We all like a bargain. A long-lasting, socially versatile jacket. A cut-price, non-garish mountain bike. A Spanish footballer called Michu. All welcome. Here's another snip: Branislav Ivanovic.
The thick-legged Serbian joined Chelsea in a dream move in January 2008 but couldn't make an impact during the remainder of the 2007-08 season. The defender, signed from Lokomotiv Moscow, was linked with…
It's amazing how just two signings in a transfer window can transform a squad. Before January, Liverpool's squad looked thin, especially up front. The decision to let Andy Carroll go on loan was the correct one (although Liverpool would most likely have preferred to have sold him) but the failure to bring in a replacement…
A peculiar feature of Liverpool's difficult away games under Brendan Rodgers is his tendency to completely change his side's formation at half-time: away at Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United he's dramatically altered his side after an underwhelming first-half performance. Now, especially after the weekend embarrassment at Oldham, he's under pressure to get it right from the start.
Following the arrival of…
If the BBC made an episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' about football they might discover a link between squad rotation and zonal marking. Study the game's extended, international family tree. They are cousins.
Traditionally neither had many advocates in the UK. The zone debate still reduces folk to livid buffoons. The constant switching of personnel? Dastardly and…
A few months back I wrote an article about Raheem Sterling saying he was an exciting talent who deserved to be in the first team set-up, and warned that Liverpool had to be mindful of burning him out by over-playing him.
Although Raheem hasn't suffered any injuries from playing so many games, it does look like some fatigue may…
