Transfer Round Up #1

Rounding up transfers and determining their likelihood is a simple task of judging the frequency and source of the rumour, along with a little instinct. As a matter of fact any football fan who follows rumours will, more often than not, be able to distinguish between the rumours that have some truth to it and those that don't.

I hope to round up the transfer rumours that have been surrounding our club of late and determine their probability.

1. Xabi Alonso:


We'd all love to see the Spaniard back, but how likely is it? Well, judging by the sources and the frequency of the rumours, it looks like there is hope yet. Since he left, he's made it very clear that he still holds a soft spot for the club where he won a Champions League medal. Many Reds fans consider his transfer to Real Madrid to have been the reason for our decline since the 08/09 season where we finished 2nd. A return would be magnificent for us, and I'm sure all Reds fans are hoping the transfer takes place, but given our constrained transfer budget and the fact that Real Madrid are desperate to cling on to the playmaker; the plausibility of the rumours would be a 7 on 10.

Latest Source: Caughtoffside

2. Mobido Diakite:


While he may be a relevant target of ours, it is yet to be seen where Diakite's heart lies. The Lazio man is much wanted and has already attracted the likes of Fiorentina, AC Milan, Tottenham and Manchester City. If we were to get him, it would be a real coup. We are desperately in need of a reliable replacement for Jamie Carragher and he could just be the man we need. The chances of this transfer taking place would be 5 on 10.

Latest Source: TalkSport

3. Iker Casillas:


Believe it or not, the Spanish international is actually linked with Liverpool. Considering his "world-class" status and the fact that we're not going to qualify for the Champions League next year, Casillas' transfer is simply out of the question. Obviously I hope I'm proven wrong, but as it stands I'd give it a rating of 1 on 10.

Source: Caughtoffside

4. Christian Eriksen:


He is one of the most sought after midfielders in the world at the moment, and rightly so. Given the Ajax midfielder's unquestionable talent it's no surprise that he's got the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Man Utd all scampering after him. If rumours are to be trusted, Liverpool have been keeping a very close eye on the Ajax man, and though there seems to be stiff competition to land the midfielder, we seem to have marched ahead. Should any deal go through, it would take a real chunk out of our budget; but it would be well worth it in my opinion. Thus, the probability of this transfer really depends on the interest Rodgers has of bringing in the Dane. But, one can only dream of a midfield with the likes of Gerrard, Eriksen and Coutinho. Surely it's too good to be true? The possibility of the transfer in my opinion would be 6 on 10.

Latest Source: Sports Mole

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

It's been the story of yet another season. Just when we seem to be on the verge of making progress, following a string of decent results it looks like we are descending into a downward spiral. 



The general hope among fans seemed raised after our victories over the past three games. The Tottenham game in particular, seemed to raise hopes and aspirations when we saw ourselves come back from a goal deficit to win 3-2 when it was seemingly impossible. We were harshly dragged down to Earth when we were outclassed and outperformed by a Southampton team that has been under performing this season. 

Having said that, this was probably one of our worst performances of the season if not the worst. And we haven't performed this badly on too many occasions. The last time I remember our play being this bad was probably against Arsenal at the start of the season. There was bound to be a blip in performance somewhere along the line and here it is. The question that remains is how are we going to bounce back from it?

Reds fans across the world are in eager anticipation to see how we finish the season. With the arrival of Coutinho and Sturridge in the winter transfer window, things were looking bright. We had an attack consisting of a world class striker in Suarez, an in form striker in Daniel Sturridge, and a magical Brazilian in Philippe Coutinho who started of brilliantly. And lets not forget Stewart Downing, who seems to have thrived on the criticism meted out to him by Rodgers at the start of the season. Why is it that when we finally had the team that the majority of the Reds fans wanted to see, we lost? 
Here's the answer; 

1)This was our formation:

2)This is our current formation:


In the first formation (1), we cannot maximize Suarez' potential and threat. Where as in the second one (2) we can. Because he is best at picking up loose balls and anticipating second balls. By doing so, he is immediately able to look forward to his strike buddy and send him through. With the pace of Sturridge and the world class set of skills that Luis Suarez possesses this seems far more dangerous. But, this leaves a two man midfield consisting of Lucas and Gerrard. We all know that Gerrard loves to surge forward. This leaves Lucas struggling to get a foothold in midfield. While we are playing well and dominating possession this shouldn't be an issue. However, if we do not have possession as was the case with Southampton, we may be in for a tough day on the field. 

So, in my opinion our best solution would be to drop Downing or play the attacking quadrant in a rotation policy and play an extra midfielder instead. Rumours of a Xabi return are rife. His return could possibly be the missing key to our team's success. 

Agree with the article or disagree? You can always share your views in the comments below.

First Brick in the Fortress?

After a disappointing loss to West Brom to start the season at the hands of former first team coach Steve Clarke, the Reds will now look to take on the defending Premier League champions.

Rodgers announced his attentions of making Anfield an impenetrable fortress when he arrived. Having already acquired Borini, Allen, Assaidi and finalizing a loan deal for Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin, Rodgers seems to have declared that he intends business. We'll look to see how Liverpool fare on Sunday 16:00 GMT.

Both managers seem to be taking a cautious and respectful approach towards their opposition with Rodgers labeling City as the ''benchmark'' team and Mancini insisting that Liverpool can challenge for the title this season. With regard to transfers, City have been surprisingly quite. Though linked with Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, and Daniel Agger they have only acquired former Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell and offloaded Adam Johnson to Sunderland for a rumored fee of £10m.

Liverpool fans will be licking their lips following the signing of Nuri Sahin on a season-long loan, but will be unsure of whether he will have a part to play on Sunday. One player who will certainly be worrying City fans is Luis Suarez. He seems to have started off the season from where he left off last season, tantalizing West Brom's defence from the start to the very end of the game with only the finish lacking. Suarez and Gerrard having been rested for the mid-week clash against Hearts will have had ample time to prepare for the clash against last year's champions and are expected to be at the heart of Liverpool's attack.

Meanwhile Aguero, who won the Premier League for City against QPR will miss the clash along with Gareth Barry who are both out through injury. Micah Richards, though back from injury may not be up to scratch just yet.

Given Liverpool's record against big teams and City's recent success, a slightly pessimistic approach from Reds fans is definitely warranted. I for one, expect Liverpool to start with a similar line-up to that last weekend against West Brom:

--------------------------------------Reina

Kelly----------------Carragher-----------------Skrtel--------------Johnson

------------------------------------Lucas

-------------------------Allen-----------------Gerrard

Downing------------------------------------------------------------Suarez

------------------------------------Borini

Although the line-up may remain unchanged, expect a more counter-offensive approach to the game. Enrique and Cole are expected to miss the game through injury with Assaidi and Sterling expected to play some part in the game.

Prediction: 1-1.

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Kenny Dalglish' and David Moyes' Post-Match Reactions

Kenny Dalglish' and David Moyes' Reactions

Kenny Dalglish' Post-Match Reaction:


Inquired about his thoughts regarding the sending-off of Jack Rodwell, he said:

"It was pretty even 11 against 11. I have not seen the incident, so I don't know whether he deserved red or not.

"After they went down to 10, we were very professional, composed and thorough in what we were trying to do.

He added: "Sometimes it is difficult to play against 10. It was difficult because you know what you're going to get from Everton and they put in a great effort to try and keep it at 0-0, or even win it themselves.

"It was never going to be easy for us, but I think the way we went about our work was a great credit to the players."

"You're always hoping you're going to make a chance, whether you take it or not is another thing. Although they (Everton) will be unhappy with the result, I think they will be happy with the effort their players put in for them.

"We were delighted with our players and the way they went about their work. It's hypothetical whether we would have won or lost (with 11 versus 11) because we'll never know."

When a reporter suggested whether the derby goal would give Andy Carroll a lot of confidence, Dalglish said: "It won't do Luis any harm either!

"What was also pleasing was the reaction of Dirk Kuyt after missing the penalty - it didn't seem to affect him, which is the sign of a strong character.

"Those three incidents are very positive returns for each of the three individuals.

"Big Andy was unlucky a couple of times earlier with headers, but he stroked it away nicely."

He added, "We said when we signed both of them (Carroll and Suarez) it was a great bit of business for the club and we don't see any reason to change that opinion. I don't think there's any need for us to have a weekly bulletin about how they've played either.

"We're delighted with them. Andy has worked really, really hard in training and he is getting his reward on the pitch."

Dalglish also had words for the returning captain, who got another 23 minutes on the field,

" It's another step forward for Steven coming on in the derby and getting a few more minutes under his belt. I think Steven aired his views yesterday and I don't think there is anything I need to add with regards to that.

"With regards to any reaction after the game, there was none whatsoever other than happiness about the result."

Yet another solid performance from Martin Kelly,saw an interviewer quiz Dalglish on whether the England u21 international could make the next step,  " Fabio (Capello) has got to pick a team and he'll pick whoever he wants to pick," said the gaffer. 

"We're delighted with Martin and where his performances for us take him, I don't know."

David Moyes Post-Match Reaction:

"I thought it ruined the game," said Moyes of the red card.

"There are a lot of questions that people ask about derbies, tackles and sendings-off but that wasn't down to a bad tackle.

"I would have been disappointed if it had been a free-kick and if he had given a yellow card you would have said 'what is that for?'.

"It would have been hard playing Liverpool 11 v 11 - it was a really tough game for us and it became tougher."

Moyes has history with Atkinson as he was fined £8,000 by the Football Association 12 months ago for confronting the official at the end of their 3-3 draw with Manchester United at Goodison Park.

"We've not had this referee since myself and Steve Round were fined one year ago against Manchester United," said the Scot.

"It was interesting that the PGMO (Premier Game Match Officials Ltd) sent him into both clubs this week to do the referee's appraisal prior to this game.

"It needs people who watch and play the game and understand it and write about it to see it (Atkinson's decision) because it is easy for me to say it.

"Too often people talk about the players not doing it right but it wasn't the players.

"I don't think anyone in this world thought it was [a sending off] but it is one of these things that we just have to take that it was wrong and move on. I don't know if we can appeal the red card."

Moyes admitted, however, that other factors contributed to their defeat.

"The team did everything but at the end of the day it wasn't the referee that lost us the game, we made a couple of defensive lapses," he added.