Liverpool FC – Gameweek 4 Review

A shiny new stand, selling denials, giving the champions a whooping and the possible start of an unlikely scoring streak.  Another busy week at the world’s favourite footy club, Liverpool FC. The good, the bad, the ugly and the downright unlikely reviewed. 

The good

Undoubtedly must be between the official opening of the new Main Stand at Anfield and the beating of the reigning champions. I’m going with the latter because without that we wouldn’t have a pitch, let alone a new extension.

In reality, Liverpool have always done well against reigning Premier League champions at home so this isn’t a huge shock. However Leicester City, as champions, deserve to be respected and at the same time, given a damned good game of footy.

Two goals from Roberto Firmino, each one a mirror of the other – receiving tha ball and making space for himself, before slotting past the keeper – showing his undoubted class. With both feet to-boot (if you excuse the pun!). Yesterday, he was my man of the match without doubt. One a piece for Sadio Mané and Adam Lallana – yes, again I’ll say: of all people – saw off the Foxes in a game that the hosts totally controlled.

Mané continues to be the X-Factor and this other dimension that we hear Jürgen Klopp and pundits speak of so often. He has scored two goals in three starts for the Reds and is beginning to look a snip at the reported £30m fee. I was pleased to see Daniel Sturridge playing a more expansive game against Leicester. He usually play too much for himself in my opinion. Considering he didn’t score, he still had a really good game.

Commiserations must go to Lucas Leiva who made a terrible mistake for the Leicester goal. However, away from that, I thought his contribution to the game was excellent and his distribution from the back was frugal and often clinical. His forward passes were directly linked for two of yesterday’s four goals which can’t go unmentioned.

The bad

if you can call it that – is the continued speculation surrounding the ownership of the club. There is, in my opinion, definitely something going on. Despite Tom Werner’s statement at the opening of the new stand: “I have said repeatedly this club is not for sale.” Good for you. I just don’t believe him.

Time will tell in any event, but from what I can gather, there is definitely no smoke without fire. I guess for FSG, the question is: Minority investment is fine, but what if someone makes an acceptable offer, what do we tell the fans? As I’ve said, everybody has a price regardless, and we’ll find out what Liverpool FC’s is.

The Ugly

Has to be Dejan Lovren’s shiner that he got in training on Friday. I don’t know how it happened, but it must have been one hell of a whack! It was like something out of a Rocky film. I hasten to add, his play has been more pleasing on the eye recently. I still wouldn’t put him on the same level as a Sami Hyppia, Jamie Carragher or even a Mamadou Sakho for that matter. However, he has upped his game and for this he should be applauded. It’s fair he hasn’t had an easy start at the club, but he has improved with time. Which leads me on to something which is simply downright unlikely.

The second Premier League goal of the season from Lallana earns applause. My personal jury remains out on the ex-Southampton forward. If he continues the season as he’s started, then I could be swayed. Usually, the shot from which he scored yesterday would have ended up in Walton Breck Road. Luckily it didn’t and we can, with a huge helping of caution, begin to believe that at last, the 28 year-old may be living up to his price tag.

The next game will be against Chelsea, and barring injury, one would expect him to make the starting eleven. Should he notch up another in this match, then it’ll be fair to say that, like Lovren, he might… just might have turned the corner. With a combined price tag of some £45m, one could be forgiven for thinking it’s about bloody time!

Lastly but no means least, we have to mention the new Main Stand that was officially opened this week. A truly beast of a structure and well fitting to the stadium. The realisation of an ambition that has been harboured for the best part of 20 years, and has now come to fruition. It makes me proud to be a Liverpool supporter. The additional bums on seats – 8,500 to be exact will be more than welcome as the team finally begins to show some promise.

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