Page 4 - Liverpool

12th May 2017. By Edward Stratmann.
Although Liverpool couldn't overcome Claude Puel's disciplined and well organised Southampton outfit on the weekend, drawing 0-0, the performance of centre-back, Joel Matip, was one of the most positive aspects of the afternoon from the Reds' perspective.

Continuing his strong debut season, that's seen him grow into an integral component of Jurgen Klopp's plans, the languid stopper hardly put a foot wrong throughout. Dealing with Southampton's silky skilled centre forward, Manolo Gabbiadini, is never an easy task, but Matip made short work of the Italian, using his athleticism, physicality and intelligence to limit his impact.

Whenever the former Napoli and Sampdoria whizz dropped deep, Matip followed him vigorously, never giving him a chance to turn, while showing his fine judgement to chime in with vital interceptions to nip in before the ball had even arrived at Gabbiadini's feet. Executing these actions with such force and

27th February 2017. By Edward Stratmann.
When speaking after signing his bumper new deal with Liverpool, which will reportedly see him earn a whopping £150,00 a week, Adam Lallana was justifiably delighted.

"I'm very proud and feel quite humbled by the show of faith from the club and the manager in particular," he gratefully explained. "Signing for a club like Liverpool is obviously a big thing but to re-sign shows you've obviously contributed enough that the people who make the decisions want you to stay longer."

Following an uninspiring start to life on Merseyside, after joining from Southampton in 2014 for a £25 million transfer fee, the key turning point for him arrived when Brendan Rodgers was relieved of his managerial duties and Jurgen Klopp took over last season.

Ever since, Lallana's been a crucial component within Klopp's high octane, all action brand of

4th November 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
Having just scored his first goal for Liverpool in eight months, it was little wonder Emre Can was in such a positive mood when speaking after his team's 4-2 victory over Crystal Palace.

"I'm very happy that I scored a goal because in the last few games I had chances and didn't score. I'm very happy that I scored after such a long time," he mused.

"We knew before the game it would be a very tough game. It's always difficult to play at Crystal Palace, but we did very well in the first half. The second half was not too good. But you have to win these kinds of games we did it and we're very happy."

For Can, who suffered an untimely ankle injury in August, his well taken goal was fine reward for all his persistence and patience. Whilst he was out of action, the 22-year-old would've wondered whether he'd ever break back into Jurgen Klopp's side, such was their excellent form that included wins over Leicester

16th September 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
Without question, the outstanding form of Roberto Firmino has been one of the most positive aspects of Liverpool's encouraging start to the season.

After signing from Hoffenheim in a deal worth a sizeable £29 million, the Brazilian endured a mixed 2015/2016 campaign. While he produced glimpses of his overwhelmingly talent, with his masterclass vs Manchester City a real highlight, these magical moments had to be tempered with some equally underwhelming displays.

Overall, though, taking into account it was his first season in the Premier League and all the challenges that come with adapting to life at a new club, his 10 goals and seven assists was a solid return.

Working under the expert tutelage of Jurgen Klopp for almost a year, it looks as though Firmino has really turned the corner now. The 24-year-old's found that all important consistency, something that was sorely missing last season, as he's been fantastic in

14th September 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
To many observers, joining Nice may have been seen as a step down in the career of Mario Balotelli. After all, the list of clubs on the Italian striker's CV is an impressive one; Internazionale, Manchester City, AC Milan and Liverpool are all teams associated with the top end of their respective leagues, and all regulars on the European stage.

Nice, whose four Ligue 1 championships are all more than 50 years in the past, don't have the history of the Milanese giants or Liverpool, and haven't experienced anything like the recent success of City. But the Côte d'Azur club might be the perfect place for Balotelli to get his career back on track.

In fact, just last year, Hatem Ben Arfa found himself in a similar predicament to the Italian international. Released by Newcastle after a disastrous couple of seasons in the Premier League, including a disappointing loan spell at Hull City, Ben Arfa's stock was at an all-time low.

As

19th August 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
Sadio Mane couldn't have dreamt of a better start to life at Liverpool. After signing for a staggering £34 million from Southampton, expectations were inherently high that the Senegalese international would come in and make an immediate impact. And, to his credit, that's precisely what he's done.

Having joined early in the window and gotten the benefits of a full preseason under his belt, which afforded him the chance to integrate successfully into the squad, Mane importantly transferred his wicked form from preseason into Liverpool's Premier League opener.

Throughout Liverpool's engrossing 4-3 win over Arsenal, the Reds debutant was a constant menace to the Gunners' backline, with his speed, power and unpredictability proving especially troublesome.

From his right wing post, his movement and positional variations

12th May 2016.
Sevilla made Europa League history a year ago, beating Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3-2 in the championship match to clinch their fourth title. It was a record-breaking moment for the Spanish soccer club, putting them above Juventus, Inter Milan, and Liverpool in the annals of UEFA's second-tier European club football tournament. Now, following an exciting semi-final round, Sevilla will seek to defend their Europa League title against Liverpool, who themselves are looking to tie the four-title record.

A Premium Match-up

Needless to say, the final-which is scheduled for May 18^th at St. Jakob-Park in Switzerland-will be one of the highest-profile in the history of the Europa League. Rarely do we see such heavyweight battles in the Europa League.

Sure, Sevilla and Liverpool aren't the top teams in their home countries and would probably struggle to make it out of the groups in the Champions

24th April 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
For Kevin Stewart, making his full Premier League debut in Liverpool's exceptional 4-1 victory over Stoke City a few weeks ago would've felt like the perfect reward for all his perseverance.

For the man who joined the Reds in 2014 from Tottenham on a free transfer, he can now be absolutely satisfied that moving to Anfield was the best move for his career. Upon arriving on Merseyside, Stewart was a budding fullback, but Liverpool's U21 coach Michael Beale and academy director, Alex Inglethorpe, who had previously worked with Stewart at Tottenham, thought he possessed all the attributes to become a fine midfielder. And so the transformation began.

"Kevin came here as a full-back a bit like Flanno (Jon Flanagan) as he wanted to be a right-footed left-back," Beale said.

"He could also play centre-half but that was never really his position.

"In his first or second training session with us I had a conversation with Alex

23rd April 2016.
A year ago, Sevilla FC made history by becoming the first football club ever to win the Europa League four times. Equally remarkable, the win marked the second time that Sevilla had won back-to-back UEL titles, as the team had won their first three titles in 2006, 2007, and 2014, respectively. Now, with just four teams left standing in Europe's secondary club football competition, Sevilla are looking to make history once more, by winning the tournament for a third time in a row.

Already, Sevilla is the only team ever to win two Europa Leagues back-to-back, and they've done it twice. If any team is going to win three in a row, it's only fitting that the Red and Whites would be that organization.

The Semi-Final Draw

Not that Sevilla has the easiest path to the top of the podium. Competition is heating up in the 2015/16 Europa League-to the point where the Red and Whites only just

6th April 2016. By Karl Matchett.
The tie of the round in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals sees Jurgen Klopp's current side take on his old one, with Liverpool travelling to Borussia Dortmund for the first leg on Thursday.

While improvements have clearly been made to the English club's way of playing under Klopp, in both halves of the field, he is still ultimately working with the same players that have been in place and flattered to deceive for the past season and a half; in other words, there's only so much he can do with a better shape and tactical game plan, if the individual errors are still frequently seen.

The biggest issue remains the defence. It is stronger and more consistent than it was last season, or even in the first half of this campaign, but still the problems remain. Mamadou Sakho is the best defender in the squad, but remains prone to the odd half-hour meltdown. It can cost Liverpool