho has been able to slot into the blank spot as a CB or a RB. As someone who only just joined us this season, it didn't really take too long to click. And barring his brazilian brother Al, Fab is definitely the outfield signing of this season.
CM / LB: James Milner (Vice Captain) - A-
Verdict: Keep as a backup for Robbo or any Central Midfielders. Play as long as he can till he retires.
Contributions: 6 Assists, 7 Goals.
He may be one of the oldest in the primary squad but he's still have some years because of his versatility and sheer endurance and fitness levels. He can play across in most midfield roles and step back to his Left Back role in a heartbeat when Robbo needs a break. He's one player that we should keep till he retires because he's that good in a pinch.
Naby Keita - B
CM: Jordan Henderson (Captain) - A
Verdict: Must Keep. Doubt that he's gonna leave anytime soon.
Contributions: 4 Assists, 1 Goal
I guess we can all agree, Jordan has got a bit of stick for not being the ideal captain in the opening stages of the season. One thing he has is his drive and passion to do the things required if not more. Actually he does have a knee injury which plagued him a lot during the first half. But it's during the 2nd half of the season we started to see him putting performances befitting of a captain, supporting attacks and controlling the midfield down the center. However he was able to even play through the full 90 during the comeback against Barcelona through the pain.
CM: Gini Wijnaldum - A-.
Verdict: Should keep him. Proven a Genie in Big games.
Contributions: 5 Goals
Gini can sometimes be a hit and miss affair. He can have some real bad games but when he does have good games, he performs very well. Despite his flaws of his slightly inconsistent impact and control, his presence has proven that Gini can be a devastating threat especially in big games which he seems to do best in for some dumb reason which is odd, considering he's a Central Midfielder. His impact against big teams like Man City, Tottenham and Roma and Barcelona is the reason why he is still here. His impact against Barcelona was the thing that enable us to remain in the hunt for a Champions League. There's gonna be talk for weeks not months to come for the Genie Gini coming out of the lamp for single handedly turning the semi final tie around.
RW: Xherdan Shaqiri - B
Contributions: 6 Goals, 5 Assists
Verdict: Keep him warm on the Bench.
Not exactly the bargain signing of the season, but at least he tries. He did punish Man Utd so freaking silly and performed well in the opening half of the season which is the reason he gets a lenient B or else his performances now would had gotten a C otherwise. At least he lead the line well against Barcelona while Salah and Firmino weren't around. He needs to step up to the plate and at least be allowed by Klopp to lead over Firmino or he's not going to improve.
AM / FW: Roberto Firmino - B+
Contributions: 16 Goals, 7 Assists.
Firmino was a bit of a less effective forward this year. But we can't deny his work rate that's up there with the rest of them. He just misses out on the A tier grade because the impact that he has caused wasn't as much as the last season. He does click well and forming the false 9 position for the midfield. Hoping for more goals the next season.
Sadio Mane - A+
Contributions: 26 Goals, 2 Assists.
This season was really his best season of his 3 years in the Red Shirt. Sadio is almost as level with Mo Salah in terms of goals even though he's more a winger than a forward. With Salah not firing sometimes, Sadio answered the calls and can still punish teams and can tee up with others on the field. He's near equal with Salah in terms of agility and he seems to have better ball control this season than Mo.
RW / FW Mo Salah - A
Contributions: 26 Goals, 10 Assists.
Not as good as the last season where he went all guns blazing and stirred the league pretty crazily, but he still brings the pain and breaks through defences very effectively. He still remains a deadly force when partnered with his strike team brothers. Still gets an A as he still is deadly enough to cause problems while also being adept in defence, often dropping back when it's time to shore up the backline and then break into a counterattack which is where his agility comes in handy. And his stats show that he contributed a healthy 36 goal Contributions of 26 Goals with 10 Assists.
Divock Origi - A*
Verdict: Keep, an ace up our sleeve.
Contributions: 6 Goals, 1 Assist
He may not be everyone's first choice. But has risen up to the occassion when it mattered so much to us. He has been so critical for many of our late game victories that as much as many of us hate him, we still need him. In a pinch, he can turn things around from out of nowhere. That brace with Barcelona? That alone deserves a renewal of his contract and an A-star review from me.
Daniel Sturridge - C-
Verdict: Sell, only just. We had been doing well without Sturridge.
Contributions: 4 Goals, 2 assists.
Because of how good our current frontline is, it's not surprise that little was Sturridge been used this season. Origi takes the mantle of Supersub now and we have enough firepower with everybody else. But he did score a few in those few matches he made an appearance in. He still doesn't really have a place in the squad, but only just barely, because who knows he can still pull some magics out of the bag.
MANAGER JURGEN KLOPP: A*
No one is perfect, but Jurgen Klopp with his fatherly figure and aggressively driven personality was what really pushed us. No other manager has guided us to 3 consecutive European Finals and no one else has brought us this close to many titles. It's just some sheer dumb luck that we lost some points lead but he still put his faith in his players. So much so even the new recruits that we had this year actually clicked with him quite well, especially Fabinho and Alisson. It's a far different spectrum compared to people like Mourinho. Still one of the best managers in world football and we all love what he has brought to the table this year, whether or not we win anything. And compared to other sides, Jurgen is an absolute master of grooming and getting the best and more of even the freebies and bargains like Robertson, Trent Alexander Arnold and especially Matip and we didn't really spend that much outside of Alisson and Van Dijk and Wijnaldum and Salah but that's Coutinho's sale hugely defraying the costs really which was actually an awesome move long term.
TRANSFERS I WOULD SELL THIS SEASON 19/20:
Then there's a question of who to sell and keep for some especially out of the pecking order.
Daniel Sturridge
Alberto Moreno
Adam Lallana
Simon Mignolet
SOME TO KEEP:
However those who are just coming back from Injury should be given a shot again and those who were out on loan.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Marko Grujic
Nathaniel Clyne (JUST)
All the young ones.
SEASON RATING: No Title or Champions League, still a failure.
As good as the rest of the season has been, trophy count is still ZERO. I am still not happy enough that we let the title slip thanks to the needless draws or points dropped and the loss at Manchester City Etihad. By now we have the tools we needed so by all rights we die die have to have a trophy. I don't think we'll ever have a shot at a title like this ever again unless FSG can splurge on 500 Mill on World class players. FSG will not have that budget but really that is the only way honestly that we can level the playing field with Manchester City.
We can only hope for Madrid I'm afraid.
Now rumour has it that Liverpool has already planned the route for the victory parades as we may have a potential double on our hands. Normally it'll be for the trophies.
But having seen this article,
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/plans-two-victory-parades-liverpool-16243902?fbclid=IwAR2TdS7lUty7EoPNBjnbpO2LSiUhCn0UI5073r0qKncZ-CQ-Jc4qaOZj-ws#ICID=FB-Liv-main
I really feel regardless of the way that we lose the league title or the champions league trophy or both, I honestly feel that we should have at least one victory parade. From the way we pushed the boys pretty crazily for the last 3 months, a massive back and forth tug of war with Man City, and us gonna tango with Tottenham in June for the final, that is something. We're pushing all our opponents to the absolute limit here.
Believe me when I say that. We didn't have it easy at all, no sirree, in fact we had it plenty difficult on the road, especially for Champions League. PSG, Napoli, Bayern Munich double leg, and even freaking Barcelona to win 4-3, these are ultra tough teams which we gone through including those in the group stages.
This definitely should be celebrated, amazing season even though I honestly freaking hate to go back empty-handed.
But to debrief really about the season, even we still have 2 games to go:
THE GOOD
- Fort Knox. Nuff' said. All we needed really was a goalie and Alisson alone completely fixed our backline despite Karius actually drastically improved in the latter part of last season. We can have anyone at the back 4 and still won't leak that many goals. For a large portion of the game, we didn't have Joe Gomez, but who stepped in and did a colossal job? Joel Matip who really is having his best season in a Liverpool shirt. He's a perfect partner for Van Dijk. And it's greatly helped with Alisson Becker. This alone fixed the problem our backline had been plagued with.
- The Art of Transfers: We don't really need as much of a coffer as Man City to do the job but when we needed to spend, we did just that. In fact we did an awesome deal by selling Coutinho who is frankly speaking doing far worse in Barcelona than here, and got Alisson, Fabinho and Van Dijk, not counting Keita as the deal was already done and we're just waiting for him to show up.
- Fortress Anfield: Win or Lose, we celebrate with the squad and push them on. And we've never lost on home soil for ages. It is our 12th man. And face it, Anfield's crowd is like a mega-sized community.
THE BAD AND UGLY
- I was actually pretty angry that we dropped quite a lot of points in the beginning of the year. This would have otherwise stretched our open lead so far that catching up would have been impossible and would have secured the title as early as March.
- Something I feel that needs to be addressed is the jeering of snakes. I was actually rather appalled when we lay the boos and smacktalk on Suarez and Coutinho.
- Man Utd proved a formidable opponent for us with Ole Gunnar. But we can all still get a few laughs at the fact that we caused Mourinho to be sacked and in the end made it worse for ourselves!
PLAYER SEASON REVIEWS (D being the worst, A* (A-Star) being the best)
GK: Alisson Becker - A+
Verdict: He goes nowhere. Too valuable to lose to a transfer or through injury.
Contributions: 26 Clean Sheets, Premier League Golden Glove
Signed for almost 70 Mill pound in the summer to reunite with Mo Salah and to play with Firmino on a much more regular basis, something had to give for that penny. But he put where his mouth is, for Big Al had an amazing debut season in goal. 21 clean sheets in the premier league for a debut season is nothing to sneeze at. Sure he is no means perfect but he stepped up when needed. Should be handed the number 1 jersey number. That business with Coutinho and Becker, with former rotting in Barca and the latter now doing nicely holding the fort for us, looks pretty freaking sweet and it didn't take him long at all to show his class. Compared to the actual record transfer Keeper Kepa, I could very well give a case to spend that much on Al over Kepa. Another Keeper like him should be brought him though because I can't trust Mignolet.
RB: Trent Alexander Arnold - A*
Verdict: Keep. Young but extremely mature. One of the 2 Assist Kings
Contributions: 15 Assists, 1 Goal.
Age 20, youngest player to reach 2 Champions League Grand Finals. PFA team of the year, World class. Assist King with a hat trick of them against Watford, even after missing a period through injury. That says a lot of his maturity for someone this young. He doesn't score a lot but he doesn't need to. When he does though, his strikes are glorious, pulling some magic out of the hat similarly to what Coutinho would do. In fact he is I feel like Coutinho, but with also a defensive mindset while being a winger at the same time. With time, he'll get even better. That assist with Origi that caught Barca napping was what sent us into the grand final. Nobody else would have had the vision to catch an unmarked Origi in time because that itself was critical. He and Andy Robertson have each recorded double digits of assists, the only time where 2 defenders have each double figures in assist from the same team.
CB: Dejan Lovren - B-
Verdict: Keep as a backup for Joel.
Contributions: 1 Goal
Initially Lovren worked well with Van Dijk or Gomez and was primarily the first choice partner with Virgil. But for a while, some of the goals conceded were due to his errors sometimes. However with Van Dijk sometimes not around and Gomez out through injury, at least Dejan tries and does decently. However, since the return of Joel Matip, Dejan has fallen out of the pecking order, with the former, Joel proving himself at least as good a partner if not better than Dejan or Gomez.
CB: Joel Matip - A*
Verdict: A must-keep, Amazing Bargain now. An unsung hero. A Fort Knox with Virgil and Alisson. End of story.
Contributions: 1 Goal
Who would knew that we actually have someone that is now several times better than Lovren and even Gomez in form of Joel Matip. To think that we bought him as a freebie a couple years back and was not as good. But look at him now. The Cameroonian having his best season by such a long shot is something unheard of and his statistics show that he's far superior than Gomez and Lovren: https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/comparing-joel-matips-2018-19-pl-stats-to-his-competition-at-liverpool/
Combined with Virgil, both were absolute tanks. It's like having a completely new Joel Matip 2.0. Although a world class center back would be better to partner Virgil, Matip as long as he's consistent, he'll be fine. And even without Virgil Van Dijk against Bayern Munich and in sometimes, he will pair well with whoever's he's playing with at Center Back. Moreover, even though he was only brought in for Gomez and Lovren, what this has done is stiffen the competition of center back slots since he has done this well. He's someone to keep an eye on, as he's proven himself worthy that getting a replacement center back is not a necessity right now although good to have.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk (2nd Vice Captain) - A+
Verdict: Must Keep. Use him whenever possible.
Contributions: 6 Goals and 4 Assists.
Didn't do well in Southampton, but a colossal tank in Liverpool. But Virgil can also be an offensive player in set pieces and it was nice to recently see him score on a more regular basis with 6 goals to his credit including one brace. 4 more assists then add up to a total of 10 Goal contributions, impressive for a center back. And for the last 400 days of using him, not one player has ever dribbled past Virgil, that says alot of his quality and reason why he deserved the player of the season award for 18-19. And also currently the Dutch Captain the 2nd Deputy / Vice-Captain of the Reds. But Virg doesn't really need the armband to be a captain, his presence is sometimes why he captains the squad over Milner and Henderson. He still doesn't get an A-Star from me haha as he's expected to do well which he did, but he's definitely a world class.
LB: Andy Robertson - A+
Verdict: Must Keep. The other of the 2 assist Kings and an absolute bargain of a World Class Left Back.
Contributions: 13 Assists.
Does what Andy Robbo does, provide both a defensive and attacking support for his fellow Reds. This season in particular is where he just amasses assists like nobody's business with fellow assist king Trent. No nonsense Scottish Captain, as he usually keeps things simple. His passing and times where he gave the ball away may leave much to be desired at times but otherwise an outstanding and indispensable Left Back and an unsung hero of of the squad.
CDM / CB / RB: Fabinho - A
Verdict: Must Keep as a first line of midfield defense and backup RB.
Contributions: 2 Assists, 1 Goal
He started the season slow but eventually got into the groove where he started to play very well. Defensively minded, he is the first line of defense and shield in front of the back 4. And when one of the backline is down with injury, Fabinho has been able to slot into the blank spot as a CB or a RB. As someone who only just joined us this season, it didn't really take too long to click. And barring his brazilian brother Al, Fab is definitely the outfield signing of this season.
CM / LB: James Milner (Vice Captain) - A-
Verdict: Keep as a backup for Robbo or any Central Midfielders. Play as long as he can till he retires.
Contributions: 6 Assists, 7 Goals.
He may be one of the oldest in the primary squad but he's still have some years because of his versatility and sheer endurance and fitness levels. He can play across in most midfield roles and step back to his Left Back role in a heartbeat when Robbo needs a break. He's one player that we should keep till he retires because he's that good in a pinch.
Naby Keita - B
CM: Jordan Henderson (Captain) - A
Verdict: Must Keep. Doubt that he's gonna leave anytime soon.
Contributions: 4 Assists, 1 Goal
I guess we can all agree, Jordan has got a bit of stick for not being the ideal captain in the opening stages of the season. One thing he has is his drive and passion to do the things required if not more. Actually he does have a knee injury which plagued him a lot during the first half. But it's during the 2nd half of the season we started to see him putting performances befitting of a captain, supporting attacks and controlling the midfield down the center. However he was able to even play through the full 90 during the comeback against Barcelona through the pain.
CM: Gini Wijnaldum - A-.
Verdict: Should keep him. Proven a Genie in Big games.
Contributions: 5 Goals
Gini can sometimes be a hit and miss affair. He can have some real bad games but when he does have good games, he performs very well. Despite his flaws of his slightly inconsistent impact and control, his presence has proven that Gini can be a devastating threat especially in big games which he seems to do best in for some dumb reason which is odd, considering he's a Central Midfielder. His impact against big teams like Man City, Tottenham and Roma and Barcelona is the reason why he is still here. His impact against Barcelona was the thing that enable us to remain in the hunt for a Champions League. There's gonna be talk for weeks not months to come for the Genie Gini coming out of the lamp for single handedly turning the semi final tie around.
RW: Xherdan Shaqiri - B
Contributions: 6 Goals, 5 Assists
Verdict: Keep him warm on the Bench.
Not exactly the bargain signing of the season, but at least he tries. He did punish Man Utd so freaking silly and performed well in the opening half of the season which is the reason he gets a lenient B or else his performances now would had gotten a C otherwise. At least he lead the line well against Barcelona while Salah and Firmino weren't around. He needs to step up to the plate and at least be allowed by Klopp to lead over Firmino or he's not going to improve.
AM / FW: Roberto Firmino - B+
Contributions: 16 Goals, 7 Assists.
Firmino was a bit of a less effective forward this year. But we can't deny his work rate that's up there with the rest of them. He just misses out on the A tier grade because the impact that he has caused wasn't as much as the last season. He does click well and forming the false 9 position for the midfield. Hoping for more goals the next season.
Sadio Mane - A+
Contributions: 26 Goals, 2 Assists.
This season was really his best season of his 3 years in the Red Shirt. Sadio is almost as level with Mo Salah in terms of goals even though he's more a winger than a forward. With Salah not firing sometimes, Sadio answered the calls and can still punish teams and can tee up with others on the field. He's near equal with Salah in terms of agility and he seems to have better ball control this season than Mo.
RW / FW Mo Salah - A
Contributions: 26 Goals, 10 Assists.
Not as good as the last season where he went all guns blazing and stirred the league pretty crazily, but he still brings the pain and breaks through defences very effectively. He still remains a deadly force when partnered with his strike team brothers. Still gets an A as he still is deadly enough to cause problems while also being adept in defence, often dropping back when it's time to shore up the backline and then break into a counterattack which is where his agility comes in handy. And his stats show that he contributed a healthy 36 goal Contributions of 26 Goals with 10 Assists.
Divock Origi - A*
Verdict: Keep, an ace up our sleeve.
Contributions: 6 Goals, 1 Assist
He may not be everyone's first choice. But has risen up to the occassion when it mattered so much to us. He has been so critical for many of our late game victories that as much as many of us hate him, we still need him. In a pinch, he can turn things around from out of nowhere. That brace with Barcelona? That alone deserves a renewal of his contract and an A-star review from me.
Daniel Sturridge - C-
Verdict: Sell, only just. We had been doing well without Sturridge.
Contributions: 4 Goals, 2 assists.
Because of how good our current frontline is, it's not surprise that little was Sturridge been used this season. Origi takes the mantle of Supersub now and we have enough firepower with everybody else. But he did score a few in those few matches he made an appearance in. He still doesn't really have a place in the squad, but only just barely, because who knows he can still pull some magics out of the bag.
MANAGER JURGEN KLOPP: A*
No one is perfect, but Jurgen Klopp with his fatherly figure and aggressively driven personality was what really pushed us. No other manager has guided us to 3 consecutive European Finals and no one else has brought us this close to many titles. It's just some sheer dumb luck that we lost some points lead but he still put his faith in his players. So much so even the new recruits that we had this year actually clicked with him quite well, especially Fabinho and Alisson. It's a far different spectrum compared to people like Mourinho. Still one of the best managers in world football and we all love what he has brought to the table this year, whether or not we win anything. And compared to other sides, Jurgen is an absolute master of grooming and getting the best and more of even the freebies and bargains like Robertson, Trent Alexander Arnold and especially Matip and we didn't really spend that much outside of Alisson and Van Dijk and Wijnaldum and Salah but that's Coutinho's sale hugely defraying the costs really which was actually an awesome move long term.
TRANSFERS I WOULD SELL THIS SEASON 19/20:
Then there's a question of who to sell and keep for some especially out of the pecking order.
Daniel Sturridge
Alberto Moreno
Adam Lallana
Simon Mignolet
SOME TO KEEP:
However those who are just coming back from Injury should be given a shot again and those who were out on loan.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Marko Grujic
Nathaniel Clyne (JUST)
All the young ones.
SEASON RATING: No Title or Champions League, still a failure.
As good as the rest of the season has been, trophy count is still ZERO. I am still not happy enough that we let the title slip thanks to the needless draws or points dropped and the loss at Manchester City Etihad. By now we have the tools we needed so by all rights we die die have to have a trophy. I don't think we'll ever have a shot at a title like this ever again unless FSG can splurge on 500 Mill on World class players. FSG will not have that budget but really that is the only way honestly that we can level the playing field with Manchester City.
We can only hope for Madrid I'm afraid.
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