It’s SO fun to be excited about Liverpool again. Four games in, and I’m over the moon about the possibilities. The anticipation is both delicious and maddening. Don’t get me wrong. I’m both a bit confused by the Reds’ performances so far, and very unsure what this team will become. In the opener against Chelsea, the Reds were intent on going over the top to their attackers the moment they regained the ball. But that strategy led to Liverpool giving it away more often than not. As a result, Chelsea controlled possession, and we had no chance to see what the Reds might create if they just held o ..read more

I obsess about football because football brings me joy. Not all of the time, to be sure. Last season, for example, had far more miserable moments than joyful ones. Nonetheless, even in a season that fell far below the lofty standards that Liverpool have established since Jürgen Klopp’s coming in 2015, the Reds still provided me a lot of joy. 7-0 against Man United (fuck the fucking fuckers!) An unexpected push for the Top Four at the end of the season.  And Darwin Núñez. Darwin Núñez brings me joy. Every moment of Darwin is filled with passion. He’s so emotional, that I can’t help but get ..read more

Double Hijacked! Twelve Hours of Drama Around the Moisés Caicedo Transfer At around 2 p.m. central time here in the U.S. on Thursday, Aug. 10, I finished a 4,100-word blog post – the first post I have written in seven months. This post, which you will find pasted below this introduction in its entirety, was/is a season preview, focusing on the issue that has been on the minds of Liverpool fans over the last two months – will the team be better or worse in light of the recent departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho?  After I finished the piece, I logged into Twitter (a/k/a “X”) in time ..read more

Hey, everyone!  Happy Boxing Day Eve! I hope your holiday revelry — in whatever form it takes — has been fun, relaxing, and/or rewarding so far. But now we’re back to serious business. With Man City taking the the League Cup out of the equation for the Reds last week, Liverpool have two important competitions left to focus on (and also the FA Cup). Barring a miracle, the league title is sadly already out of reach. But the Reds have a legitimate, if uphill, chance at a Top Four spot. Plus, we’re still in the Champions League, even if we had the misfortune of drawing Real Madrid in the roun ..read more

After a nice mid-week performance, Liverpool are back to the Premier League, back on the road, and facing a rival for Top Four status. I’m dialing back my expectations to a “3.” Against Napoli, the Reds looked like themselves again, which they’ve really only done twice this season. Klopp reverted back to the 4-3-3, and his Reds obliged by upping their running and upping the pressure.  On Tuesday, the Reds’ identity really was intensity.  The performance and result were impressive, because LFC were up against an Italian team that has been among the best teams in Europe this season. Bu ..read more

Darwin Núñez has arrived in Liverpool. I suggest you sit back and enjoy his stay for a very long time. The Whirlwind Facing West Ham On Wednesday against West Ham, the Anfield crowd got its first look at Liverpool’s new signing in full flow. And what a look it was. In just 57 minutes, Núñez scored the winning goal — a towering header bulleted into the ground and bounced into the top corner. He also awed the crowd with two thunderbolts near the edge of the penalty area with his non-dominant left foot. The first was (barely) tipped over the bar by the keeper. The second struck the post. The subs ..read more

Liverpool 1 – Manchester City 0. Now, THAT’S what I’m talking about. What a way to stop a freefall. I’m pretty sure I’ve got whiplash. And I’ve never been happier for my predictions about a game to make me look like an idiot. Indeed, I’m so happy that my predictions were wrong, that I want to revisit them now. City Failed to Cut Liverpool Apart With Quick Passing Combinations I said that Manchester City are the “perfect team” to exploit the defensive frailties that Liverpool have displayed this season.  I stand by that. As I pointed out, several teams — most notably Manchester United, Nap ..read more

Store Wednesday’s Fun Memories in a Safe Place For 45 minutes on Wednesday, it was quite fun to be a Liverpool fan once again. Please hold onto that feeling. It may not last long. On Sunday, the team that Jürgen Klopp (quite reasonably) describes as the “best football team in the world” march into Anfield. They bring with them the man that Jürgen Klopp (quite reasonably) calls “the best striker in the world.” At their helm is the manager who Jürgen Klopp has repeatedly (and quite reasonably) enshrined as “the best manager in the world.” And, oh yes, they also bring with them a 13-point lead in ..read more

Eleven points. It’s only October 8, and Arsenal’s lead over Liverpool is ELEVEN POINTS. After last weekend’s ugly 3-3 draw against Brighton, it felt as if Liverpool’s title hopes were gone. But mid-week brought us a clean sheet, a decent LFC performance, and a new set of tactics in the Champions League. So we the fans now look ahead to the next two Premier League matches against league leaders Arsenal and the apparently invincible Manchester City.  A familiar excitement begins to grow at the possibilities. But that tinge of excitement masks an alien undercurrent of dread — a fear that we ..read more

Pull the plug, wait a bit, then reconnect. Mash that power button. Ctrl-alt-del. Reset. Let’s get this season restarted properly, shall we? For whatever reason, Liverpool’s actual start to this season has been less than compelling. I’ve grown tired of speculating about why that’s been true, and I’m confident you’re similarly weary of reading my speculation. But we know this: regardless of what’s gone wrong over the last two months, from here on out Liverpool have to purr on all cylinders if we’re to be celebrating any major trophies come May. It’s Now or Never On paper, this would appear to be ..read more