Creating isnt all about assists but yes he is. Remember that sweet pass for Sterling to score last season. Was it against Arsenal?
Gerrard is pretty much a set piece specialist now. He is our equivalent of Beckham in the England squad in his last few years. He takes up a spot on the field to take set pieces.
Went to the Villa game on Sunday, but watching the build up for tonights game I chose the wrong game to go to.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fc-europe-story-sugar-7770378 An in-depth look at the Champions League's unknown quantity, Bulgarian champions Ludogorets, who became famous with their play-off win over Steaua Bucharest please log in to view this image Ludogorets Razgrad were founded in 2001, just a month after Liverpool FC won their third Uefa Cup in Dortmund. But in reality, their birth didn’t happen until August 27, 2014, witnessed by millions on television and social media. On paper, there was nothing spectacular about Ludogorets’ second leg Champions League qualifier with Steaua Bucharest. A goal down from the first leg in Romania, the Bulgarian champions were hoping to turn around the deficit and become just the second Bulgarian side to reach the Champions League group stages. The 1-0 win in normal time, brought when Wanderson scored a last-minute goal from 25 yards, sent the game into extra time. It was here Ludogorets would become known to the football world when goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov was sent off in the 119th minute; having made all three substitutes, Romanian defender Cosmin Moti went in goal for the penalty shoot-out. He saved two spot kicks. Ludogorets went through. Roy of the Razgrad lives. Fame was instantaneous, for both Moti and the club. It is indicative of the state Bulgarian football has found itself in that Ludogorets were not known to wider football until then. They have won the ‘A’ League title for the past three years, winning two trebles in that time; they also beat PSV Eindhoven home and away and eliminated Lazio in last season’s Europa League. Despite that, the club is the unknown entity of this season’s Champions League. The town of their foundation, Razgrad, has a population of just 31,000 – a few thousand less than Skelmersdale – and their stadium of 8,000 is deemed inadequate by Uefa, meaning the Reds will play in the capital Sofia. But first, to Tuesday, and Ludogorets’ visit to Anfield; the narrative on Merseyside is of the five-time winners ending their five-year absence from the competition. However, this is also a moment in the spotlight for the small town located on the border with Romania with the Danube by its side, who were not even in the top flight of Bulgarian football three years ago. Owner Kiril Domuschiev is one of the richest people in Bulgaria and has facilitated their rise up the domestic ranks after taking over in 2010, but he is not the archetypal sugar daddy. “He cares a lot about the footballing side and isn’t simply concerned with spending money just because he is rich and wants to see his team winning,” says Mihail Vladimirov, a Liverpool writer based in Sofia, who writes for popular website The Tomkins Times. “During the past three years he gave quite a few interviews, and was always keen to share and explain his plans about the continual growth of the club on all fronts. “This includes not only buying the best available players for huge fees, but also trying and secure long-term income from sponsorship, improving the facilities, and taking care of the team from top to bottom on both an organisational and a technical level.” That attitude from Domuschiev is in stark contrast to the perception of the rest of the league. BBC Radio 4 programme Crossing Continents explored the corruption and crime in Bulgarian football in 2012, claiming no fewer than 15 club bosses had been murdered in Bulgaria’s top football league in the last decade alone. The release of confidential cables by Wikileaks also referenced, in part, the problems facing Bulgarian football in 2011. “Since the fall of Communism, Bulgarian soccer has become a symbol of organized crime’s corrupt influence on important institutions,” one cable began. Accusations of match fixing have also seen attendances fall. Changes have slowly been made, possibly mirroring the ascension of the Razgrad outfit. “In the past five years everything has been a step by step rebuilding from the scratch with each team competing on an equal level again, both on the pitch and behind the scenes,” explains Vladimirov. On the pitch, Ludogorets’ rise is a welcome change from the dominance Levski Sofia, CSKA Sofia and Litex Lovech, who shared every title between 1997 and 2011 – bar a renegade title win for Lokomotiv Plodiv in 2004. There isn’t jealousy surrounding the success of Ludogorets. Indeed, they are regarded as an exciting, progressive side who adopt tactics far more advanced than the rest of the league. With the cultured possession-based approach demanded from boss Georgi Derendjiev, he appears to have advanced the work of Ivaylo Petev and Stoycho Stoev – the club’s past two managers. Dermendijev only took charge this season after the dismissal of Stoev after spending three seasons as assistant; that, combined with a close relationship with owner Domuschiev, saw the 59-year-old handed the manager’s job full time – his first senior role at a major club. Adopting a rigid 4-2-3-1 formation, he is seeking to make Ludogorets better in defence, while still retaining their attacking fluidity. Moti was the star of their qualification against Steaua and is, by trade, a solid central defender. He forms part of the spine with holding midfielder and captain Svetoslav Ddyakov, as well as attacking midfielder Marcelinho, a Brazilian playmaker whose football excursions have seen him play in Dubai, as well as the second tier of Brazilian football. Virgil Misidjan, a 21-year-old Dutchman bought from Willem II who simply wears ‘Vura’ on his back, is also one of the side’s most dangerous players as a goal-scoring wide man. Of course, Ludogorets will always be famed for Moti and his goalkeeping heroics; a moment to make all of football, Steaua fans aside, smile. Afterwards, the club owner said the new stand of their Ludogorets Arena would bear his name. But the entire side will be aiming to put their name in lights at Anfield. It is for Liverpool to ensure that doesn’t happen.
They were brought by some Billionaire who owns a company in the town and has ploughed money into the team apparently. C'mon you reds!!!
Brilliant tackle from Sakho and the ref manages to give a foul. the ball went 40 yards in the air... how can he think he didn't win it
Great run from Sterling. Got his FB on a yellow already. Bit annoyed with ITV that we didn't get to see the team walk out and here the CL music again
