It just made sense why Carlo Ancelotti was worried about being with Liverpool in the same group C . The ghost of Istanbul still hunting him.
I'm sure there have been others, we have a history of nervy, last minute edge of your seat European games I couldn't believe when the ref finally blew the whistle last night the pundit, whoever he was, said 'and that looks like a free kick ....'
How Klopp re-designed Liverpool's attack By Nick Wright, Adam Bate, Adam Smith and Peter Smith please log in to view this image Despite reaching the Champions League final last season, Jurgen Klopp has made key changes to Liverpool's frontline for 2018/19. In a special MNF Extra, we analyse the evolution... Liverpool reverted to their now familiar 4-3-3 formation for their crucial Champions League tie with Napoli on Tuesday, fielding the same front six that lined up in the final of the same competition in May. But one of the features of this season has been Jurgen Klopp’s desire to reconfigure Liverpool’s attack. It is part of the evolution of his team. The front three were arguably the most formidable attacking unit in Europe last season. Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane scored 57 goals between them in the Premier League and there were a further 30 on their way to that Champions League final. In all competitions, the trio netted 91 times over the course of the campaign. Klopp had struck upon a winning formula, a free-flowing attack with the speed, clinical finishing and telepathic understanding to overwhelm opponents, but this season he has changed it up. Salah, Firmino and Mane have still started all but three of Liverpool’s 16 Premier League games, but positions have been altered and tactics have been tweaked. Rotation has been a major factor in his thinking. Liverpool faded badly after the turn of the year in Klopp’s first full season in charge, beating only Plymouth in their first 10 games of 2017, and while the impact of their high-tempo game was not quite so pronounced last season, there was still a sense that they did not peak when it mattered most. Jamie Carragher believes that Klopp is seeking to change that. “He is learning,” he tells MNF Extra. “I think that was a big problem in his first season. He is rotating now and sometimes that can bite you and you have to take a hit because you want the benefit down the line. “He is obviously trying to keep people happy and keep it fresh. There are massive options now and you are not quite sure who is going to play each week. But at the moment he is getting results while making those changes so he has worked it well.” This is about much more than rotation, however. It is about changing Liverpool’s system. https://www.skysports.com/football/liverpoolattack
Check out the highlights from this game and look at how Matip sustained his injury. Its basically the very last action before the final whistle and its Koulibaly who iirc had already been booked. Terrible challenge.
Matip's injury records is not brilliant: Injury history Injury history To the correction form Season injury from until Days Games missed 18/19 Collarbone fracture Dec 12, 2018 Jan 16, 2019 35 days 6 please log in to view this image 17/18 Hamstring Injury Mar 31, 2018 Jul 1, 2018 92 days 12 please log in to view this image 17/18 Muscle Injury Nov 29, 2017 Dec 26, 2017 27 days 8 please log in to view this image 17/18 Thigh Problems Nov 15, 2017 Nov 25, 2017 10 days 3 please log in to view this image 16/17 Ankle Injury Dec 11, 2016 Jan 8, 2017 28 days 7 please log in to view this image 16/17 Ankle Injury Nov 26, 2016 Dec 5, 2016 9 days 3 please log in to view this image 15/16 Lumbago Nov 4, 2015 Nov 5, 2015 1 days 1 please log in to view this image 14/15 Muscular problems Apr 29, 2015 May 1, 2015 2 days - 14/15 Thigh muscle rupture Feb 23, 2015 Mar 5, 2015 10 days 1 please log in to view this image 14/15 Fractured Foot Nov 26, 2014 Jan 1, 2015 36 days 6 please log in to view this image 14/15 Bruised Foot Oct 20, 2014 Nov 19, 2014 30 days 5 please log in to view this image 14/15 Tear in the abductor muscle Sep 10, 2014 Sep 22, 2014 12 days 3 please log in to view this image 12/13 Flu Mar 5, 2013 Mar 6, 2013 1 days
I celebrate like every football fan!' - blind Liverpool supporter on becoming viral hit please log in to view this image Mike Kearney has been registered blind since he was seven years old There was no doubt in Mike Kearney's mind that Liverpool had taken the lead when Anfield erupted on Tuesday night, he just wasn't sure who the scorer was. The lifelong Liverpool fan was born with sight problems and has been registered blind since he was seven years old. But while it was Mo Salah who slotted the ball past Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina to ultimately seal Liverpool's passage to the Champions League knockout stages with a 1-0 win, it is Mike's phone that hasn't stopped since. Nearly three million people have watched a clip on Twitter of his cousin Stephen leaning over to tell him who netted for the Reds, sending the pair's touching exchange viral. "I'm like every other football fan - it doesn't matter if I can't see clearly, I still celebrate," he told BBC Sport. "It was just relief that we scored." The 26-year-old, a regular at Anfield, has a degenerative eye condition which has got worse as he has got older. "I wish I could see more but that doesn't mean I can't form an opinion of my own," he said. "It's difficult for people that can see to understand, but I think of it as normal to me and I have been like that all my life. It's just the way I watch the game." Mike admits he has been surprised at the level of interest following the clip being posted, with Salah's involvement meaning even media outlets in Egypt have got in touch. But it would have been easier for the Liverpudlian to distinguish the scorer had Salah's strike not come at the Anfield Road end of the ground. "It was very blurry," he added. "Up close at the Kop End I am OK, but further away the ball gets harder to see. It wasn't hard to work out what happened with noise." Mike used to use the club's live commentary service for blind and partially sighted spectators, but now prefers to immerse himself in the atmosphere. "It's there if I really want it," he said. "I like just being involved in the atmosphere and hearing what my cousin thinks - and anyone else, whether it's five rows back and a pleasant comment or not. "If it's not my cousin Stephen with me then it's other friends, it's just normal for us. I find it weird the reaction. It's nice, but a little bit strange!" https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46549613