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Liverpool Article 11 Dec 2023
Crystal Palace v Liverpool







Another poor performance. Another match with Liverpool starting off with an inverted full-back set-up, going behind and then changing the system and getting the win. It does make you wonder how long before Klopp sees sense and starts with a flat back four and changes to an inverted full-back system as the game goes on, if it is a workable tactic. The lack of width is killing the attack and allowing opponents to defend compactly and not get dragged out of position. If the width is used early, it pulls the opposition around and tires them out, making it easier to make chances late in games. It is particularly sensible against a team like Palace, who like to defend compactly and are quite happy to give up possession, plus Palace like to attack down the flank, so it also cuts off their out ball by playing conventional full-backs. It is not rocket science, there is no need to overcomplicate things all the time.



There were positives from the game though, the heart and desire that the players showed to keep going right until the end, as always, which is something Klopp has developed in his time in charge. It has kept Liverpool up there challenging for trophies season after season. It is too early to tell whether it will do so once again this season, but the early signs are promising. This is going to be a long, hard season, and a lot will depend on keeping players fit as the season goes on. The AFCON will throw a few spanners in the works soon as well.





Palace were their usual Hodgson style, defensively solid, hard working but bland. To be fair to Hodgson though, at the moment they are struggling to keep players fit, which really can affect a side like Palace with their lack of strength in depth. When a team starts with Clyne at left-back and Ward is their captain at right-back, then you know they are in trouble. To be fair to Ward, unlike Clyne, he has improved massively since arriving in the Premier League as a player utterly out of his depth and looking like a National League player at best. Now he has reached Championship level, but it is lucky Palace do not look to keep possession, as he has a tendency to lose it regularly. They are happy to give up the ball and sit in deep, keeping within the width of the penalty box and just hope to deal with any crosses put in, while all the while hoping to hit on the counter.



I know Hodgson is upset about the second yellow for Ayew, but they were deliberately pushing things, it could have been any one of about 8 players of theirs that ended up getting sent off the way they play. What is more astonishing to me is how few yellows they actually got, when they are constantly doing all the things that referees are instructed to dish out yellows for - the deliberate take down to stop breaks, the stopping of quick free kick, time wasting and so on. Instead of his moaning, Hodgson really should try teaching his team how to actually play some football and attack, rather than just look to spoil all the time.





I have to mention VAR. Not so much the decisions themselves, but the absolutely interminable amount of time it took to reach each decision. Compounded by the referee, when asked to go to the monitor, needing a ridiculous amount of time and replays to see a blatant foul for himself. I have absolutely no idea why he needed a lengthy discussion to understand what was clear on first viewing, especially as he is supposedly trained how to spot these things. It is not exactly exciting though, having these long stoppages constantly and there is always the possibility that players are getting too cooled down standing around waiting for these decisions and that could be contributing to the spate of hamstring injuries that are going around. While there is no proven link, it is certainly not healthy for it to be so stop start in a sport known for its long, flowing passages of play. If you want something stop start, there are always American borefests like baseball and American football to follow. Football is not meant to stop unless absolutely necessary.





Quick notes on the players:





Alisson - once more he comes up with a crucial save, one that very few goalkeepers could have made. He is just so good he makes the difficult look easy and the impossible possible.



Alexander-Arnold - his performances are so good these days that even his doubters are having to accept he is a top class player. He has already produced more assists in his career than Paul Scholes and is just two away from setting a Premier League record for the most ever by a defender - and he is just 25 years old! He does look good at the base of midfield as well, though it will be interesting to see how he gets on when put under real pressure.



Quansah - struggled a little, especially with his passing. Endo got blamed for losing the ball at one point when it was simply a bad pass from Quansah that put the Japanese in trouble. He does have everything required to become a top class defender and this match will have hopefully taught him a lot. One thing he still really needs to work on is positioning. He is far too keen to look to edge in front of a forward to intercept a ball, leaving the way open to goal if the right ball is played. Quansah needs to remember that the most important thing is to stop the opponent getting a run at goal.



van Dijk - once again played well. This season has been a return to the van Dijk before the injury. Forwards are already trying to avoid him when possible, which did not help Quansah to be fair to the youngster. It is not an easy role to partner him, as almost every attacker will look to work off the partner and avoid having to battle van Dijk when they can.



Tsimikas - he is settling back into the team nicely now, offering good width going forward and defending well. He dealt with Palace's physicality very well. The more he plays, the better he is getting.



Gravenberch - had a stinker. He lacks effort defensively and his passing is poor so is not much help offensively either. There is a lot he needs to learn, not least to get stuck in when the team loses the ball, rather than float around. Definitely offers more as a substitute at the moment.



Szoboszlai - he is always everywhere, breaking up play, getting on the ball and attempting to make things happen, but it was not really working for him against Palace. I am not sure I would blame him for that, it seemed more that the front three offered little in terms of movement for most of the game.



Endo - had a poor game, Palace targeted him, getting right on him and usually fouling him when he had the ball. While he has a right to be annoyed that the referee missed a number of fouls on him which caused him to lose possession, and it took him a ridiculous amount of time to see one of them on replays, Endo has to deal with the pressure better. As the half went on he did improve, but he has to learn to release the ball quickly early on in the Premier League. You can start to take an extra touch or so once the opposition has begun to tire and the press is not so intense.



Salah - other than his goal he had an average game, but the goal made up for it. Hopefully he will relax a bit more and stop trying too hard now he has goal number 200 (and 150 in the Prem).



Nunez - had a very poor game. He does still play an important role, like Salah, in just simply occupying defenders and keeping them focused on them, but he needs to do better in front of goal. It is not like he is incapable of scoring, it was not that long ago that he was scoring regularly for club and country.



Diaz - an improved performance over the last few games, but he is still not at his best. There were signs of him edging towards better form though.



Gomez - on for Endo at half-time. Came on at right-back and provided drive and attacking thrust down the flank, particularly in the latter stages. Had a really good half of football, even his delivery was good.



Gakpo - replaced Gravenberch on 57 minutes. Once more deployed in midfield and he did decent, certainly an improvement on his fellow Dutchman's performance. However, he still looks a little laboured in there, it is clear it is not a natural position for him and he needs to think about what he is doing, rather than just doing it instinctively.



Konate - came on as part of a double substitution with Gakpo in the 57th minute, replacing Quansah. Mostly solidified the defence but there are always those rash moments that create huge risk for the team. He needs to calm down a bit. And wear mittens so that he cannot grab anyone.



Jones - took the place of Nunez in the 74th minute. Along with Elliott, his arrival really changed the game, even though he was not as visibly effective as his teammate. He brings better control of the ball when playing well, and he also has desire and work ethic along with it these days. If only he could just stay fit!



Elliott - swapped in for Szoboszlai, also in the 74th minute. As is rapidly becoming normal now, Elliott comes off the bench and has a major positive effect on the game. Even if he had not scored such a nice goal, he would have been able to be pleased with his performance after coming on. His comments about feeling like a kid at Christmas every time he pulls on the Liverpool shirt show in his play. He really plays like it means everything to him. What a goal as well.



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Liverpool Article 09 Dec 2023
Sheffield United v Liverpool







After such an exciting game last time out, this one was very disappointing, mostly in terms of its lack of intensity from both teams. Not such a surprise from Liverpool, who had very little time to recover and reset after the 4-3 win over Fulham. What made it disappointing was the lack of genuine control over the game that Liverpool had, despite having 80% possession in the first half. Even with the ball almost solely in their possession, Liverpool never managed to shut down the game and control the play. Sheffield United were still in it until right until the end when Szoboszlai killed it off with the second goal. Overall I think this would be what would usually be called an efficient performance, the team played within itself and won without really moving out of second gear, but it still had its cost. The horrible challenge on Mac Allister, which cut open his knee, was somehow not even considered worthy of a yellow by the incomepetent Hooper, who has to be the worst of a very bad bunch of officials in the English leagues right now. Hamer, who I do think is a good player, does have a history of these nasty challenges designed to hurt opponents. Make no bones about it, that was what that was about - leaving one on Mac Allister early doors, knowing that a weak referee like Hooper would be too scared to punish him.



I do feel that Liverpool's tactical approach played directly into the Blades' hands. The lack of width, which is a major issue with the inverted full-back system, increased by using Gomez on the left when he is right-footed, just allowed them to stay compact and they were never really dragged out of position to open up any space centrally. Added to that, there was little danger of quality delivery from the flanks to give them much to defend there either. If the tactics are going to continue with this way of playing, flooding the centre like this, then there needs to be more danger from wide areas to create space there. Otherwise it is going to be tough going all season.





Following the harsh sacking of Heckingbottom before the game, Sheff Utd were a bit of an unknown quantity going into the game, even though Wilder had been in charge of them before. I still am a little confused by the treatment of Heckingbottom, even though I do think he is not a particularly good manager, his feat in getting them promoted deserved better. Especially as they sold his best players in the summer out from under him. I am not sure what the owner expected him to do in the circumstances. Certainly I do not see how Wilder can do anything other than making them harder to beat, because they are simply not very good and it is hard to see anything short of a miracle keeping them in the league. About their only chance will be if Everton's appeal ends in them being deducted a lot more points and Man City and Chelsea are also given massive point deductions this season too. Other than that, they are highly unlikely to survive the season.



What Wilder has done is made them more compact and more physical. They always had a tendency to kick opponents to try to level out their lack of quality, but Wilder has immediately made them snide and dirty on top of that. After almost every ball goes, they arrive late and leave something on a player, something which went completely unpunished, even when it happened millimetres away from the referee's nose. That will not be enough on his own to make them competitive, it will be up to Wilder to develop tactics to suit his players. Perhaps the return of his famous overlapping centre-backs is in prospect, or perhaps he has something new in mind? It will be interesting to see their development over the next few months. I have to say though, I really hope they get relegated because their fans are as moronic as fans come, chanting about scousers while Jack Robinson, a scouser, is producing an excellent performance for them. He even turned to them and pointed out he is scouser as well! Football fans really are imbeciles at times. Added to that the way their owner undermined Heckingbottom so that he could bring back Wilder was just plain wrong. They deserve nothing but contempt right now. It will be a blessing to have them and their fans out of this division again.





Quick notes on the players:





Kelleher - a much better performance by Kelleher, actually making saves rather than letting the ball go through him. It just shows how difficult it is for a player to just step in to a team and be expected to be at their best right away. It takes time to get the rust out of your system and become sharp. Like any skill, you improve it through repetition and your reactions quicken, enabling you to make saves that you miss when you are rusty.



Alexander-Arnold - bang on form right now. Not just attackng well, but also defending well too. Showing he is truly the best right-back around currently. And an excellent midfielder at the same time! This dual role is asking a lot of him though and it is putting a strain on the team to try to fill in all the gaps that are left. Also, I just wish someone would explain to me how it benefits the team, or him for that matter, to be receiving the ball in his own half (admittedly centrally) rather than 30 yards or so further up the pitch where he is when playing full-back. His balls from wide areas are just as capable of doing damage, more so if anything now Nunez is there to use his aerial ability, so how is it a gain for the team to play this ludicrous overcomplicated inverted full-back system that is so in vogue? If he is in midfield and there is someone wide to put quality balls in from wide areas, then that would be different. But right now all that is happening is that the team loses one of its main sources of goals - crosses from wide areas - as neither full-back is now getting forward down the flanks. Just because the other Pep, Guardiola that is, does it, it should not mean everyone else has to copy it, especially Liverpool's very own Pep. Surely a tactical 'genius' like Lijnders can come up with his own way of playing, rather than a poor copy of the City system?



Konate - he offers more solidity defensively, due to his greater awareness and pace over Matip but his tendency to grab is going to cost if he does not stop it. It is stupid to constantly keep making the same mistakes. You have to learn Ibou! The basics are all there to be a top class defender (especially as these days staying fit seems to be a thing of the past for players) but he seems incapable of just sticking to the basics and keeping his hands to himself. Though, judging by the manhandling Sheffield United were able to do in their own penalty box, not limited to just grabbing as rugby tackling is also apparently now not a penalty, maybe he is just ahead of the game?



van Dijk - in imperious form at the moment, though I do wish he would look to engage an attacker higher up the pitch rather than backing away into the penalty box! What a finish for his goal. Showed the supreme technical ability he has.



Gomez - while he can play left-back when required, it is clear he is not comfortable out there. The constant cutting back on to his right foot kills any attacking potential down his side. I have seen a lot of claims he had a mare due to one mistake and then a misunderstanding when Diaz started a run and then decided to stop running just as Gomez played the ball. Yes that pass looked stupid, but that was on Diaz not Gomez. Both the run and pass was on. Overall, he was decent enough, but it makes little sense to play him there while there are youngsters who need games who are comfortable there. If Sheffield United is not the time to give them a chance, then I do not know when is.



Mac Allister - he looked so much better further forward, while still able to get involved in defensive duties. It is such a shame he was taken out, his form had been steadily improving as the season went on and this injury was the last thing he needed.



Szoboszlai - an excellent performance once more by the Hungarian. He was once more everywhere. Whether he is scoring, assisting or not, he is always a key component of the team. What a signing he has been this season and his goal killed the game off. It is also a big plus that he can play so many roles, moving to the left to take Diaz's place after Nunez came on and he looks natural there as well.



Endo - another good performance. Endo provides more solidity and also aids the team going forward by constantly looking forward with his passing. I just do not understand why he has not played more, every time he plays he impresses. It is reminiscent of Minamino, makes me wonder if the Japanese politeness the two men have is something Klopp finds difficult to understand and deal with. Perhaps he feels that players who are that nice and polite are willing to just accept things and roll over? I am just guessing here, because it makes little sense to me that Endo has had so few opportunities. It would make sense as Klopp loves players like Mane, who could start an argument with their own shadow and Robertson, both of whom are very vocal and outgoing.



Salah - his form is not the best at the moment, added to the system forcing him out wide into positions where he is not as much of a goal threat as normal. He looks in need of a break, in terms of a lucky break of a shot going in off his backside or something. Nothing is quite falling right for him right now and he is snatching at things, I think that 200th goal is weighing heavy.



Gakpo - I really like Gakpo as a player. He is physically strong, technically adept, quick, intelligent and works hard for the team. But, and it is a big but, the team just seems to play better and offer more threat at the moment with Nunez in the central role. If Diaz's poor form continues, I would be tempted to try him off the left, where he did most of his best work in the Eredivisie. He looked better dropping into midfield after Elliott and Nunez came on.



Diaz - he is really struggling right now, no doubt emotionally and physically drained after the ordeal his family went through. If it was not for the injury to Jota, I would have thought it would do him good to have a few days off with his family to recover from it all. It is clearly affecting him and he is not looking anything like the player he can be. Hopefully he will find his form quickly.



Jones - replaced the injured Mac Allister in the 59th minute. He is not at his best right now, the sending off has really disrupted his season and then he managed to get injured again. I hope he can find a way to sort out these injury problems before they ruin his career, you simply cannot miss so many games for a big club and hope to hold down a place in the long term.



Nunez - took Diaz's place in the 66th minute, though Szoboszlai moved to the left rather than him. He immediately made a difference. His intensity changed the game. His workrate lifted everyone and woke up the home crowd. And what a tackle! I am shocked to see there are people who are questioning it. The game is already too soft, but now people are against good, clean tackles like that, rather than celebrating that a player has just shown desire for his team. Personally, I want to see more of that in the game. I love to see a good tackle, it is as exciting as a goal or goal-line clearance when a good tackle goes in and wins the ball cleanly. That is why you so often hear a crowd respond when a tackle is made.



Elliott - replaced Salah at the same time as Nunez came on. His impact when coming on as a sub has been excellent recently, and it was once again in this game. He offered more than Salah did on the right, though his time on the pitch was not as much. In part that is down to Salah, who is out of form, but in large part it is down to Elliott, whose energy and drive, along with Nunez's, gave the team a boost just when it was needed.



Gravenberch - only came on for the dying minutes as he replaced Gakpo in the 86th minute. Never really had time to do much.



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Liverpool Article 05 Dec 2023
Liverpool v Fulham







I feel like I should start off by apologising to my neighbours for the noise during this game. It was just an insane game. How do you even review a game like that? It made no sense. One thing it did show up is just how much of a miss Alisson is going to be while out injured. Also how much less exciting the game would have been with him in goal, as he would have saved all three goals and it would have been a stroll! Instead it was a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions, despite Liverpool not actually playing that well. They should have had more than enough to win comfortably over this Fulham side anyway, but the gaps due to the system that is being used gave Fulham chances that they took. Against teams that use the wide areas less, it works well, as soon as you come up against a team like Fulham, who focus on the flanks anyway, it becomes a liability defensively. But I am fed up of pointing out its deficiencies and we all also know how it aids Liverpool in maintaining possession by putting an extra body in midfield, so it is time to talk about something else.



Though, before I do that, I feel I have to point out how much better the team looked in the final minutes going forward when Endo and Trent played in midfield and Gomez stayed out wide. It just provides so much better balance and attacking threat. What has to be talked about is the quality of those four goals Liverpool scored. Yes, Liverpool should not need to score four goals just to squeak a win, but it was so exciting and what goals! I mean if you are going to need to score four, you would struggle to ask for four better ones in one game. Such a shame it looks like the first one is going to go down as an own goal, which seems harsh to say the least. The team looked so much better going forward, the biggest issue being the three forwards could not have finished a fish supper last night. That made it much more difficult than it needed to be.





Fair play to Fulham, they came in and gave it a go, rather than just sitting back and looking to keep the score down in the hope of snatching something. They did struggle to get the ball, but when they did they were positive and always looked to drive forward and attack. It will be interesting to see how that result affects them. It could be the catalyst to boost their confidence and help them move up the table or losing in that way can hit their morale hard and be the beginning of a run of poor form. Marco Silva has a job on his hands making sure the players see the positives from the defeat and feel energised from pushing Liverpool so hard and coming so close to a victory. One thing is for sure, they look to have more than enough to be safe this season.





Quick notes on the players:





Kelleher - this is the problem with having Kelleher on the bench. It is adversely affecting his career because he simply is not getting enough games to keep him from getting rusty and lacks the experience to deal with being on the sidelines for such long periods. Yes, he had a disaster, all three goals would have been saved by Alisson, but it is difficult for him to be at his best. He needs more regular football to get going. I am sure he will improve but he will still be finding his feet when Alisson returns. Then he will be back to barely playing. This is the issue for back up keepers, they are on a hiding to nothing because each error is so costly and they are going to make errors as they are not playing enough to be at their best.



Alexander-Arnold - another excellent performance from Alexander-Arnold, particularly when given the chance to play as a midfielder (at last). After years of conjecture about whether he would eventually end up playing in midfield, this might actually be the time for him to prove whether it is for him. The half-way house of the inverted full-back role has shown that he has the ability on the ball to play there, but it has not left him able to showcase whether he is capable off the ball of being in midfield. He is far too busy having to get back across to the right-back position to actually show an understanding of a midfield role. This game finally gave him a decent amount of time to play in there and he looked very good. Even better when Endo came on to give him a proper partner in the centre, rather than Gomez just drifting in. And, to top it off, he scores a late winner of such quality from that position to enhance his claim. I would certainly be interested to see more of him in there.



Matip - while he was very good in the main in this game, it did showcase his two huge weaknesses. Firstly, his lack of awareness was once again on show as he had no idea what was going on and just raced out to close down at a setpiece, leaving 2 or 3 players free deep in the box. Matip had no need to rush out, there were other players charging down the ball, but he did not notice that and, even worse, had no idea that there were players right next to him that he should have been looking to mark. It is hopelessly bad schoolboy stuff, something that he does in every game. He never looks around and gets caught out time and time again. Secondly, he once again gets injured. The only thing you can rely on with Matip is to get injured if he plays a run of games. It is telling that this was just his 150th appearance despite being Klopp's favoured choice at centre-back since he arrived in 2016. That is 3 seasons' worth of games that he has managed in his 7 years at Liverpool. It is a shame as he is very good on the ball and, if just given one man to worry about, he is very good at shutting them down.



van Dijk - he is still ticking along at his imperious best, once more he was the rock in that defence. Added to that, his passing was mostly good and caused Fulham no end of problems with the long passes out from the back. That ability made it impossible for Fulham to press. There is no point when it just opens gaps for a long, raking pass to Salah.



Tsimikas - he is improving with every game, no longer is he playing safe and just passing back or sideways the moment he gets it. At times he is even driving forward and attempted to take on his opponent. Tsimikas is starting to once more look like the player that originally joined, the one that seemed capable of actually pushing Andy Robertson for his place in the team. He is not there yet but he is improving with every game.



Mac Allister - he is much better defensively now, but still getting forward when possible, as evidenced by that beautiful goal he scored. Also showed a good turn of speed to chase Iwobi down the flank, giving a lie to all who have said he is too slow to play the role. I still think he would be much better with a proper midfield partner next to him, but Mac Allister is beginning to look like he can do this role after all. Admittedly it was only Fulham, who are not the strongest team LFC have faced, but each performance like that will only improve his confidence ready for the more difficult teams to come.



Szoboszlai - plays with so much more maturity and responsibility than most players of his age. He covers almost every blade of grass and drags the opposition all over the pitch trying to keep him quiet, allowing the others to do the damage when he is not able to. Despite not getting on the scoresheet, he was one of the better players on the pitch.



Gravenberch - I have to admit he worries me. A couple of times he pulled out of challenges, though he did get stuck in afterwards, it is a worry for me that he did not immediately go out to put a foot in and show he would not be bullied. I do love the way he drifts past players with ease, but his passing is poor. Yes the stats will not show it, because the passes are often hitting the target, but far too often it is the back of the legs of the target, when they need it played in front of them. Or they have to check back or stop their run to pick up the ball that should have gone into their path. Cruyff said that a good pass is not one that reaches its target, but one that reaches the correct foot of the receiver with the right weight to enable them to use it immediately. Gravenberch rarely, if ever, plays a pass like that. He is also very suspect positionally. All are things that can be worked on for the future, but it does explain why he is so much better when coming on as a substitute with more time and space against tired legs. I was very surprised he was not the first player to be brought off to be honest.



Salah - not his best game. He seemed to be trying too hard at times not to think about his 200th goal and passed when he should have shot. Other times he was snatching at things. But he is still always a threat and his passing and playmaking is visibly improving.



Nunez - Klopp has to keep picking him because he causes so many problems for the opposition and does so much work for the team that he is very much a positive in the team, but I do wish he could just sort out his finishing. I am sure it will come, he is just so busy trying to place it in the corners that it comes with the risk of missing at the pace he moves. But when he does start hitting the target more regularly, putting them into the corners will make most unsaveable, so I would not want to ask him to change. The most impressive thing about Nunez is his work for the team and his attitude. Yes he can be fiery, but when he loses the ball or makes a mistake, there is never any hands thrown in the air or complaining, standing around expecting others to rectify it. No, the minute he makes a loose touch or pass he is chasing after the ball trying to put it right. When others are caught forward, he is always there chasing back to provide cover as well.



Diaz - he was trying too hard and had a poor game. He kept trying to do too much on the ball and lost it. His finishing was worse than Nunez's and Salah's as well. It feels like he just needs to settle back down and stop overdoing it. I wonder if having his dad there at the games is actually putting pressure on him to show his dad just what he can do?



Gakpo - replaced Szoboszlai in the 64th minute. Played in the midfield at first, then moved out to the right wing when there was a reshuffle which moved Salah central and saw Liverpool go to what was basically a 4-2-4 after Endo came on. He did some good things, always looks strong and controlled on the ball, but struggled to make any meaningful impact. The game was so end to end and messy that it really did not give him much chance to get involved in midfield.



Gomez - also came on in the 64th minute but in place of Mac Allister, to allow Alexander-Arnold to move into midfield. Gomez is having a really good season and it is such a shame that he has been so in and out of the side, but it is understandable that he is unable to displace Alexander-Arnold.



Konate - was brought on in the 69th minute when Matip once again picked up an injury. His greater pace allows him to cover across in the full-back area much better than Matip, but he is just not as good on the ball, so it is a swings and roundabouts issue. What you lose in one area, you gain in another. For me, his big problem is a tendency to grab and pull needlessly. He needs to learn to keep his hands to himself.



Endo - he took the place of Gravenberch and the team switched to a flat back four and looked so much better for it. And his goal! The composure to come on and do that so late on is not expected from a defensive midfielder. Hard to tell whether his arrival changed the game, if it was the switch to a back with two proper central midfielders, or if Fulham just dropped in to try and hold their lead, but the game did change when he came on. I would think it is probably a combination of the three, but his play makes such a difference in midfield. Mac Allister is much better than he was, but he is still nowhere near as competent as Endo is at shutting the opposition down and at providing forward momentum the moment he gets the ball.



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Liverpool Article 28 Nov 2023
Manchester City v Liverpool







A typical early Saturday kick-off - lacking in intensity and atmosphere, though to be fair the lack of atmosphere is something that is usually levelled at the Etihad anyway, so probably not the fault of an early kick-off. It was not aided by the way both managers approach these matches, with far too much respect for each other. They mostly set their teams out to nullify the other, with their priority being not to lose first and foremost. Understandable to a degree, but it would be nice to see a bit more risk taking and excitement. One thing that is clear, after facing each others' teams so often over the years, both Klopp and Guardiola have become very good at nullifying each other. In fact far better than they are at exploiting their opponent's weaknesses.



From the Liverpool perspective, or any other team for that matter, going to the Etihad and holding them to a draw has to be seen as a good result. However, it was frustrating to see how rarely Liverpool really went for it and pressed Citeh high. Especially as the times they did press high Citeh invariably lost the ball. What makes it even more frustrating is that Klopp and his backroom staff initially developed the 'gegenpressing' system specifically to deal with teams that play the way City do, so why has he stopped using it against them? When a team fully commits to a full high pressing game against them, Pep Guardiola's teams have always been prone to conceding goals, yet so few even try to do it. They take so many chances in possession that, even as good as they are, mistakes will be made and they tend to be in very dangerous areas. They try to bait you in, but they do it by taking big risks and that can often backfire on them. Unfortunately most teams go there, cede possession, drop deep and let City play around them easily and just look to keep the score down rather than try and take the game to them.



The worry was the way the team chose to play it about the back, with little real ambition to get it forward quickly. Van Dijk got one long diagonal out to Salah wrong and then never tried it again, despite it being on all the time. Instead the defence constantly messed about with it deep, which led to Alisson's mistakes on the ball, as he was under pressure and tried to stick with that plan of continuing to play it out. I am also concerned by the lack of movement in the team when it gets the ball, they were far too static with little in the way of the pass and move that Liverpool's success has always been built on. If you are going to try and play a short passing game, which seems to be the way LFC are going for the long term, you have to have movement to pick out with the pass, to move the opposition around and to create space. Without that, you are simply asking to be closed down and put under pressure.





This season's City team are not looking anywhere near their best again, but they are still the team to beat in the Premier League. In fact, I have to say there is not one team in the Prem this season that stands out as firing on all cylinders. There are flashes from a lot of teams, moments of good play, the odd good game, but mostly teams seem to be stumbling to results. It is a very odd season this one so far. Teams seem to be much more reliant on the individual quality of players to get a goal when it matters, rather than outplaying their opponents on a consistent basis. City were a bit like that last season as well, but when you have Haaland up front you can usually rely on him to score enough to win most games.



City's attacking plan against Liverpool was very clear, use the wingers to get in behind. Mostly Doku on their left looking to exploit the space left when Alexander-Arnold drifted inside in his inverted full-back role. They did look at Foden against Tsimikas early, but Foden was found wanting and easily dealt with as he wanted to cut inside into traffic. It was mostly left to Doku to carry the threat for the team, but he was very well dealt with, despite his blistering pace. Alexander-Arnold simply made sure to keep him on his outside and gave him space to ensure he could not just push it past and cut inside. That left Doku able to 'dribble past' for the stats, but unable to actually effectively beat the full-back, instead he was just being held up until he was facing two or three players. What surprised me is that Guardiola never looked to try something else, he just continued with it even though it was not working. That is a big reason for the game fizzling out as an attacking showpiece.





Quick notes on the players:





Alisson - that could possibly have been his worst game in a Liverpool shirt and yet he still came up with some good saves. It just shows the level of performance he has reached that this game will be seen as so bad. If it was almost any other keeper in the Prem we would hear about the saves a lot more, but Alisson makes those kind of saves look so routine that nobody even notices.



Alexander-Arnold - even putting aside the goal, which was very nice, that he scored, Alexander-Arnold had a very good game. Almost every attack was aimed at him, yet he constantly did his defensive job and dealt with the pressure he was under very well. It was nice to see him showing that he can defend one-on-one as well, despite so many claiming he is hopeless at it.



Matip - overall a very good game from Matip, covering when needed and dealing with most threats. However, his lack of awareness at City's goal is still a worry. He never noticed Haaland was right next to him, in fact he never even took a look around him at all, which is unforgivable for any player in any position. He did make up for it, but it is something that he really does need to work on, it is not asking much for him to glance around him regularly rather than getting caught ball watching constantly.



van Dijk - it seems like teams are once again trying to avoid attacking where he is, certainly City looked to avoid him when possible. Understandable when is in this kind of form.



Tsimikas - improving game by game and looking very much a part of the team, rather than a weak link now. Handled Foden very well, shutting him mostly out of the game.



Mac Allister - his best game so far for Liverpool. A difficult game but he managed to get fully involved both offensively and defensively. It is hard to tell whether he is getting the hang of the position now or if the game just played into his hands, as City rarely attacked down the centre.



Szoboszlai - while he was not as visibly good as he was in the early weeks, he was still all over the pitch and provided a lot of protection to the defence. He seems to be playing a bit more responsibly, which is limiting his attacking threat but helping make the team more solid. He was dropping in and covering when Mac Allister got forward. In fact the midfield three almost played like a flat three with Alexander-Arnold dropping in behind when he inverted.



Jones - looked rusty and played like a player who has been missing for a while. To be fair to him, this is not the game to try and find your feet as you get so little time and so little of the ball.



Salah - could possibly have done more to help Alexander-Arnold defensively, but then him holding further forward stops them being able to commit more bodies forward, so it is a double-edged sword. Looks a step slower than usual and is no longer able to just attack full-backs the same way in this role. He is getting them more isolated than he used to, but now tends to end up having to stop and then often just knocks it against the defender in front of him. Salah is so much better when he is receiving the ball on the burst and that needs to be looked at to make sure that when a pass comes in to him it is when he is making a run.



Nunez - I am tempted to give him man of the match simply for his ability to make Guardiola blow his top at the end of the game. It seems Guardiola is happy to give out stick and celebrate in Tsimikas's face when his team scores but is not so happy when the boot is on the other foot. That is even though Nunez just asked him the same question he asked Tsimikas, without jumping into his face with his arms wide and screaming it at him. On the pitch he is always a menace and his pace frightens defenders into dropping off, which gave Liverpool a little more space to play in when they did get the ball - once they got it out of the defensive third that is.



Jota - this is not the game for Jota, he struggled to get involved as he is always reacting rather than anticipating. He just does not have the football intelligence to understand where he should be going until too late and so often ends up just running about like a headless chicken. Against a team like City, who are mercilessly drilled to play their passes by instinct, you are always going to struggle if you are not able to understand what they are trying to do and move to anticipate it.



Diaz - came on in the 54th minute for the ineffective Jota. He was not much more effective than Jota, but he did worry their defence more, though that could have been just as much about him having fresh legs as his ability.



Gravenberch - another unsurprising substitution as the Dutchman replaced Jones, who was struggling badly, also in the 54th minute. Provided a burst of energy and pace in the middle going forward, something that had been missing until his arrival. Always seems to affect the game positively as a substitute with his ability to carry the ball forward at pace and pick a pass at the end of it.



Gakpo - replaced Szoboszlai in the 73rd minute. Came on at the right time as the Hungarian was just showing signs of flagging. It was surprising that Elliott's arrival did not see him moved forward into the attack though. Instead Salah moved inside and Elliott went wide right, while he continued to play in midfield.



Elliott - brought on in place of Nunez in the 85th minute. It was more about shoring up the team to hold onto the point than anything else. Though he did attempt to have an impact.



Endo - took the spot of Mac Allister in front of the defence in the 85th minute. Showed the pragmatism that Guardiola always likes from his midfield when he picked up a yellow card for taking out a runner. It is the kind of thing that you hate when an opponent does to your team but you appreciate when one of yours does it.



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Liverpool Article 14 Nov 2023
Liverpool v Brentford







That was so much better! Against a team that regularly plays with high intensity, Liverpool not just matched them for it, they bettered them. And, make no mistake about it, Liverpool completely bettered Brentford in every aspect of that game. Once Liverpool opened the scoring, that game was very comfortable as Brentford never really looked like creating anything against a Liverpool defence that was fired up. Van Dijk is approaching his best once more and Matip, after a poor performance mid-week, got the bit between his teeth after a horrible decision by the referee to give a foul against him for, well I am not sure actually what it was given for. It was clear the Brentford player just smashed into him and the foul was the other way round, if there was any foul there, and then to compound it, Matip's incredulous reaction got him booked. All that did was fire up the amiable defender to play at his best level.



It was not just the defending that was good, and the goalkeeping (as always), but the general play was much better. The press was there to put them under pressure and the passing was much crisper, especially when put under pressure by Brentford's attempt to press mistakes at the back. There were risks taken, but they paid off and it put Brentford's players out of position to open up spaces to attack them. It was only really after Liverpool were three up and dropping off into cruise mode that Brentford were able to get at Liverpool. Up until that third goal went in, they were completely outmatched. That was the kind of performance Klopp's teams used to produce almost every week and it must be hoped that it will be the blueprint moving forward.





For all Thomas Frank's fingerwagging every time he disagreed with a decision, his team were completely outmatched and he did not seem to have any answer to that. It does get tedious watching Frank on the sidelines whining about every physical challenge on his players when his team are among the worst teams in the Premier League for skating on the edge of legality. They are the ones you know will be pulling, pushing, arriving late with challenges and anything else which will give them an edge over an opponent, regardless of whether it is within or without of the rules. Instead of moaning about the referee, who if anything favoured them as Tierney is wont to do with anyone who is playing against Liverpool, Frank should be thanking his lucky stars that a clear penalty was not given against his team for holding. Though this weekend has proven that holding and wrestling in the penalty box is only going to result in a penalty if you are Manchester City.



Brentford's problem is that they rely heavily on pace and Mbuemo cutting in from the right to attack defences. Against Liverpool that is playing into their hands and it left the Bees seeming a bit toothless. It does feel a bit like teams have worked out Brentford's approach now and that if they match them for fight, then they stand a good chance of beating them quite easily. Lacking the quality of Toney up front and any real creativity in the side, even their so-called creative midfielder is very poor at actually creating anything other than having a long throw, Brentford are a very average side. If their physicality is matched, then they have little left to offer against Premier League sides.





Quick notes on the players:





Alisson - his problem is that he makes even great saves look so easy that he does not get the recognition he deserves. Head and shoulders above the rest of the goalkeepers around right now and he was once again there when called upon. His ability with the ball at his feet is also excellent, even if it does make me at times catch my breath as an opponent chases him down.



Alexander-Arnold - I am still not convinced by the role he is playing as a normal way to play it, but there are games when it works and this was one of them. He has such great ability on the ball that getting him on it as much as possible is definitely a good thing.



Matip - after his performance in midweek, I have to admit that seeing his name on the teamsheet up against the pace of Brentford had me extremely worried. He was excellent, especially after the ridiculous booking when he was clearly the one fouled. Even his reaction after the decision went against him was performance art.



van Dijk - he is back to prime Virgil right now. I am not sure anything more need be said! He is looking almost unbeatable once more.



Tsimikas - much improved game from the Greek Scouser, even getting assists too. It does seem like his confidence is starting to come back, there were a couple of occasions he drove forward and attacked instead of just passing back or sideways. Hopefully his confidence continues to grow and we can see the lad that refused to give up the ball even when on the floor and surrounded by 3 opponents.



Endo - I am surprised at some of the reactions to his performance. I am not sure what people wanted from him, because to me he seemed to do his job well. Far from perfect, but he was good. It is was a good platform to build from and a much better level of performance than that which Mac Allister has been giving. Not that I blame Mac Allister for that, as he is simply not the right fit for the role. Endo was combative, took the fight to them and always looked to try and make a progressive pass when possible. The Brentford midfield knew they had been in a game after that, he made it a very hard day for them to get anything going and that is what he was there to do. As for the VAR red card check, I have no idea why it took so long. In my opinion it was definitely not a red, you could see he won the ball then pulled his knees up to try and avoid contact. But, more to the point, the referee was right on the spot and looking at it and also felt the same way, and it is only meant to be clear and obvious errors, so why did it take so long? It should have needed only a quick replay or two at most to realise that it was not a clear and obvious error so go with the on field official, unless the official had been looking the other way or on the other side of the pitch. When he is right there looking at it, then all they are doing is undermining his authority by spending so much time checking it over and over. Anyway, back to Endo's performance, and yes I know the stats are not good, he did not win many duels, but all he needed to do most of the time was hold up the attack to give time for the defence to recover their positions - particularly with the inverted full-back needing to get across the field. That is what he did, that is more important than stat padding. Sometimes it is not what your individual stats show that matter, it is what you do to help the team keep the most important stats in the team's favour - the goals scored and conceded.



Gakpo - decent game in midfield for the Dutchman. I think it helped a lot that he had Endo there behind him, as that extra defensive quality that the Japanese midfielder possesses over Mac Allister gave Gakpo a bit more freedom. Like Gravenberch in that position, he always wants to be going forward and that can leave Liverpool exposed when the move breaks down. This time out he was well covered for and so was able to just play his game.



Szoboszlai - his problem is that he has set the bar so high this season that it is going to be near impossible for him to reach that level consistently. He had a good game, but it was not quite at that bar.



Jota - I can only imagine the frustration he must cause to play alongside, because one minute he is tripping over his own feet, the next the ball is bouncing off him to an opponent and then he performs a piece of brilliance to put the ball in the back of the net. My opinion is that Jota's football brain is not the quickest, because he is often just a step off, particularly defensively at set pieces but also on the press. That is probably the cause of his inconsistency. If he ever figures out how to get more consistency in his game, then he will be as certain a starter as Salah. But, so long as he keeps scoring (and that stat about Liverpool not losing when he scores stays intact) then he will deserve his place.



Salah - even when not at his brilliant best he comes away with two goals. That is despite mostly playing wider this season than usual. You really cannot argue with a record like his, it stands comparison with the best the Premier League has ever seen.



Nunez - he makes such a huge difference to the team as he gives the opposition defence no rest. Two goals chalked off (rightly) for offside was bad luck for him but Nunez never lets it faze him and just keeps going and usually ends up having a hand in a Salah goal at some point.



Elliott - came on in place of Gakpo, in the 83rd minute. Always such a willing runner and worker, also looks to get out wide and create something whenever the opportunity arises. Hopefully he will learn to play as well when he starts matches in time.



Diaz - came on in the 83rd minute to take Jota's place. He was probably the last thing the Brentford defence wanted to see come on late in the game as their legs were tiring. It does feel like he is trying a bit too hard right now, maybe just a bit too fired up, but who can blame him?



Quansah - perhaps a surprise choice to replace Alexander-Arnold in the 90th minute. It was a bit like the old days, when the young centre-backs would come in at full-back to get minutes in the first team. He certainly has the ability on the ball to play the position, especially the inverted role where he can slot in so easily if the ball is lost.



McConnell - brought on for his Premier League debut in the 90th+4 minute in place of Szboszlai. Ran around a bit but struggled to get involved in the short time he was on the pitch. I have to say I would have liked to see him make a bit more effort defensively, as he was only on the pitch for a few minutes there was nothing to stop him sprinting back to help out when the ball was lost. Instead he did the standard loping run back while the Brentford attack left him in their wake. That would be a disappointment for me. If he is starting it is understandable, but when you come on for your debut as a sub in the last few minutes you should really be busting a gut to prove yourself. It is moments like that which can cement yourself in the mind of coaches and fans, even if they are actually meaningless in the dying seconds of a game that is already won. Yes, I am being harsh, but this is no ordinary team he is fighting to get a place in and you have to do the extraordinary if you want to make it.



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Liverpool Article 06 Nov 2023
Luton Town v Liverpool







A really poor performance which was made even worse by the tactical approach. Against a team which stays compact and defends in numbers, you have to utilise the space out wide to try and draw them out of their positions. Liverpool play with almost no width with this inverted full-back set up, which was then added to by playing Gomez on the left instead of Tsimikas. It just meant that the central areas were congested and it looked like one of those abysmal Man Utd performances in recent years when the approach seemed to be to hope that one of the better players creates something out of nothing. There was little quick passing and movement around the edge of the box, instead it was left to players to try and crash through a packed defence or hit and hope from distance. The quality of players in the team meant that there were still a number of very good chances created, but it was still a poor performance and would have been so even if the team had managed to pull a win out of the bag.





Luton worked extremely hard, held their shape well and defended well but barely created anything of note other than their goal. They had to ride their luck at times, not least when Salah somehow ended up putting the ball on a plate for Nunez rather than in the back of the net, only for Nunez to then miss. While Luton can take a lot of credit for their battling qualities, they will need to improve the other aspects of their game if they are to have any hopes of survival.





Quick notes on the players:





Alisson - had almost nothing to do at all until about 60 minutes in and then just the goal to deal with other than a couple of corners he punched clear. When a keeper has so little to do all match and his team still does not win, then something is wrong.



Alexander-Arnold - early on he provided a great delivery from wide which saw Nunez hit the bar, but the more we needed width, the more central he played. No idea why the coaching staff were not instructing him to get out wide and deliver the ball. Instead he ended up being totally nullified and offered little to the play.



Konate - made one good forward run early on, where he drove from his own box right up to the edge of the Luton box, but the rest of the game was fairly simple as Luton were not offering much threat. When they did he and Van Dijk were able to shut it down quickly in the main.



van Dijk - due to our lack of width, he was rarely able to use his long pass out to the flank to create an attack, something which could have been very useful in this game. Could well have had a penalty when he was brought down in the box, but those kind of fouls never seem to be given, so not really a surprise no penalty was awarded.



Gomez - got forward well down the left, but as soon as he received the ball he cut inside or turned back, leaving absolutely nothing on the left as Jota constantly drifted inside.



Mac Allister - had a terrible game once more. He looked so sluggish, on the break for the goal he was left trailing when he should have been able to get back and help out. It is a worry that he was caught out in the first place, as he should have been reading the play and dropping in the role he is meant to be performing. With a one-match ban to serve following his fifth yellow card of the season in this game, it will be interesting to see how Klopp and Lijnders deal with it and whether they finally accept this experiment is failing miserably.



Gravenberch - showed some good flashes of ability running with the ball, but lacked the final touch or ball that was needed. Just needed to do a bit more.



Szoboszlai - very quiet game and really struggled to have an effect on it.



Jota - the best I can say about him is his performance made sure the team missed Diaz all the more. When width was required he was constantly central and offered little. He did work hard, but it was a poor performance which lacked any thought about what was needed. In fact he was barely involved in the first half until late on when he had a shot saved and was sparked into life for a bit, but reverted to type in the second. Unusually for Jota he did not pop up with a goal either to make up for having a bad day.



Salah - had a poor game, his touch was loose and his finishing was worse.



Nunez - I really do not understand how a player can be so brilliant one second and then a second later so terrible or the other way around. He could have racked up the goals in this game, instead he came away with nothing.



Gakpo - brought on in the 66th minute for Jota. Failed to offer much more than Jota, even making the same mistake of playing central rather than getting out wide and using the space.



Elliott - came on in place of Szoboszlai, also in the 66th minute. At least he offered width from the moment he took the field and it made a difference as Liverpool looked a lot more dangerous with him attacking from the flank.



Tsimikas - was the third man to come on in the 66th minute, as he replaced Gomez on the left. Gave a bit of width on the left but failed to deliver anything of quality in open play at all.



Diaz - came on in the 83rd minute to take Gravenberch's place. Probably the only player to have any credit from that match. Great header from an Elliott cross to equalise late on and he was a real threat and also provided genuine threat from the left to stretch Luton a bit defensively along with Elliott. It is no coincidence that the goal was created and scored by the pair of them.



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Liverpool Article 03 Nov 2023
Partnerships 2: Alan Hansen & Mark Lawrenson





When you look back at the Hansen-Lawrenson partnership it is easy to assume that they played together for most of the six and a half years that the pair played in the same Liverpool team. They are just such a perfect duo together in defence that I think most of us forget that most of his Liverpool career saw Lawrenson playing in a number of other roles for large portions of his time on Merseyside.



It could all have been so different for a number of reasons. Firstly Hansen very nearly quit football altogether at the age of 15, when he gave up the sport in order to concentrate on golf with the intention of becoming a professional in that instead. His brother John (who was a professional footballer himself) and dad convinced him to go back to football but he still rejected a first professional contract offered to him by Hibernian as it would have put a stop to his golf dreams.



Lawrenson nearly never ended up at Liverpool, after missing his first choice to join when Brighton & Hove Albion outbid them to get him from Preston North End for £112,000 and Graham Cross going the other way in part-exchange. Though that move nearly fell through as he had been away in Spain on a 'jolly' with some teammates only for BHA chairman Mike Bamber and director Dudley Sizen to turn up and tell him he was sold in a Benidorm beachside bar. He then failed his medical due to high blood sugar levels but it was traced back to drinking too many blackcurrant-flavoured Guinesses on the holiday. He was 20 at the time and PNE's player of the year under then manager Bobby Charlton. He would later play under Bobby's brother with the Republic of Ireland.



It was also never certain he would even make it in football, certainly it was not the vocation his mother had in mind for him as she wanted him to become a priest. But he joined Preston as a youngster but even then, at least according to former teammate at PNE, BHA, Liverpool and Republic of Ireland, Michael Robinson:



"Yeah, we were also at Preston, Brighton, and Liverpool at the same time and we both represented the Republic of Ireland during the same time too. When we were both playing in the youth leagues in Blackpool, Mark played for our main rivals called Bispham Juniors. You would think that any player of Mark's stature would have excelled in these youth leagues and stood out by a mile. However, that wasn't the case for Mark, as he struggled to even get a game for Bispham, simply because he was not good enough. His break into football also came about in a slightly bizarre way too. His stepfather was one of the directors at Preston at the time I was playing for them. Mark would come and help out in the training sessions, get out the cones, collect the bibs and then would get to join in at the match at the end. To be honest he wasn't that good. I remember we travelled away to Aston Villa for a reserve team game. Nobby Stiles was the player-manager at the time and he got injured just before the game. On the bus the only other player available was Mark, so he was put on the bench. And what happened? Ten minutes into the game our full-back comes off injured and is replaced by young Mark Lawrenson. The manager tucked him in to start with in order to protect him, but he ends up having an absolute blinder of a game! He then played a few more games for the reserves and was rewarded with a contract at Preston and later was sold to Brighton and eventually Liverpool where he won the European Cup."



According to Lawrenson it was the late, great, Nobby Stiles who turned him into a top player: "I was a winger when I joined Preston, while he was coach, and he was the one who converted me to my present position - in the middle of the back four. Nobby was very good with the youngsters. He was almost like a father figure. He commanded respect not only because of what he'd achieved himself but because of the way he'd help iron out your faults."



Meanwhile Hansen had become ensconced as a first team regular with Partick Thistle, even taking on the mantle of the club's regular penalty taker. On 5th May 1977 Bob Paisley, following a recommendation from Jock Stein, swooped in to sign Hansen for £110,000, where he changed from being known as 'Stretch' to being 'Jocky'. It took him until the 1978/79 season before he solidified a first team place in a team which conceded just 4 goals at home all season and won the league.



It was a few years later when Lawrenson finally made the move to the Reds to join Hansen in the summer of 1981 for a fee of around £900,000, a club record transfer fee. Again though it was a deal that almost never took place. Brighton had hit financial difficulties and so had to sell their star man, despite manager Alan Mullery wishing to keep him. There was interest in him from Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool: "I didn't want to sell Mark but was told the club needed the money to pay an overdraft. I'd had four or five first division clubs on the phone most Fridays wanting to know if he was available and when I was told about our money situation I phoned Ron Atkinson and sold him to Manchester United. The only trouble was Mike [Bamber, Brighton's chairman] sold him to Liverpool which is where he eventually went."



Lawrenson's tale of the move is more colourful: "I don't know if there was a financial crisis and they were looking for a big transfer fee from my sale to sort themselves out, but the uncertainty did unsettle me. On our return flight, there was a message that Terry Neill of Arsenal was waiting to meet the chairman at Gatwick. Somehow they missed each other and the next day there was talk of me going to Manchester United.....Arsenal offered me less money than I was on at Brighton but said they had the bust of Herbert Chapman and underfloor heating in the dressing room. Big Ron at United was trying to sign Frank Stapleton first. I was really close to going there...But while I waited I met Bob Paisley and Peter Robinson at Liverpool and it was done in ten minutes....I was nervous as a kitten. I had on my best suit, shirt and tie, my best bib and tucker. I went down to reception and the doorman spotted me and said 'Mr Paisley is waiting for you in his car outside'. When I got in the car I saw that Bob was wearing slippers and a cardigan. I couldn't believe it. That was my first meeting with Bob Paisley and I knew I'd come to the right place. They'd just won the European Cup and there was this fellow, who everyone in football thought was an absolute god, driving me to the ground in his slippers and cardigan! I thought, 'You'll do for me!'."



"We nearly bought him from Preston in 1977, but it was playing at the heart of the Brighton defence against Kenny Dalglish in March 1980 that he really caught my eye. Kenny is notoriously difficult to tackle. He is so clever and deceptive and uses his body to shield the ball from opposing defenders. And yet here was a 22-year-old, fresh out of the Second Division, winning the ball from him with sharp, clean challenges." - Bob Paisley.



Lawrenson continued: "I travelled north and had a medical at 11:30 at night. I even took the registration forms to the league offices myself, because they were only a few doors down from my mother's home at St Annes. It was midnight on a summer's night in 1981. There was no game, but it was the night I signed for Liverpool and I went out on the pitch just to soak up the surroundings. It was incredible, every player's dream come true. That was what changed my career, a turning point in my life and I will never forget it. Then, on my first day of training, there was a fight, between Alan Kennedy and Graeme Souness. I thought: 'What kind of club is this?'"



You would think that the Hansen-Lawrenson partnership would have been immediately put in place after such a large fee, for the time, but Hansen was playing so well alongside Phil Thompson that Lawrenson initially played at left-back in place of Alan Kennedy. When he finally did play at centre-back, it was to replace Hansen when the Scot had got injured. When Hansen returned to fitness, Lawrenson even played in midfield. In fact it was not until 28th December 1982 that they were paired up in defence.



With Thompson out injured for the second half of the season, Paisley finally put Hansen alongside Lawrenson in central defence. It was Paisley's final season in charge and that summer of 1983 he handed over to Joe Fagan, who decided to stick with Hansen next to Lawrenson as his first choice central defence. Though he also prepared for the future by signing Gary Gillespie as a long-term central defensive replacement.



Liverpool became synonymous with Hansen-Lawrenson at the back, as they cleaned up winning almost every trophy available, but it was over, pretty much completely, in the run-in at the tail end of the 1985-86 season. Lawrenson had picked up an injury and Gillespie stepped in so effectively that, on his return to fitness Lawrenson could not get into the side until the FA Cup final. That morning Gillespie woke up with a stomach bug and Lawrenson took his place for the final, though the pair struggled initially to get their partnership together. The following season Gillespie was back in situ and Lawrenson was used as full-back cover, playing both left and right-back during the season until in March 1987 he ruptured his Achilles tendon, ruling him out for 6 months.



Lawrenson did not get back into the team again until September, when an injury to Craig Johnston saw Kenny Dalglish move Steve Nicol to right midfield and Lawrenson slotted in at right-back. But it was only a short-term fix as Ray Houghton arrived the following month and Lawrenson was then in and out at left-back. But Lawrenson was struggling: "None of the other Liverpool players in the Liverpool side had any idea how badly I was struggling. They were playing so well and winning that their performances masked my weaknesses. When I got back into the team, I found I couldn't turn and run like I used to be able to do. I was just getting by on my positional play and my experience. I found I was a yard slower than everyone else and I couldn't get away with it against top class teams."



Worse was to come for Lawrenson as he played his third game in a week in January 1988 and thought he had been taken out: "I was certain that I'd been brought down, even though I couldn't see anybody near enough to have done it. I remember standing up to test my right foot and felt as though I was standing on a ramp. On reflection, I should have known I hadn't been fouled. There wasn't even a murmur from the crowd." In the 51st minute on the 16th January 1988 Lawrenson booted the ball into the stands to allow him to be substituted off with a recurrence of the Achilles injury. He would never play for Liverpool again and within weeks had hung up his boots and taken charge of Oxford United.



For all that we look back and remember them as the pairing at the heart of Liverpool's defensive solidity as they hoovered up trophies in the 1980s, they only actually played together between the end of December 1982 and the tail end of the 1985-86 season. Just about 2 and a half seasons was all they had in reality. I think it is telling that we remember them as the rock at the back together because they were that good it feels like it should have been the duo that brought so much success.



To read the previous entry in the Partnerships series on Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister click here.



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