Daniel Sturridge is back, Sakho is golden, and more…
We defeated West Ham 2-0 at Anfield on Saturday, and two days on from the vital win, we’ve analysed the performance…
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Two youngsters set for loan moves out of Liverpool today
Simon Mignolet is no longer a liability, it seems…
The Belgian kept his 4th clean-sheet in his past six matches, and he looks visibly more confident and more aggressive on the field. Brendan Rodgers took a gamble this transfer window by not replacing the previously massively out of form Mignolet, but thankfully, the 27-year-old is paying his manager’s faith back.
Brendan Rodgers sees Jordon Ibe as a genuine first-team option…
Since the pacy winger was recalled from his loan spell at Championship flyers Derby, Jordon Ibe has come off the bench twice in the Premier League, and looked especially dangerous during his nine minute cameo on Saturday. Right now, he’s ahead of Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli in the pecking order, which outlines not only his immense talent – but also the fact that his speed and attributes fit our style better than those of the two mentioned forwards.
Daniel Sturridge is back, but he won’t be starting matches immediately…
To the delights of Liverpool fans everywhere, Sturridge made a long-awaited goalscoring return on Saturday afternoon. We’ve missed him terribly since he last played in August, but Rodgers reckons it’ll be a fortnight or so until he’s leading the line from the offset of matches.
“He’s still a bit of time off starting. You saw in the period when he came on, he was still getting used to the surroundings again in the 25 minutes or so he had on the pitch, so it’s just about bedding him back in,” he told the official website.
“But to know that he’s there over the next two to three weeks, when it will be about regaining his football fitness and until he’s ready to start, he’s going to be a great asset for us off the bench.”
Coutinho’s relationship with the returning forward could fire us into the top 4…
Coutinho was magical against the Hammers, and his two assists were brilliantly precise, slicing open Sam Allardyce’s usually solid defence. With the Brazilian in a free, creative no.10 role, he’ll be able to feed fit again Daniel Sturridge through on goal at will. Coutinho sent Sturridge in for our second, and if the pair, along with Sterling, can find form together – we’ll create scoring opportunities for fun.
‘Mamadou Sakho is awkward on the ball.’ is the biggest myth in football…
Liverpool fans already know this, but it’s about time the rest of the football world see the Frenchman as as much of a ball-playing centre-back as he is a powerful, old-fashioned defender. While his physicality is a huge asset, Sakho’s ability to consistently find teammates with both sideways and forwards passes is (and was at the weekend) outstanding. Sakho simply ISN’T nervous in possession. He’s very good with the ball at his feet in fact, and is rightly one of the first names on the team-sheet right now.
