Liam Togher – The Empire of The Kop https://www.empireofthekop.com Blog about Liverpool F.C. (LFC) and the Kop from true supporters for supporters worldwide. Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:25:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9 95610221 (Video) Trent and Szoboszlai were casually pinging Louvre-worthy passes to each other on Sunday https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/trent-szoboszlai-passing-liverpool-warmup/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/trent-szoboszlai-passing-liverpool-warmup/#respond Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:13:52 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245740 Liverpool fans sat in the lower tier of the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand on the Kop side of the halfway line had a perfect view of some masterful pre-match entertainment on Sunday. During the Reds’ warm-up ahead of the Fulham game, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai indulged in a back-and-forth of pinpoint passing, casually turning […]

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Liverpool fans sat in the lower tier of the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand on the Kop side of the halfway line had a perfect view of some masterful pre-match entertainment on Sunday.

During the Reds’ warm-up ahead of the Fulham game, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai indulged in a back-and-forth of pinpoint passing, casually turning their heads as they received the ball.

What made it remarkable is that the pair were almost 50 yards away from each other, but they stroked the ball around with an almost insultingly consummate ease, and their faced suggested that they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

If you see this clip and think it looks simple, do keep in mind that these are two master craftsmen at work, with few players in world football capable of so routinely executing such Louvre-worthy passes to one another.

You can view the passing exchange between Trent and Szoboszlai below, via @jgfootballedits1 on TikTok:

@jgfootballedits1 Trent and szobo having fun 😅😍 #trentalexanderarnold #szoboszlai #liverpool #comebacks #skills ♬ original sound – .dybala.szn

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(Video) Nunez and Diaz moves in Anfield tunnel will have Liverpool fans cracking up laughing https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/nunez-diaz-dance-anfield-tunnel/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/nunez-diaz-dance-anfield-tunnel/#respond Tue, 05 Dec 2023 09:41:26 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245738 Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz appeared to be in very good spirits as they arrived at Anfield prior to Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday. The Merseyside club’s social media team have posted the latest episode of Inside Anfield with behind-the-scenes clips from the L4 venue, and one piece of footage showed the Reds […]

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Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz appeared to be in very good spirits as they arrived at Anfield prior to Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday.

The Merseyside club’s social media team have posted the latest episode of Inside Anfield with behind-the-scenes clips from the L4 venue, and one piece of footage showed the Reds squad making their way to the home dressing room upon arriving at the stadium.

As the South American duo strolled through the tunnel, they briefly stopped and broke into a humorous dance in unison, tapping their feet rhythmically and duly bursting into laughter before disappearing from view through the dressing room door.

It’s a clip which’ll have Liverpool fans cracking up laughing themselves, and it’s fantastic to see Diaz looking so free-spirited once again following the ordeal of his parents’ kidnapping in Colombia a few weeks ago.

You can view the two Reds dancing below (from 1:22), via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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(Video) Steve Nicol fears £255k-p/w Liverpool duo could hinder a potential title challenge https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/nicol-criticism-trent-tsimikas-liverpool/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/nicol-criticism-trent-tsimikas-liverpool/#respond Tue, 05 Dec 2023 09:16:43 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245736 Steve Nicol has criticised two Liverpool players who he feels could hold the Reds back in terms of a potential Premier League title challenge. As of Tuesday morning, the Reds are second in the table and only two points behind Arsenal, although Jurgen Klopp’s side just about preserved their 100% Anfield record this season after […]

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Steve Nicol has criticised two Liverpool players who he feels could hold the Reds back in terms of a potential Premier League title challenge.

As of Tuesday morning, the Reds are second in the table and only two points behind Arsenal, although Jurgen Klopp’s side just about preserved their 100% Anfield record this season after a quickfire late comeback to triumph 4-3 over Fulham on Sunday.

Speaking on ESPN FC, the former Reds right-back was asked if he’d go along with Craig Burley’s assessment that LFC’s defence would cost them in trying to compete with the Gunners and Manchester City for the title.

Nicol replied: “I do agree because right now, [Trent] Alexander-Arnold and [Kostas] Tsimikas are not good defenders. If you’ve got half of your back four who are not good defenders, it shouldn’t really be a surprise that you’re giving up chances and goals.”

Admittedly the Fulham match wasn’t the finest hour-and-a-half for Liverpool’s back four, but it’s not as if the Reds are in the midst of a defensive crisis. Prior to Sunday they’d shipped just two goals over their previous five league games, while only Arsenal have conceded fewer in the top flight so far this term.

The £75,000-per-week Tsimikas has set up almost as many Premier League goals (three) as his team have conceded (five) since he came in for the injured Andy Robertson in October, as per Transfermarkt.

Meanwhile, Trent – whose defensive qualities have been subjected to much scrutiny in the past – has more than made up for any such lapses with his huge impact at the other end of the pitch over the last couple of weeks.

Liverpool have conceded 12 goals in as many league games with the £180,000-per-week England international in the team. Kyle Walker – who’s been Man City’s go-to right-back for much of the season so far – has been part of a defence which has shipped 16 goals in 14 top-flight matches (Transfermarkt).

There is scope for the Reds’ full-backs to improve defensively, but it’s harsh from Nicol to declare that the two current starters in those positions are ‘not good defenders’.

You can view Nicol’s comments below (from 1:40), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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Liverpool player gives insight into Mo Salah’s mentality with post-Fulham revelation https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/elliott-salah-frustrated-liverpool-fulham/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/elliott-salah-frustrated-liverpool-fulham/#respond Tue, 05 Dec 2023 07:33:03 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245723 Harvey Elliott shared an insight into the elite mentality of Mo Salah with a comment he made following Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday. Despite the Reds beating Bernd Leno four times, their top scorer this season wasn’t among the scorers, with Marco Silva’s team just the second opponents in 2023/24 to prevent him […]

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Harvey Elliott shared an insight into the elite mentality of Mo Salah with a comment he made following Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday.

Despite the Reds beating Bernd Leno four times, their top scorer this season wasn’t among the scorers, with Marco Silva’s team just the second opponents in 2023/24 to prevent him from netting at Anfield.

The Egyptian’s younger teammate was subsequently speaking on the Kelly and Wrighty Show, and he shed a light on the mindset of the 31-year-old.

Elliott revealed: “You know Mo always wants to score but he got an assist, and even in games where he doesn’t score he’s popping up with an assist or something.

“He wasn’t the happiest, but as I said before, it can’t just be the forwards who score. We all need to chip in. It may not have been Mo’s day, but the other boys delivered.”

READ MORE: ‘For goodness sake…’ – Jeff Stelling calls for change after weekend news involving Liverpool

READ MORE: ‘Basically…’ – Van Dijk explains how Liverpool will deal with ‘demanding’ December task

Salah would’ve been well aware that a goal against Fulham at the weekend would’ve taken him to 200 for Liverpool and 150 in the Premier League (Transfermarkt), so he’d have been yearning to hit both of those milestones last Sunday.

He’s become so accustomed to scoring, especially at Anfield, that he’ll probably think he fell short of his own enormously high standards and was frustrated as a result; but like Elliott said, the 31-year-old still made a hugely valuable contribution with the assist for Wataru Endo’s late equaliser.

The England under-21 midfielder was also correct to stress the importance of the Japan captain, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister, stepping up to ensure that the Reds still prevailed even with their most lethal player held scoreless.

Liverpool will soon need to manage without Salah for a few games when he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations, so that’s when Jurgen Klopp will be especially looking towards the rest of the squad to take on the goalscoring responsibilities in the Egyptian’s absence.

In the meantime, our upcoming opponents beware…our number 11 will be gunning for that 200th LFC goal, especially now that he’s been made to wait for it!

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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‘For goodness sake…’ – Jeff Stelling calls for change after weekend news involving Liverpool https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/jeff-stelling-fa-cup-change-arsenal-liverpool/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/jeff-stelling-fa-cup-change-arsenal-liverpool/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 21:49:39 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245721 Jeff Stelling has bemoaned the open draw format of the FA Cup which led to Liverpool being handed a trip to Arsenal in the third round of the competition when the fixtures were drawn on Sunday. One of the Premier League’s current top two will instantly crash out of the tournament next month, although the […]

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Jeff Stelling has bemoaned the open draw format of the FA Cup which led to Liverpool being handed a trip to Arsenal in the third round of the competition when the fixtures were drawn on Sunday.

One of the Premier League’s current top two will instantly crash out of the tournament next month, although the former Sky Sports presenter’s gripe isn’t with the swift felling of a big name, but rather the missed opportunity for unique pairings to be formed and the lower league teams to get valuable income from TV coverage.

Speaking on talkSPORT (via The Mirror), the 68-year-old said: “I’m not interested in Arsenal against Liverpool in the FA Cup, I see it in the Premier League, not interested at all.

“What worries me is some of the smaller teams who get through to this stage. You look at Eastleigh and Maidstone, they played five games to get to this stage and they are looking for a bumper payday, and what happens? They get a rotten draw [Newport County/Barnet and Stevenage/Port Vale respectively].”

“No chance of TV coverage by the way, no chance of a big payday. What they need to do is seed the third round draw of the FA Cup. For goodness sake, it is not too difficult.”

Stelling then called for the 20 teams who advance from the second round to be kept apart, thus giving them a tie against either Premier League and Championship opposition and vastly increasing their chances of a ‘glamour’ draw.

READ MORE: ‘Basically…’ – Van Dijk explains how Liverpool will deal with ‘demanding’ December task

READ MORE: Two-time EPL winner’s claim suggests injured Liverpool player could be touch-and-go to return v Man Utd

We can certainly see the point that the ex-Soccer Saturday host is making, although his proposal is sure to polarise opinion within English football followers.

While some will welcome his idea, others with a more conservative mindset will probably lament any calls for the long-standing open draw format of the FA Cup to be discontinued, with the competition having already seen traditions such as replays from the fifth round onwards being scrapped.

From a Liverpool perspective, there’d be a welcome novelty to coming up against a team from outside the top two divisions, with some clubs in the third round bound to have been praying either for a trip to Anfield or for the Reds to visit them.

Alas, we instead must face three meetings against Arsenal (potentially four if a replay is needed) inside six weeks, with the clubs’ two Premier League head-to-heads spaced comparatively close to one another this season.

Maybe Stelling’s suggestion of a seeded draw will be adopted in future campaigns, but for now Jurgen Klopp and LFC won’t experience the rarity of a non-league club taking them on in football’s oldest competition.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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‘Basically…’ – Van Dijk explains how Liverpool will deal with ‘demanding’ December task https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/van-dijk-liverpool-december-fixtures/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/van-dijk-liverpool-december-fixtures/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 21:26:33 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245719 Virgil van Dijk has admitted that Liverpool’s hectic December fixture schedule is quite ‘demanding’ but is confident that Jurgen Klopp’s squad can negotiate the workload. Having played LASK on Thursday and Fulham yesterday, the Reds have swiftly turned their attention towards the away Premier League double header against Sheffield United on Wednesday night and Crystal […]

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Virgil van Dijk has admitted that Liverpool’s hectic December fixture schedule is quite ‘demanding’ but is confident that Jurgen Klopp’s squad can negotiate the workload.

Having played LASK on Thursday and Fulham yesterday, the Reds have swiftly turned their attention towards the away Premier League double header against Sheffield United on Wednesday night and Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime.

A five-day breather then precedes another burst of five matches in 13 days, but luckily the first of those is a Europa League dead rubber against Union Saint-Gilloise, with LFC having already wrapped up top spot in their group.

Speaking straight after the 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday (via Liverpool Echo), Van Dijk said that the arduous December fixture schedule is ‘something we have all accepted over the last couple of years’.

He added: “You are already looking ahead and making sure you are doing the right things. In my case I will get treatment tonight and I will do all the recovery stuff tonight in order to be much fresher tomorrow morning.

“Then we have another recovery session tomorrow, so it is basically: play, recover, sleep well, eat well and be ready for the next game. It’s a demanding process but we cannot complain, you know.

“I think we always have the team [analysis] meetings the day before the game but like I said the mode is already on recovery from this and tomorrow we will do this already with an eye on Sheffield United and Tuesday we have a big meeting for that. Then we travel on Wednesday to Sheffield and we will be ready for a tough game.”

READ MORE: 2x EPL winner’s claim suggests injured Liverpool player could be touch-and-go to return v Man Utd

READ MORE: (Video) Souness insists ‘predictable’ £300k-p/w Man City player wouldn’t get in Liverpool’s team

For clubs such as Liverpool who compete in Europe annually, managing two or three games in a week isn’t an unfamiliar task, although the current sequence of 10 matches in 33 days is gruelling even by our standards.

Van Dijk himself has previously hit out at the excessive workload being heaped upon footballers at the highest level and urged the sport’s main stakeholders to have a ‘conversation’ on the subject (Liverpool Echo).

Tricky trips to Bramall Lane and Selhurst Park represent banana skins at the best of times, so to have both of those in the space of 72 hours will be a massive test of the Reds’ stomach for a Premier League title fight this season.

Cynics will point to the enormous wages that players in the English top flight earn and insist that they get on with it, but Van Dijk’s insight provides a window into just how relentless this week will be for him and his teammates, who know that the margin for error is zero.

Liverpool’s fans and squad will be hugely relieved that, at least by getting their business done in the Europa League early, the trip to Belgium next week offers a chance for first-team regulars to get an additional rest before Manchester United come to town the following Sunday.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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2x EPL winner’s claim suggests injured Liverpool player could be touch-and-go to return v Man Utd https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/seaman-alisson-injury-liverpool-man-utd/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/seaman-alisson-injury-liverpool-man-utd/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:25:36 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245714 A two-time Premier League winner has offered hope that Liverpool will have one currently injured player back for the visit of Manchester United to Anfield later this month. When the Reds faced the other top-flight club from that city at the Etihad Stadium in late November, Alisson Becker went down with a suspected hamstring problem, […]

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A two-time Premier League winner has offered hope that Liverpool will have one currently injured player back for the visit of Manchester United to Anfield later this month.

When the Reds faced the other top-flight club from that city at the Etihad Stadium in late November, Alisson Becker went down with a suspected hamstring problem, which has seen Caoimhin Kelleher start our two subsequent games.

The Brazilian will definitely miss the upcoming trips to Sheffield United and Crystal Palace this week, but David Seaman’s projection would suggest that the 31-year-old might be fit enough to face Erik ten Hag’s side on 17 December.

Speaking on the Seaman Says podcast, the former England goalkeeper – who won the Premier League with Arsenal in 1998 and 2002 – said: “Alisson, that’ll probably be three weeks if it’s just a hamstring, depending on how severe it is.”

READ MORE: (Video) Souness insists ‘predictable’ £300k-p/w Man City player wouldn’t get in Liverpool’s team

READ MORE: ‘I am really excited…’ – Ian Wright says Liverpool have a ‘proper player on their hands’

Alisson’s injury stemmed from the Man City game on 25 November, with a three-week gap between that game and Liverpool v United.

If Seaman’s assessment is accurate – and he’s well-placed to comment as a long-serving goalkeeper at a high level – the Brazilian could be touch-and-go to recover in time for the Red Devils’ visit to Anfield.

The normally reliable Kelleher endured a rare off-day against Fulham on Sunday, conceding two soft first-half goals and beaten three times altogether, so Kopites could be praying to have the first-choice stopper back for Sunday week.

Even right up until the couple of days before the United clash, we could be kept guessing as to whether or not Alisson will be fit enough to play.

While we still have every confidence that his Irish understudy is a fine goalkeeper despite yesterday’s showing, fingers crossed that our regular number one will be in the team when our fiercest historical rivals come to town.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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Operation Rotation: How might Klopp ring the changes to keep Liverpool fresh and winning? https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/predicted-liverpool-xi-sheffield-utd-palace/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/predicted-liverpool-xi-sheffield-utd-palace/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 19:50:46 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245698 Liverpool’s players and coaching staff barely had time to digest the 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday before thoughts turned to their next assignment. The first midweek round of Premier League fixtures in 2023/24, on which you can place a bet with https://casinosnotongamstop.net, sees the Reds travel to face Sheffield United on Wednesday night, with an […]

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Liverpool’s players and coaching staff barely had time to digest the 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday before thoughts turned to their next assignment.

The first midweek round of Premier League fixtures in 2023/24, on which you can place a bet with https://casinosnotongamstop.net, sees the Reds travel to face Sheffield United on Wednesday night, with an even quicker turnaround for the visit to Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime.

The compact scheduling, which’ll see Jurgen Klopp’s side make trips to Yorkshire and south London in the space of 72 hours, will surely see the manager ring the changes to his starting XI from one game to the next in order to utilise the depth of his squad and keep players fresh.

Liverpool starting XI v Fulham

Firstly, a quick reminder of the starting XI that Klopp selected for the 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday. One man who we definitely know won’t be playing at Bramall Lane or Selhurst Park is Joel Matip, who hobbled out of yesterday’s clash and will be out injured for the foreseeable future.

Liverpool predicted XI v Sheffield United

Injuries to the likes of Andy Robertson, Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota have lessened Klopp’s options when it comes to squad rotation, so there mightn’t be as much of an overhaul for the Wednesday night trip to Sheffield United.

Ibrahima Konate is likely to start at centre-back in place of the stricken Cameroonian, while Wataru Endo could come into the side following his goalscoring heroics on Sunday. Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo are also possible starters, having both begun on the bench against Fulham.

Liverpool predicted XI v Crystal Palace

The rapid turnaround to Palace on Saturday could see a few more changes in personnel, especially for those who start the two preceding games.

We expect to see Joe Gomez come into the side either on the right or in the centre of defence, while Jarell Quansah might also be called upon to start if Klopp is wary of handing Konate two starts in four days.

Alexis Mac Allister should come back in if he’s rested against the Blades, while Harvey Elliott could also be given an overdue start. Dominik Szoboszlai might be held in reserve, with the Hungarian having not scored for Liverpool since the end of September.

One personnel change in attack could see Gakpo moved to the left to accommodate the return of Darwin Nunez, with Luis Diaz given a breather.

Perhaps the most interesting alteration seen above is the possibility of Trent starting in midfield outright, rather than being tasked with the hybrid role that he’s played for much of 2023.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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(Video) Souness insists ‘predictable’ £300k-p/w Man City player wouldn’t get in Liverpool’s team https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/souness-predictable-grealish-wouldnt-start-liverpool/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/souness-predictable-grealish-wouldnt-start-liverpool/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 19:16:53 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245700 Graeme Souness named one Manchester City player who he insists wouldn’t get in Liverpool’s strongest XI because he’s too ‘predictable’. The former Reds captain spoke at length about Jack Grealish on talkSPORT, and the 70-year-old isn’t the ‘biggest fan’ of the £300,000-per-week England international. The Scot insisted that the 28-year-old takes too many touches when […]

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Graeme Souness named one Manchester City player who he insists wouldn’t get in Liverpool’s strongest XI because he’s too ‘predictable’.

The former Reds captain spoke at length about Jack Grealish on talkSPORT, and the 70-year-old isn’t the ‘biggest fan’ of the £300,000-per-week England international.

The Scot insisted that the 28-year-old takes too many touches when receiving the ball on the flank, in comparison to his more ‘direct’ teammate Jeremy Doku, who’s restricted the ex-Aston Villa man to just one Premier League start since the end of August (WhoScored).

Souness said of Grealish: “I don’t see him going to the byline enough and going past someone. He threatens to go down the line and comes inside. You don’t want to become predictable. Right now he’s predictable. As a striker, as someone who scores goals, you have to be unpredictable. 

“I think he flatters to deceive. You put Jack on the market tomorrow – who’s buying him for how much?”

When talkSPORT presenter Jim White posed the question as to whether the Man City winger would get in Liverpool’s line-up, the former Reds skipper replied: “No. He’s a rascal. He’s a rascal in as much as I bet he’s great to have a night out with.”

If we’re judging Grealish on his form this season, we’d agree with Souness that the 28-year-old wouldn’t go straight into Jurgen Klopp’s strongest XI.

The England winger’s goal against Tottenham on Sunday was his first in 908 minutes of football so far this term. Luis Diaz, who’s Liverpool’s go-to left winger, has five goals in 1,041 minutes (Transfermarkt), so it’s clear to see who’s been the more productive of the two in recent months.

The Man City forward is a terrific player when at his best, but right now we wouldn’t take him ahead of the Colombian.

You can view Souness’ comments on Grealish below, via @talkSPORT on X (formerly Twitter):

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‘I am really excited…’ – Ian Wright says Liverpool have a ‘proper player on their hands’ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/ian-wright-praise-harvey-elliott/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/ian-wright-praise-harvey-elliott/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 18:47:28 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245699 Ian Wright has said that Liverpool ‘have a proper player on their hands’ in one youngster among Jurgen Klopp’s senior squad at Anfield. The former Arsenal striker told Premier League Productions (4 December, 2:40 pm) that he’s ‘really excited’ by the enormous ‘potential’ of Harvey Elliott, who’s bounced back from dislocating his ankle two years ago to become […]

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Ian Wright has said that Liverpool ‘have a proper player on their hands’ in one youngster among Jurgen Klopp’s senior squad at Anfield.

The former Arsenal striker told Premier League Productions (4 December, 2:40 pm) that he’s ‘really excited’ by the enormous ‘potential’ of Harvey Elliott, who’s bounced back from dislocating his ankle two years ago to become a fixture within the first-team setup on Merseyside.

The attacking midfielder didn’t feature against his former club Fulham on Sunday but has already made 18 appearances this season, starting every Europa League game so far (Transfermarkt).

Wright said of the 20-year-old: “I like him. He is somebody that the potential he has. He obviously had that injury, but as a player, the way he sees the game, his passing, his mobility, the capability and, like he said, he has to score more goals.

“He again is somebody that, if he can get anywhere near his potential, then Liverpool have a proper player on their hands. I am really excited for him.”

READ MORE: Gary Lineker explains why it annoys him when ‘people have a pop at’ £180k-p/w Liverpool player

READ MORE: ‘Got to admit…’ – Ex-Liverpool ace explains why he felt Trent’s winner should’ve been disallowed

It’s easy to forget how young Elliott still is, having already accrued 84 senior outings for the Reds (Transfermarkt). Indeed, had he not missed five months with that aforementioned ankle injury, he’d surely be a Liverpool centurion by now.

The heightened competition for midfield places has restricted the 20-year-old to just one Premier League start so far this term, but with two fixtures less than 72 hours apart later this week, the youngster could well be given the nod by Klopp in at least one of those.

His star quality was on show during England’s triumph at the European Under-21 Championship in the summer, while his last four caps at that level have seen him plunder five goals and seven assists (Transfermarkt).

Elliott is in the wonderfully rarefied position of already boasting plenty of senior experience while still having the bulk of his career ahead of him.

Even if he’s had to be content with minutes off the bench for most of this season so far, his time to establish himself as a regular in Klopp’s preferred XI should come.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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Gary Lineker explains why it annoys him when ‘people have a pop at’ £180k-p/w Liverpool player https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/lineker-annoyed-trent-criticism-defending/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/lineker-annoyed-trent-criticism-defending/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 16:08:15 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245689 Gary Lineker has said that it annoys him when ‘people have a pop at’ Trent Alexander-Arnold over the defensive aspect of his game. The £180,000-per-week Liverpool maestro has scored crucial goals in his team’s last two Premier League games, netting an 80th-minute equaliser away to Manchester City recently and coming up with the 88th-minute winner […]

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Gary Lineker has said that it annoys him when ‘people have a pop at’ Trent Alexander-Arnold over the defensive aspect of his game.

The £180,000-per-week Liverpool maestro has scored crucial goals in his team’s last two Premier League games, netting an 80th-minute equaliser away to Manchester City recently and coming up with the 88th-minute winner to complete a riveting quick turnaround against Fulham on Sunday.

However, the 25-year-old has also been pilloried by pundits over his defensive work, with the Match of the Day host feeling that our number 66 is overly maligned in that regard, especially when he’s so good on the ball.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker said of Trent: He ends up going to right-back and he was so good for so long that he became a right-back. It irritates me a little bit when people say he’s not very good at defending and every slight error or any goal that goes in on that side of the pitch against Liverpool.

“People have a pop at him but I think the positives of his forward play and his passing. I think he is certainly the best passer of the ball in the English game at the moment.”

READ MORE: ‘Got to admit…’ – Ex-Liverpool ace explains why he felt Trent’s winner should’ve been disallowed

READ MORE: Jude Bellingham takes to Instagram with single emoji reply to Liverpool player after Fulham epic

In a similar vein to how many pundits in this country hammer Darwin Nunez when he misses a scorable opportunity, Trent appears to be a consistently popular target for criticism when it comes to his defending.

Granted, there are times when he can look susceptible in that regard, but to simply label him a ‘bad defender’ would be to completely ignore what he offers to Liverpool and England in terms of his use of the ball.

By utilising him in a hybrid full-back/midfield role over the past eight months, Jurgen Klopp has accepted that there’s an element of risk in doing so, but that it’s also outweighed by the potential rewards of how effective the 25-year-old can be as an attacking outlet.

You only need to look at the Reds’ last two league games to see evidence of that, and Trent seems to be embracing the responsibility of being named the club’s vice-captain in the summer. He won’t be too fussed if his detractors continue to unfairly play the ‘can’t defend’ card.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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‘Got to admit…’ – Ex-Liverpool ace explains why he felt Trent’s winner should’ve been disallowed https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/mcateer-trent-winner-fulham-disallowed/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/mcateer-trent-winner-fulham-disallowed/#comments Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:52:35 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245686 Jason McAteer believes that Liverpool were fortunate not to have Trent Alexander-Arnold’s winning goal against Fulham on Sunday disallowed. The former Reds midfielder was on duty for beIN SPORTS when he – along with fellow pundits Dwight Yorke, Richard Keys and Andy Gray – insisted that Kostas Tsimikas unlawfully shoved Bobby Decordova-Reid in contesting the […]

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Jason McAteer believes that Liverpool were fortunate not to have Trent Alexander-Arnold’s winning goal against Fulham on Sunday disallowed.

The former Reds midfielder was on duty for beIN SPORTS when he – along with fellow pundits Dwight Yorke, Richard Keys and Andy Gray – insisted that Kostas Tsimikas unlawfully shoved Bobby Decordova-Reid in contesting the 50-50 from which the ball dropped to our number 66 to finish to the net.

The 52-year-old stated [via Football365]: “I’ve got to admit, I thought there was [a foul]. Tsimikas, the way he challenged, he didn’t win the ball. He barged into the player. It’s a brave call to disallow that but for me that’s a foul.”

READ MORE: Jude Bellingham takes to Instagram with single emoji reply to Liverpool player after Fulham epic

READ MORE: Gary Neville cites Liverpool ‘factor’ which could be huge in title race with Arsenal and Man City

It seemed like the kind of decision which, on another day, could’ve gone the other way had a different referee been tasked with calling it.

However, the verdict from Dermot Gallagher on Sky SportsRef Watch on Monday was telling, with the former Premier League whistler – who was assessing the incident objectively – claiming that Tsimikas and Decordova-Reid ‘came together’ rather than the Liverpool man shoving or ‘leaning in on’ his opponent.

The Reds have already been dealt a rough hand by some officials in the top flight this season, so fans may argue that our luck is due to even itself out on that front.

The man whose opinion counted the most is Stuart Attwell, and thankfully he felt no need to blow for a foul in the lead-up to Trent’s winner.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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Jude Bellingham takes to Instagram with single emoji reply to Liverpool player after Fulham epic https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/bellingham-instagram-reply-trent-liverpool-fulham/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/bellingham-instagram-reply-trent-liverpool-fulham/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:18:55 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245681 There were no words needed to describe Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decisive contribution in Liverpool’s thrilling 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday – at least if you’re Jude Bellingham. The Reds’ number 66 capped a remarkable 80-second comeback with the winning goal in the closing stages at Anfield yesterday, just eight days after his late equaliser to […]

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There were no words needed to describe Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decisive contribution in Liverpool’s thrilling 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday – at least if you’re Jude Bellingham.

The Reds’ number 66 capped a remarkable 80-second comeback with the winning goal in the closing stages at Anfield yesterday, just eight days after his late equaliser to earn his side a point away to Manchester City.

The 25-year-old took to Instagram afterwards to share photos of him celebrating his 88th-minute strike, along with the caption ‘Scenes’ and a face exhaling emoji hinting at relief to have come through a rollercoaster match victorious.

Trent’s England teammate Bellingham was among the plethora of people leaving comments in reply to the post, and the Real Madrid star simply shared the same emoji that Liverpool’s match-winner had included.

The 20-year-old is no stranger to responding to the Scouser’s Instagram activity, having also done so following the aforementioned draw at the Etihad Stadium recently.

The face that they both used the same emoji shows that the international colleagues are on the same wavelength as each other and brings to mind the expression ‘great minds think alike’!

You can view Trent’s post and Bellingham’s reply below, via @trentarnold66 on Instagram:

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Gary Neville cites Liverpool ‘factor’ which could be huge in title race with Arsenal and Man City https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/neville-liverpool-klopp-factor-title-race/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/neville-liverpool-klopp-factor-title-race/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:54:22 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245679 Gary Neville has named one crucial ‘factor’ which he thinks could potentially keep Liverpool in the Premier League title race for most of the season. A dramatic 4-3 win over Fulham at Anfield on Sunday kept the Reds within two points of leaders Arsenal and one ahead of Manchester City, who drew for a third […]

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Gary Neville has named one crucial ‘factor’ which he thinks could potentially keep Liverpool in the Premier League title race for most of the season.

A dramatic 4-3 win over Fulham at Anfield on Sunday kept the Reds within two points of leaders Arsenal and one ahead of Manchester City, who drew for a third successive top-flight game in a six-goal thriller at home to Tottenham.

In his eponymous podcast following the latter fixture, the Sky Sports pundit was asked by commentary colleague Peter Drury if he felt the Reds have the ‘wherewithal’ to go toe-to-tie with last season’s top two.

Neville wasn’t entirely convinced about our title prospects, but thinks that having a ‘proven’ winner in Jurgen Klopp could be our biggest asset.

He said: “Liverpool I’m not sure about, but then they’ve got Klopp, so I think that’s a factor because he can win and he’s proven he can win.

“Arsenal have still got to demonstrate in a run-in – and they’ve got to get to that run-in first – but they look like they’re on track to be in a run-in again. I’m more confident that this year they’ll handle a run-in than they did last year, because last year there’s no doubt they went under. They didn’t have enough.”

Neville added: “What I would want to see is Arsenal and City in a run-in again. If Liverpool are there as well it becomes a three-horse race, great, but usually in the last five or six games, it becomes two.”

Klopp’s experience of going the distance in title races against Man City could prove pivotal if the Reds find themselves in that situation again during the spring.

While Liverpool have twice taken Pep Guardiola’s side to the final day in the previous five campaigns, along with romping to the trophy in 2020, Arsenal fell away badly in the closing weeks of last term, so their physical and mental stamina to take it to the wire remains the biggest unknown among Mikel Arteta’s squad.

Any of those three teams could experience a drastic swing in form, for better or worse, in the coming months, but right now it looks as if they’re all capable of being genuine title contenders come the business end of the season.

You can see Neville’s comments below (from 9:24), via Sky Sports Premier League on YouTube:

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(Video) 80-second swing: Every kick of the ball as Liverpool turned defeat into victory v Fulham https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/liverpool-fulham-80-second-turnaround/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/04/liverpool-fulham-80-second-turnaround/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:35:22 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245677 What can you realistically aspire to get done in the space of 80 seconds? If you’re Liverpool FC, you can complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds in any Premier League season ever witnessed, as we saw on Sunday. The Reds were trailing 3-2 to Fulham in the closing stages at Anfield when, with the […]

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What can you realistically aspire to get done in the space of 80 seconds?

If you’re Liverpool FC, you can complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds in any Premier League season ever witnessed, as we saw on Sunday.

The Reds were trailing 3-2 to Fulham in the closing stages at Anfield when, with the clock at 86:24, Wataru Endo’s shot from just outside the penalty area found the top corner of the net to draw the teams level for a third time yesterday afternoon.

The celebrations from that equaliser had barely died down by the time Trent Alexander-Arnold let fly from just inside the box to make it 4-3 on 87:44, sending the Kop into absolute raptures.

X user @Liverpool_NYC shared the full two-minute sequence from the start of the move which led to the Japan midfielder’s goal, through to the celebrations of the vice-captain’s winner.

Our guess is it might’ve taken you 80 seconds to read from the start of the article to this point – just enough time for Liverpool to score two goals which could prove pivotal by the end of the season!

You can view the full two-minute sequence below, taken from Sky Sport Live’s match coverage and shared on X via @Liverpool_NYC:

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