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So far, so good. As I write this, I can hardly believe that we’re joint top of the league. Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought that something like this was possible! But the fact is, we actually deserve to be up there. We’ve been playing fluent, attractive, goal-scoring football, and getting results. Looking back over the last few months, my main thoughts are that there were games where we were unlucky, or which we should’ve won – so we should technically be even higher. But I will deal on being top of the league! And looking forwards over the next month, there is a big match against Arsenal (away), but aside from that we’ll be playing three patently winnable games against mediocre opposition. Three wins will be enough to keep us up there, but beating Arsenal at the Em-riates is hardly unthinkable anymore… Last month saw a new record for Anfield Roar, with over 5,000 Liv-erpool fans downloading or reading the September issue – which shows how we are growing – but we are always after more readers, so if you do enjoy reading this fanzine, please do tell your mates about it! This issue, we round up the articles on our new signings, review how we can cope without Coutinho, shrug off the League Cup de-feat, and, now he has finally returned, there is plenty to discuss about a certain Luis Suarez. Enjoy the read! YNWA Gary

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Message from the Editor Excited for the new season!

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Postbox Fan rants and opinion

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Tough at the Top Where has it gone right for us so far this season, and where can it go better?

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Coping without Couthino We missed his creativity whilst he was injured, but will Suarez save the day?

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Suarez Returns It’s been a long, long suspension, but finally Suarez is back playing in a Red shirt.

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The Suarez Saga Now that the transfer window is over, we take a closer look at how its has panned out.

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Loyal to Liverpool We’re loyal to the club, but are they (and the players) loyal enough to us?

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Up for the Cup Did it hurt as much as it normally does when we lost in the Carling Cup?

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On the Pitch A look back on the last month’s games. We’re in it to win it!

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The New Boys How have this summer’s acquisitions settled in at LFC?

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Introducing… Mamadou Sakho He already looks class, and BR calls him ‘killer’. What more do we need to know?!

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Introducing… Tiago Ilori He’s one for the future, but the fact that he is faster than Ronaldo should get you excited!

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Introducing… Aly Cissokho We haven’t really seen him yet, but two seasons ago he was worth £15m...

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The Month Ahead We preview the big fixtures, and predict the results (and we’re only slightly biased!)

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Best of Youtube Our pick of the best Youtube footage of the Liverpool vs Arsenal matches

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As Clear as Day What can we learn from statistics? Is BR really only marginally better than KK?

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Dear Anfield Roar, Another three points. But another underwhelming second half performance. I don't think I'm being overly pessimistic to be concerned about that. I think we can chalk it upto everyone thinking "job done, lets sit slightly deeper, not get at them unless they make a mistake, keep it at 3-0 and really control it." The thing we should be concerned about is their goal came from a set peice, again. Still, we won a match we had to win, so job done. Rob, Liverpool _________________________________________________________________ Dear Anfield Roar There are still issues there, but it's really, really nice to see us just getting results, and points on the table. Results can conceal deficien-cies but I think at least the management is acutely aware of our problems - the 352 is convoluted and kind of clunky, but it's proof that Rodgers knows there are weaknesses that need to be compensated for in the side. The formation at least keeps bodies around Gerrard in midfield while allowing Sturridge, Moses and Suarez free reign to attack, and though its easy to overlook, the relative novelty of the shape does confuse opponents: Palace are relegation material, but even

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so they had absolutely no idea how to deal with it in the first half: we must have had 4 forwards pegging toward their box, outnumbering their defenders, on six or seven separate occasions. The folk who are dismissing these games (and most of our opening ones) as 'easy' or contests 'we'd expect to win' seem to have forgotten about our 6 years of chronic inconsistency. Southampton, Wigan, Norwich, Stoke, Bolton, West Brom, Villa, home and away -season in and out since 09 we've routinely dropped points against 'poor' sides. As for this year: well, we will inevitably have tougher runs of games but we have time to keep on improving. Josh Robinson, Liverpool _________________________________________________________________ Dear Anfield Roar, All this Gerrard hating has got to stop. Seriously even from fellow Liverpool fans, saying his legs have gone, he can't shoot etc etc. At 33 he is reaching his twilight of his epic career. A lung busting Gerrard now needs to slow down and dictate the way Liverpool play. People don't understand in today's modern game, you have to let the young heads do the running that's why we have Henderson and Lucas to do all the donkey work, the grafting, the fouls, etc. The man is a legend and always will be. Do you really think Jose Mourinho would let a player of Gerrard's quality go? Not a chance, so many times he tried and offered silly money for him, but he didn't want to go. He could have got more money and won a league etc but he chose to stay with the club he loves and hopes to man-age one day. Loyalty in today's game is very rare. let the guy just sit deep in midfield and watch players like Suarez and Sturridge bag in them goals. Alan, Birmingham _____________________________________ 7

POSTBOX

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Dear Anfield Roar, Interestingly, despite stats never telling the full story we can glean all sorts from our start so far this season: We still can be effective without the ball. Possession hasn't been the team's priority this season with an average of 53.8%, helped higher now by Liverpool amassing 62% against Palace. Qualita-tively, we're no worse without the ball anyway shooting on target 40 times (and scoring 11 which would rank us 3rd if the table were decided on goals scored). Maybe we're better when we aren't car-ing about meaningless stats? We don't concede easily. Whilst we have averaged 14.7 shots con-ceded per game, (PL's 5th highest), it has not translated to a pro-portionate goals conceded and points lost (hence sitting pretty with a record of 5-1-1). This is down to our keeper brilliantly mar-shalling the defence (in french possibly) and the defence forcing lower quality shots from opponents (seriously then, must they shoot?). Mignolet is the highest rated Whoscored keeper in the PL (after 7 games), and they've provided a random stat where Mi-gnolet has the highest number of saves from shots outside 18 yards. Which means nothing probably. We can stick the boot in, literally. Commensurate with the lower average possession perhaps, we've needed to make more tackles per game with 23.3 after 7 games (2nd highest). Predictably, Lucas is the squad's highest in average tackles per game with 5. Hender-son showed that he is as capable in the tackle with 7 total tackles attempted (he won a few of them convincingly) against Palace but is that even enough to ask certain questions about the position Lucas has made his own? To which I answer: I wouldn't normally think so, but I'd like to. Peter, Salisbury

Contact us Email: editor@anfieldroar.com Tweet: @anfieldroarmag Web: use the contact form on our site

POSTBOX

Stop Filming Us Liverpool FC supporters’ union The Spirit Of Shankly aren’t happy about the club instructing stewards to film supporters during matches, saying the move suggests supporters are 'doing some-thing criminal'. Liverpool said it allowed stewards to wear head-cameras in order to help 'diffuse any anti-social behaviour'. But some fans believe the practice smacks of Big Brother tactics. Postcards Whether your club is fighting for the title or battling relegation, every fan will have their own personal memories of the season. Thanks to one designer, Reds’ fans will perhaps remember more than most – courtesy of these cool, new postcards. Liverpudlian Dave Williams decided to create the images to docu-ment all 38 games of Liverpool’s Premier League campaign this year. To see more of Dave's designs as the season progresses you can visit his site here or you can follow him - @davewi11 Only one Steven Gerrard Ian Ayre: "At the end of the last day in Bangkok, before our game, he had probably been moving around for about 8 or 9 hours in the heat. We came back to the hotel and, as is typical of Liverpool on tour, there were 600-700 fans in the lobby. "Steven went up to his room, rang one of my staff and asked if we could put a table and chair in the lobby for him. He sat there until every single fan had a photograph or a signature. That's Steven.” If you have an issue or idea that you would like to share with fellow LFC fans, then please get in touch!

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This is a new community section of our Fanzine, where we highlight issues or news on behalf of other LFC fans around the world to show that we are, indeed, not walking alone.

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It has certainly been an interesting season so far and it isn’t even Christmas! Liverpool are currently sitting second in the league alongside Arsenal, who stand only slightly above us on goals scored. Liverpool have continuously been in the fight for the top position in the Premier League table, but with it still being so early in the season, can we get excited at the prospects of us remaining there and the possibility of achieving European football? Luis Suarez has reportedly been allowed to leave the club at the end of the season if European football has not been reached, however during the beginning of the season many have questioned the contribution of Suarez to our great start as he had to finish his 10 match ban after biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. Robbie Fowler has recently admitted he believes this season is Suarez’s last chance at Liverpool after his two bans.

We’re top of the league! Emma Rhodes tried to work out what has been working in our favour so far...

TOUGH AT THE TOP

The former red also believes recent statistics may prove the squad doesn’t solely depend on the goal scoring abilities of Suarez, "If you look at the results, Liverpool haven't really missed him and that is a testament to Sturridge and Coutinho."

Suarez ended last season with 30 goals in all competitions from 44 appearances, averaging a goal for every 1.5 games played. Just before his return, Countinho faced a shoulder operation after a cynical tackle from Swansea’s Ashley Williams meaning the mid-fielder will be out for around six weeks. The space up front has meant that Suarez and Sturridge have been able to display the fan-tastic partnership they have created together. After the Capital One Cup loss to Manchester United, Suarez was determined to get a win after his 10 match ban and returned to the Premier League to help the team to a 3-1 win over Sunderland with Sturridge scoring first and Suarez also grabbing two goals. The partnership has only improved with both Sturridge and Suarez contrib-uting with goals in the 3-1 win over Palace at Anfield. Another influence on Liverpool’s high position could be the lack of goals by other big teams such as Man United who currently sit in 9th position with only 3 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses. Moyes’ claims they have had a rough start through tough fixtures including Swansea, Chelsea, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Manches-

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TOUGH

“Liverpool haven't really missed him and that is a testament to Sturridge and Coutinho” Fowler

ter City. Their most damaging loss so far this season has to be against local rivals Manchester City who with the help of Toure, Nasri and Aguero, won 4-1.

Jose Mourinho has returned to Chelsea this season and has managed to keep the London club in the top 4 of the league as they continue to creep up behind Liverpool, with only one less win than the reds so far. As expected at this point of the season, the top of the table is extremely close with the majority of the usual suspects filling those positions. From what we have seen so far we can only assume that we are in for a very exciting Premier League season. Liverpool’s next few matches consist of Newcastle, West Brom, leaders Arsenal, Fulham and the derby with Everton. Arsenal have a number of tricky fixtures in Chelsea and Manchester United as well as Norwich, Crystal Palace and Southampton, mak-ing it a little unclear as to how the league table will look come Christmas. Manager Brendan Rodgers remains positive but has also tried to focus on working to improve the faults and weaknesses in the team after studying our win over Crystal Palace, “I worry about how the team plays and how we can control a game.”

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TOUGH

No scum?

Rodgers admits concerns that during the second half of games, Liverpool tend to sit back with a common theme of the reds only scoring in the first half of games.

With the objective at the start of the season to regain the Champions League football that the Anfield faithful so badly crave, there can be few complaints with where Liverpool currently sit amongst England’s elite. If at the end of May the red half of Merseyside’s biggest disappointment is that Liverpool have not been crowned champions, it will be safe to as-sume that the 2013-14 season has been a success.

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TOUGH

On course...

Expertly written by: Emma Rhodes

Feedback? Send your feedback to : editor@anfieldroar.com

“I worry about how the team plays and how we can control a game” Rodgers

He is a player that all Liverpool fans – and indeed many Premier League fans – have come to love ever since his arrival in the 2013 January transfer window. In Philippe Coutinho’s 12 Premier League starts in the 2012/13 season, he conjured 5 wonderful assists and chipped in with 3 goals for a Liverpool side that lost just one of these 12 matches of which the Brazilian played from the offset. Liverpool’s strong form with the aid of their new whizz kid, bought for around £8.5m from Inter Milan, continued this season – three wins and a draw from his first four starts of the campaign. Even the one ‘setback’ in this time, a 2-2 draw away at Swansea, was a game in which Liverpool were leading before the tricky Brazilian was forced off injured with over a third of the match remaining thanks to a frankly appalling Ashley Williams challenge. Immediately following the 21 year olds absence, Liverpool suffered two 1-0 defeats in a

Will we still be top of the league when our favourite Brazilian is back? Michael Reid looks at the options...

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Coping

without

Coutinho

row at home to Southampton in the Premier League and away at Manchester United in the League Cup. And thus the inevitable question arose: can Liverpool cope without Coutinho? In my view the answer to that question is a very simple one. Yes. “How?” is the next question that will be asked. Once again, there is a very straightforward answer (or not so, depending on how you look at it) to that conundrum, and he is called Luis Suarez. You may have noticed this already but our Uruguayan is back. What the Liverpool side lose in creativity without Coutinho is gained back and then some with our number 7, even if many people didn’t expect him to still be here. Suarez created 90 chances, be it for himself or for a teammate, in his 33 Premier League games last season. By contrast, our currently stricken Brazilian was the manufacturer of 20 goalscoring opportunities in his 13 appearances. Whilst he is impressive in that regard, Coutinho’s tally still comes out at what is a significantly lower average of around one and a half chances created per game in comparison to Suarez, whose average comes out at almost three per fixture. Whilst it may seem a small differ-ence per game, over multiple matches this undoubtedly adds up, something that Liverpool will require all the more in Coutinho’s absence. And you don’t have to go back as far as last season to argue that we can replace Coutinho’s creativity. Suarez may be the obvious solution but there are far more options than him at Brendan Rod-gers’ disposal. Iago Aspas for example, had a comparatively greater opening four games in the final third than young Coutinho. In this time, our 7.7m euro Spaniard gained one assist (one more than Coutinho), created 7 chances (also one more than Coutinho), and had a 50%

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COPING

Will we miss his invention?

shot accuracy (again higher than Coutinho, who has 33%) – not bad considering Aspas played over 40 minutes less football than Coutinho prior to the latter’s injury. I am by no means saying that our no. 10 will not be missed. He may not have a goal or direct assist in the League to his name in 2013/14 so far but Coutinho’s influence on the Liverpool side in regards to possession, and more importantly results, is impressive. However football is a squad game and if an injury occurs, particu-larly for a side aiming for Champions League football, it is vital that you have the strength in depth to cope. In addition to the aforementioned Aspas and Suarez, the Reds can look to the likes of Victor Moses, Raheem Sterling, Luis Alberto to name but a few attacking minded players at the club who can hap-pily play along the front line or behind the main forwards(s) just as Coutinho has done. Furthermore, Rodgers has introduced what is a relatively new formation to the Liverpool team since Coutinho’s absence in the form of 3-5-2. This packs the midfield to help retain possession as well as we could do with Coutinho in the side whilst also reducing the front three/four to a front two (Sturridge and Suarez) with one man behind our SAS, most recently in the form of loanee Moses. And with Coutinho’s return coming at the end of October, this role behind the two front men could be a potential new role for the young Brazilian, who will relish in playing his delicate, exquisite and extravagant flicked through balls towards our deadly duo up-front, who both find themselves in fine form so early in the sea-son. I’m sure that’s a thought that leaves every Liverpool fan, and in-deed player, daring to dream!

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COPING

Expertly written by: Michael Reid Feedback? Send your feedback to : editor@anfieldroar.com

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Available NOW at Available NOW at Available NOW at Available NOW at

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After a summer of uncertainty, and the start to the season we’ve had in his absence, we could have been forgiven for thinking “we can get by without Suarez after all”. But after an injury to Coutinho and a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Southampton hitting hard, the imminent return of the Uru-guayan was made even more timely. Suarez is back, and so far, it seems as though he has returned with more bite than ever. (…Sorry!) Eager to give his all for the club that stood by him during his ban, and perhaps to convince any who doubted his commitment to the cause, Luis has wasted absolutely no time to make his mark in the 3 games he has played since his return. As a player who relishes the big games, the first game back at Old Trafford was the perfect match with which to announce his return. However it wasn’t to be.

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Ronan McCourt welcomes back our £40 million man, and predicts great things...

SUAREZ RETURNS!

Despite playing the full 90 minutes and showing glimpses of his undoubted talent, United edged the match 1-0 to leave us with only the Premier League to contend with until mid-January when the FA Cup kicks off. Any lack of match sharpness Suarez may have had, he left at Old Trafford that night. Partnering Daniel Sturridge up front in a reworked 3-5-2/3-4-1-2 formation (one which was tailored with his comeback in mind) Suarez hit 3 goals in the following 2 PL games. Evidence of his fantastic link up play with Sturridge has been littered throughout those games, and crucially, it hasn’t hindered the fantastic start made to the season by his English strike partner, who himself has notched 2 goals and made 2 assists for Suarez in those games. In fact, it seems as though it could bring out the best in him! Huge credit for his form must go to Rodgers and the coaching staff, captain Stevie Gerrard, and Suarez himself of course. Having convinced him to stay and helped curb his “enthusiasm”, the club arranged a number of behind closed doors friendlies to help with his match practice and fitness, which have clearly paid dividends.

Gerrard’s advice on his attitude on the pitch, as well as his love for and love from the club were also crucial, as Suarez himself has recently admitted.

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RETURN

Huge credit for his form must go to Rodgers and the coaching staff

SAS hitsquad

Having been hailed by some as the best strike pairing in the league, “SAS” have wasted no time in picking up where they left off last season, having almost single-handedly dismantled Sunderland and Palace, and together will play a huge role in determining how far we can go in the league this year.

Described brilliantly by Rodgers as two “nine and a half’s”, their unpredictability and quality in and around the box makes us a genuine threat to any team, and who knows, if we can break the top four this season at least, the threat of Suarez leaving for a Champions League team will disappear. If so, it would prove to everyone, Suarez included, that the club were right not to cash in on him during the summer when we had the chance, and that together we can achieve the shared dream of a return to top level European football. Luis should have the chance to impress on the biggest club stage, but crucially, with a Liverbird on his chest.

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RETURN

More of this please!

Expertly written by: Ronan McCourt

You can tweet your responses to @anfieldroarmag

The

SUAREZ SAGA

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The transfer window has closed, which marks the end (at least for now…) of arguably one of the most discussed transfer sagas - 'The Suarez Saga'. And the result of this saga, with all its twists and turns, is that, much to the delight of Liverpool fans, Suarez has stayed at the club, at least until January… However, throughout the transfer window, Suarez has arguably further tainted his already villainous reputation (with some of the things he's come out and said) amongst the English media and also amongst some of the Liverpool fans. This raises a couple of questions - did the club handle the situation correctly? Should Liverpool have kept Suarez? Could they have sold him before he tainted his reputation and the club's? After all, the old saying does go "no player is bigger than the club"… Firstly, it must be said that Liverpool FC and the management staff handled the Suarez situation really well, much unlike the club's recent and previous handling of situations (including the infamous Suarez racism issue). Liverpool FC acted accordingly to Suarez, not tainting their own image. They acted in strong unity as a club, not brutally against Suarez, but they stood firmly, leaving him in his own isolation.

Suarez is back in the first team, but for a while it looked like we’d lose him. Janoo Wasan looks at how it all worked out...

Liverpool stood firm indicating they didn't want to sell Suarez from the get go, but if pushed, would consider selling him at the right price (hence Rodgers' valuation of £50 million and the rejections of Arsenal's bids). In this, BR stood by the old ideology "no player is bigger than the club" - suggesting that Suarez, even though they wouldn't want to sell him, could leave should a club's bid reach Liverpool’s valuation. On the other hand, it can be said that Suarez handled everything poorly and could've been more sensible to push through a move to another club. The staff at Liverpool must be credited for their resilience against Suarez; standing up to him and saying that he must apologise for all he has done and said before he can put on the iconic red shirt and play again for the club. Being a prestigious and historic club, Liverpool is widely supported with certain beliefs and philosophies. If a player goes against these belief and consequently disrespects the club and its fans, he must apologise for his actions before he can once again play for the club, no matter how good or influential the player is. In issuing an 'ultimatum' for an apology, Brendan Rodgers and co. instilled their power into what LFC stands for, making sure Suarez apologises for his disrespect of the club and fans. Yes, it is true that Suarez is and has been an important and influential player for the club, yet, he is not more important than the club as a whole. In asking for an apology, Brendan Rodgers reminded Suarez that he is merely a member, a team player for the club, not the sole figure which the club revolves around. The club is comprised of a group of players, the staff, the fans etc. This is what makes the club as big and important as it is, not an individual player. Another interesting issue that comes of Brendan Rodgers asking Suarez to apologise is how modern day football has evolved to 'player dominance over managers and their clubs'.

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SAGA

In modern day football, players dictate terms - they want a new contract, they usually get one, they want to leave, they usually move on or moan about it… To an extent, this shift in power in modern football nullifies the ideology 'no player is bigger than the club' - modern day footballers often DICTATE the terms to their clubs (new contracts, transfer movement, issues with international football etc.)

However, in a sense, Liverpool's handling of the Suarez situation reminds us of the manager power and club power over players that there should be in football…after all, in business terms, the players are 'employed' and 'work' for their clubs. The managers should be the bosses of players rather than the other way around! Suarez's acceptance of his faults and apology to the club and Brendan Rodgers reminds us that the manager and club are in power and reinforce the slightly faded ideology that 'no player is bigger than the club'. Though we will never really know how sincere Suarez's apology to the club was, interestingly, some recent reports in the past few weeks have Suarez quoted as saying that he wanted to stay all along, most sources at least agreeing that Suarez is now ready again to be a Liverpool player and is keen to play for the club. This is most exciting news for LFC fans. But it seems like it took a bit of a Suarez debacle (from his part…) and a great piece of handling by the staff at Liverpool to make Suarez (at least for now) realise his mistake and understand the importance of that old saying: 'no player is bigger than the club'.

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SAGA

Expertly written by: Janoo Wasan Tweet Janoo - @janoow10

The staff at Liverpool must be credited for their resilience against Suarez

Loyal to Loyal to Loyal to Loyal to LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool

I think it is a well established fact that the Liverpool fans, both at home and abroad are some of the most loyal in the world, supporting the greatest team in the world. Our pre-season tour was a great example of this: sold out grounds and fans lining the streets in countries like Australia where the club was making a historic first visit. It is often said in life, not just football, that loyalty works both ways. For the majority of the fans, we would and do follow the team to the end of the world, by supporting the club in any way that we can, by attending matches, both home and away, following the club on Facebook/Twitter and buying the replica shirts. How do the clubs, not just Liverpool FC, show the same level of loyalty to the fans? With the advent of live football on Sky TV and the latest and more valuable TV deals that are now flowing into the game, the gulf between the clubs/players and the loyal fans has grown bigger and bigger.

Millionaire footballers are now the norm, ticket prices are out of the reach of most working people's grasp, and even the cost of the TV packages to watch live football are unaffordable to most fans.

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Are we treated fairly as fans? Can Liverpool do any better to keep us onside? Paul Baker investigates...

Do the clubs show the same level of loyalty to the fans?

Of course the fans demand successful teams, we want and expect teams to sign the best players each season and to complete in the league and in European competitions. But in return the fans have the right to expect some loyalty in return. Quite how the club manages this can vary between different clubs. At Liverpool they are now one of the better managed clubs - the owners understand the history, which is of utmost important to the fans. A pleasing piece of news is the appointment of King Kenny to the board of Directors. Kenny has always put the club and supporters first and is steeped in Liverpool traditions. As both a player, fan and former Liverpool manager, Kenny will be a vital link between the fans and the club. He will be able to see both sides point of view and I look forward to seeing him in action for the Reds again (A shame it won't be in a Red shirt!) With the terms of money in the modern game and the need for football clubs to be run as a business, remembering to show loyalty is a difficult and sometimes forgotten task for clubs. Our club needs to reach out and allow not just the fans who offer amazing matchday support, but support fans from all over the world the make sure they feel that we are all part of Liverpool. The club have some great examples of achieving this. The pre-season tours helped the club reach new markets and reward the existing fans, who had been dreaming of the day when Liverpool came to town.

LOYALTY

Understanding history

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Back on board

The club understands the importance of social media with 16 official international accounts, which reach millions of fans. The Liverpool supporters clubs are closely affiliated to the club and do a great job between the club and the fans. At the last count, there were 200 clubs in over 50 countries! It would be wrong to discuss loyalty without talking about the current situation regarding Luis Suarez. After spending the summer asking the question will be/won't he, and showing a great deal of lack of respect towards the fans and the club, the way the fans have welcomed him back shows why the fans are so special and important to the club. While we understand he may only be here for this season, we are willing to support him as we understand his value to the team, with his goals and work rate. As with anything in life, improvements can always be made and I am sure the club is working hard towards these goals. The one thing that is certain, is that Liverpool fans will always stand by the club, no matter what! Lets all hope the team can carry on its positive start and secure a place in the top 4, (at the very least) and a good run in the F.A. Cup!

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LOYALTY

Expertly written by: Paul Baker Feedback? Send your feedback to : editor@anfieldroar.com

At the time of writing Liverpool have just recently been knocked out of the League Cup by Manchester United. But just after the final whistle, well about 3 days if I’m being honest, I find myself thinking: Am I really bothered? Yes, I'm bothered about getting beat by United - firstly because we were the better team, and secondly, because it was them: Manchester United. I would be annoyed if they beat us at table tennis. In recent years when we have been knocked out of the League Cup certainly the defeat at the time has annoyed me, but after a couple of hours I usually find myself thinking “it’s just the League Cup”.

Liverpool were beaten by the scum in the Carling Cup, but Paul McFarland isn’t too concerned...

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UP FOR THE

CUP?

Best of enemies

So what has happened? Has it always been this way with the League Cup (even though we have won it a record eight times) or has it just sort of crept in over the years? I have supported Liver-pool for 25 years and thinking back I can never remember being excited about the League Cup.

Yes, when we reach the semi-final or the final it’s a different mat-ter, and I get a buzz because then we're close to another trophy, but if we then get beat then I'm not that bothered because it is just the League Cup, and in all honesty when you're having a debate about the trophies your team has won with supporters of other teams, you don't really mention the League Cup unless you're hav-ing to dig real deep just to stay in the argument! And even then, the argument is we've won it eight times - you don't say we won it this year or that year, you just say we've won it eight times. With the FA cup you can name the date, the time, what you had for breakfast, who was playing, what the weather was like, and everything about that day for heaven’s sake! And usually getting beat in a semi-final or final hurts - I'm gutted for weeks because we came so close, only to have it snatched away. Not so with the League Cup. This year and last I have tried to look at it from Brendan Rodgers point of view, which is perhaps the most important view-point.

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LEAGUE CUP

I have supported Liverpool for 25 years and can never remember being excited about the League Cup.

You have to remember that king Kenny won it in 2012 and it still didn't keep him in a job (obviously the fact we finished 8th in the league and got beat in the FA cup final didn't help, but it was still a trophy to stick in the cabinet) - if I was Brendan then I would be thinking: ‘whether I win this or not, it won’t help keep me in a job, so the sooner we are out of it, the better!”

Obviously he's never going to say that out loud but if you're a manager whose job mostly or entirely depends on your league position then the League Cup is nothing but a distraction, surely? Don't get me wrong - if you're one of those teams with a big squad, and you have a lot of players to keep happy, then it might be a welcome distraction. Or if you're not under pressure to finish in the top four. But I don't think either of those applies to Brendan. Then you have to think: ‘well, what about the FA cup? That's something similar?’ My personal view on that is that any manager or club that appears to be disrespecting the FA cup is torn to pieces by the press because of its place in the public’s heart and its history. The League Cup, under whatever name it has at the time, will always remain a poor second cousin to it.

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LEAGUE CUP

Expertly written by: Paul McFarland Feedback? Send your feedback to : editor@anfieldroar.com

Does BR want it?

“Whether I win this or not, it won’t help keep me in a job, so the sooner we are out of it, the better!”

Swansea 2 - 2 Liverpool Mon 16 September Having won all three previous games 1-0 courtesy of Dan Sturridge, the fans were eagerly awaiting Swansea, who had experienced a tough start to the season, losing to both Man United and Spurs. Travelling Liverpool fans also welcomed the return of Jonjo Shelvey, who left Liverpool during the summer transfer window. We were quickly reminded of his class when, after a few lucky breaks, hit the back of the net to beat Mignolet for the first time this season in the league. After a poor headed clearance from Henderson, Shelvey latched onto the ball, skipped pass debutant Sakho, had his first shot blocked brilliantly by Skrtel, but managed to get the rebound past Mignolet.

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How did Liverpool do on the pitch over the last month? Janoo Wasan guides us through our wins, draws and losses...

Shelvey celebrates

Moments later, Shelvey tested his luck with a poor back pass to the keeper, only to be intercepted by in-form striker Sturridge, who calmly put the ball past Vorm. Liverpool then began to take control of the game and created chances, however, it took a poor Shelvey cross-field pass, which was brilliantly intercepted by Moses to put Liverpool into the lead. Moses read Shelvey's pass, skipped into the middle and fired the ball hard and low into the corner of the net. The second half began with Liver-pool controlling position and creating a few chances, however after a rash challenge by Williams, which forced Brendan Rodgers to take Coutinho off, the game changed. Swansea started to press, retain possession and stamp authority in the game. In the 64th minute, Swansea were level courtesy of Michu. The architect of the goal was Jonjo Shelvey, who began the move and beautifully headed down to Michu for an assist. Swansea continued to press and attack, creating a few chances and pushing Liverpool further back. They held possession brilliantly, as Liverpool were tirelessly chasing shadows and trying to hold onto the game. At the end of the game, it was Liverpool who were happy to hear the final whistle.

Liverpool 0 - 1 Southampton Sat 21 September After the poor second half performance against Swansea, Liverpool were looking to regroup and get back to winning ways at home against Southampton. Brendan Rodgers fielded a bizarre line-up with what appeared to be 4 centre-backs in defence.

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ON THE PITCH

Hero to Zero

MOTM: Victor Moses - Scored on debut and constantly provided an outlet for attack down

Liverpool started the game better and first came close with a 25-yard Gerrard free kick which was brilliantly palmed away by a full stretch Artur Boruc. Liverpool then could have been awarded a penalty when centre-back Lovren appeared to make contact with Sturridge in the box, but the ref waved it away. The first half ended with Liverpool level for the first time in the season, pondering how they could unlock the Swansea defence without their injured playmaker, Coutinho. However, in the second half, Liverpool strangely but once again dropped off the pace and started clumsily giving the ball away in dangerous areas. Skrtel needlessly gave the ball away for a throw in Liverpool's half, before Toure unnecessarily put the ball out for a corner. Liverpool were made to pay for their sloppiness when Lovren outmuscled Agger to nod Southampton in front. Liverpool fans expected a response and thought this would be a wake-up call, but Southampton rose in confidence and continued to attack, forcing Mignolet into a couple of impressive saves. In the last third of the game, Southampton eased off the attack, but quite comfortably held off any attacking threats from Liverpool.

Manchester United 1 - 0 Liverpool Wed 25 September After two poor results, Liverpool were looking to put things right and push ahead in the Capital One Cup game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

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ON THE PITCH

MOTM: Mignolet - made some good saves and no outfield player really had a notably decent game.

Liverpool were boosted by the return of Suarez, who easily made his way back into the lineup alongside Daniel Sturridge. In truth, the first half was a dismal affair in midfield with both sides trying to enforce and create attacks and chances, but failing to create anything noteworthy. Early in the second half, Man Utd won a corner from which an unmarked Javier Hernandez nodded home to give United a 1-0 lead. From then on Liverpool began to enforce themselves in the game, having more possession, fluidity and rhythm. Suarez saw a free kick clip the crossbar, Henderson saw a glaring opportunity just wide, Victor Moses had a close range header saved by De Gea, Toure unexpectedly found himself in the box with a chance he failed to put away. Liverpool, for their bulk of possession and control had a few chances which they were unlucky not to put away. On the other end, Kagawa's strike which struck the woodwork was Man Utd's only other real notable chance in the half.

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ON THE PITCH

“The players played really well. They had a few days to adapt to a new system. They created opportunities but couldn't make the final pass count and didn't work the keeper enough. I can have no complaints. One lapse of concentration has cost us." Rodgers

MOTM: Henderson - He may not have converted his chances, but he pressed the United midfield to win possession, force mistakes and make things happen. He positioned himself well and made good runs to get into spaces where chances fell to him.

Sunderland 1 - 3 Liverpool Sun 29 September Having had 3 poor-ish results, Liverpool were eager not to let their good start slip against a rock bottom Sunderland side with no manager. Liverpool once again lined up with Suarez and Sturridge up-front and experimented with 3 CBs. The game began with Sunderland the more eager to prove something, as they were on the attack and creating decent chances. Liverpool's first notable chance was when a Martin Skrtel pounced on a Steven Gerrard free-kick. Skrtel may have hit the back of the net, but he was offside. Sunderland had a set-piece of their own a few moments later, where a Seb Larsson strike struck the bar to Mignolet's and Liverpool's relief. Putting this early scare past them, Gerrard whipped a corner into the box and an unmarked Sturridge nodded the ball into the net. Replays show that Liverpool were fortunate to be awarded the goal, as Sturridge missed with his head, only for the ball to hit his arm on the way in. A few moments later, Liverpool doubled their lead where a long cross field 'spectacular' ball from Gerrard found Sturridge in space. Sturridge ran to the byline, taking Cuellar with him and cut the ball square to an unmarked Suarez, who easily accepted the chance. Liverpool were now cruising, but once again, Sunderland threatened when Craig Gardner came close with a close range volley that was superbly saved by former keeper Mignolet. The second half began much the same to the end of the first and in similar fashion to most Liverpool second half performances. Liverpool started slowly and Sunderland came out eager in attack. Early in the second half, Sunderland's drive and attack paid off when Mignolet could only parry a long range effort from Ki into the path of Giaccherini, who reacted quickly and calmly slotted past the keeper.

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ON THE PITCH

Liverpool began to panic and their fluency in the first half began to fade, as Mignolet was forced into action with saves from the Sunderland attack. Moses and Suarez came close on the other end, but it was not until the end, and in fact, a Sunderland corner that Liverpool finally put the game to bed. Mignolet easily caught a poor Sunderland corner and in counter attacking fashion, quickly dispatched to Suarez, who dinked a ball over the top to Sturridge. Sturridge held the ball, drawing the Sunderland defence to him and fed in a once again unmarked Suarez who finished the move, putting the game beyond doubt with a 3-1 scoreline.

Liverpool 3 - 1 Crystal Palace Sat 5 October After having seen off Sunderland, Liverpool were looking to get back into a winning rhythm by beating a weak Crystal Palace side. Liverpool started the game briskly and with intent. Crystal Palace looked weak in defence and Suarez was looking to capitalise on this early on. He did so when he was on the end of a low Enrique cross (from the byline). Though he lost his footing, it didn't matter, as Suarez stuck his foot out whilst on the floor and put the ball past the keeper. Liverpool doubled their lead shortly after a brilliant solo goal from Sturridge. Sturridge received the ball wide and after twisting and turning with the defender smashed the ball across the keeper from a difficult angle into the bottom corner of the net. Sturridge and Suarez were running riot in the Palace defence and their link up play was to behold, but it was Raheem Sterling who created the third goal.

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ON THE PITCH

MOTM: Sturridge - Though Suarez scored 2 goals, Sturridge worked tirelessly to hold the ball and create chances. He intelligently and unselfishly fed in Suarez on two occasions and scored one himself, albeit with his arm.

On his way into the box, Sterling was clipped by Dean Moxey who tugged at his arm. The ref, Anthony Taylor spoke to his assistant (deciding whether the incident was in the box or outside) before awarding Liverpool a penalty. Steven Gerrard calmly stepped up and sent Speroni the wrong way to score Liverpool's third. Liverpool dominance continued and it looked like the game could end with Liverpool potentially hitting double figures. Moses hit the bar from two yards and both Sturridge and Suarez had chances to extend the lead. However, for all their dominance and control, Liverpool went into the break 3-0 up.

In the second half, fans expected much of the same, but it wasn't to be. Liverpool took their foot off the peddle and allowed Crystal Palace to ease into the game. And they did… In the 76th minute, Gayle nodded past Mignolet from a free kick by Campana. At this point, it looked like Liverpool might just panic a bit again and further ease Palace into the game, but that wasn't the case. The game ended with Liverpool running out 3-1 winners, but it could've been more.

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ON THE PITCH

“In the final third it was very good. Those two boys up front are as good as anything in the league. We took our goals well but the second half was nowhere near where we wanted to be. In my first season we were guilty of playing well and not getting the result. Here we got the win without playing great." Rodgers

MOTM: Sturridge - scored a superb goal and could've had a second with a brilliant strike. Once again linked up well with Suarez.

Expertly written by: Janoo Wasan Tweet Janoo - @janoow10

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Liverpooltees.com

Proud to be helping fundraise for the Hillsborough Families Support Group

www.liverpooltees.com

The NEW BOYS

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Liverpool had a busy summer in the transfer window with over five new signings entering the club; most having made a promising start to life at Anfield. Everyone is aware of the powers of the transfer window given Liverpool’s successful outing in January last year, acquiring the services of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho. Brendan Rodgers will now be hoping his summer additions can take the Reds back into the Champions League and beyond this season. Here’s a look at how each signing has fared so far this term... Simon Mignolet After taking the number one spot from the departing fan favourite, Pepe Reina, Mignolet had big shoes to fill between the sticks. He made an instant impact on his debut for Liverpool, saving a Stoke penalty in the dying minutes to secure the Reds three points.

We made some fantastic signings this summer. Ross Webber takes a look at how our new boys have settled in so far...

The Belgian stopper has had a number of nervy moments too so far this season, yet a number of world-class stops have made up for any mistakes with the feet. Liverpool’s defence are currently in the process of learning how to play out from the back but Mignolet can certainly be an all round top class goalkeeper once he adds footwork to his game. Overall however, it has been a very promising start for the new number one who looks to have a bright future at Anfield. Kolo Toure The Ivorian is shaping up to be one of the bargains of the summer after joining the Reds on a free transfer from City. Even Toure has admitted he was surprised by the impact he has made in the Liverpool defence so far, and it has been rewarded with a lot of game time. His defensive qualities and all-round bubbly personality has lifted the Liverpool spirit and since Jamie Carragher retired, Toure has also added much experience to the side. The Ivorian has fit into the Liverpool team nicely and is certainly one of Liverpool’s best signings this summer. Mamadou Sakho Sakho was one of the later incomings at Anfield but the Frenchman has also had a bright start for the Reds. His presence and composure on the pitch has added that extra piece of quality at the back among a new look formation in de-fence. Since joining Liverpool, Sakho has earned himself a recall to the French national side, which is a testament to his impressive performances so far. Another “character” amongst the Liverpool playing staff, Sakho has also fitted in well with life at the club, which is also a big positive.

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NEW BOYS

Iago Aspas After making a bright start in pre-season and against Stoke, Aspas has struggled since to make an impact at Anfield. The Spaniard has found it difficult to live up to the power and pace of the Premier League and has found himself starting on the bench in recent games. Aspas is reportedly on a specific training regime in order to strengthen for the physicality of the Premiership and perhaps his first goal will spark a bright future for the forward. Victor Moses Since joining on loan from Chelsea, Moses has comfortably fit into the side. Grabbing a goal on his debut against Swansea and putting in a number of bright displays since joining, the Nigerian has repaid Rodgers’ faith in bringing him to the club. His wing play has been important in the forward positions so far but he has been able to use his pace and trickery in a central role also. Moses’ future at Anfield will be determined by how he produces this year and Chelsea’s stance, but so far the winger has made a positive impact. Other summer signings haven’t had enough first team game time to properly be judged. Aly Cissokho, who injured his ankle in only his second appearance for the club, should be back to full fitness soon. Tiago Ilori has featured, and impressed for the U21 side and is certainly one for the future. The same goes for Luis Alberto who has had a brief taste of first team life. Rodgers can be pleased with the start his summer signings have made to their Anfield career. The team looks strong with a number of players in reserve and promising youngsters so there is every chance Rodgers can land Champions League football.

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NEW BOYS

Expertly written by: Ross Webber Ross’s site is liverpoolnewsandviews.tumblr.com

Mamadou

SAKHO

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The final day of the summer transfer window was a busy one for Liverpool, as the reds confirmed the signing of Moses from Chelsea, Ilori from Sporting and French 23 year old centre back Mamadou Sakho from PSG. But who is he? It all began for the Frenchman in his home city of Paris, when at an early age he earned his place in the PSG academy. Sakho then spent the next 5 years working his way through the ranks at the club, until in 2007 he signed his first professional contract, gaining his first appearance in the same year. Following his promising start to the campaign, he was handed the captains armband, becoming the clubs youngest ever player to do so; it was clear to all the world that this was a player who was go-ing to go a long way. The world was soon proved right. As PSG grew into a prominent European side, Mamadou enjoyed a huge amount of success; he won trophies in domestic cups in France, as well as claiming the league title in his last year at the club.

George Way introduces us to the new Killer of the Kop. He already looks like a class act.

Introducing...

More impressively still, perhaps, is the fact that Sakho kept his place in the side, amidst massive investment by the club – this was definitely helped by his inclusion in the France squad. So, after a whirlwind of a career so far, many consider him as a fully experienced international defender, at the age of only 23. Then came his big money move; he joined the Reds on September 2nd, in a deal worth a huge £18m, making him one of the most expensive defenders in the Premier League. But has he lived up to his price tag? While this could be disputed, it is unfair to be critical of a player who is quickly adapting to life in a new country; and I think he is doing so very well. We are now beginning to see some of the form that secured his place in Paris; perhaps most notably is his incredible composure on the ball when the pressure is on. At the time of writing, he has made 5 appearances for Liverpool, and in every one he has shown signs of improvement.

His debut came in the away game in Wales, at Swansea, and it is fair to say he was thrown in at the deep end. He was tasked with marking two of the leagues strongest strikers; Wilfred Bony and Michu – furthermore, nobody knew what Jonjo Shelvey was going to do next?! In spite of this, he had quite a successful game, all in all: though there were a few defensive errors, his aerial prowess was outstanding, and he almost got his name on the score sheet. His introduction to the Premier League continued in the 1-0 loss to

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SAKHO

“I’m learning and I listen to the manager’s advice. It’s funny, he calls me Killer. On the pitch I’m trying to adapt to my team-mates and things are getting better and better because I need to communicate." Sakho

Southampton at Anfield; it was a game where the Saints managed to exploit one of the few mistakes made at the back, Sakho, how-ever continued to show signs of improvement. The next game was the Capital One Cup game at Old Trafford, and Brendan Rogers highlighted Sakho’s place in the squad, starting him again in a much changed defence. He was also involved in the games against Sunderland, and Crystal Palace and featured solid defensive performances, that probably would have ended in a clean sheet had it not been for individual errors. More significantly, these two games portrayed what may have been the best of Sakho; the Sunderland game saw him deal with an especially tough player in the shape of Jozy Altidore, whose strength has troubled even the league’s best teams. Sakho used his pace and strength to keep him out of the game. Not only this, but in the two games, his composure grew even more, and he began to make more confident runs and passes on the ball, with more and more success on each occasion. Mamadou Sakho will play a huge part in our challenge this year, and while he may not score the goals that elevate us to the top 4, he has the ability to keep the amount of goals we concede to a minimum. He said it himself: “I’m here to make history.”

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SAKHO

Expertly written by: George Way - you can send your feedback to

us and we’ll pass it on - editor@anfieldroar.com

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Quite a hot prospect for the future, the 20 years old defender seemed to be a target for a lot of big clubs in the summer. But eventually, on the deadline day of the summer transfer window, Tiago Abiola Delfim Almeida Ilori was signed by Liverpool, for a £7 million fee. Born in London, from a Portuguese mother and a Nigerian father, Liverpool's number 26 started his career in 2006 at Sporting CP's renowned academy, where he ini-tially was played as a striker (you can really see that from the way he plays).

Emmanuel Ivan runs the rule over a young defender that looks set to become a fixture at Anfield...

Tiago

ILORI

Introducing...

“I was aware of a couple of other clubs that were interested but the way Liverpool dealt with it and spoke with me made it an easy choice." Ilori

What impressed me most about him, was when I found out that the 1.90 m (6ft 3in) centre back, holds Sporting CP's academy record at one of their speed tests - meaning he is faster than the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Quaresma or Nani, while he is taller than, for example, Sakho (the Frenchman is just 1.87m tall).

A great aspect of Ilori's game, as it was seen at the U-20 World Cup in Turkey, is that he has the ability to start attacks, and also provide his team-mates an op-portunity to get into the right areas when he has the ball at his feet. But, despite being an attacking minded central defender that loves venturing forward with the ball, Ilori shows great organisation, the kind of tactical discipline that you can only learn in a top academy. It’s hard to predict what role will Ilori play into Rodgers’ team this season. With the likes of Agger, Skrtel, Toure or Sakho in the squad, for the moment a starting spot seems quite a 'mission impossible'. However, you can never foresee how this kind of situations will pan out (check Raheem Sterling). Tiago Ilori still has a lot to learn and to adapt to. Nevertheless, in my humble opinion, the young Portuguese will turn out to be a world class player for Liverpool, because at only 20 years of age, it seems clearly that he is bound to shine.

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ILORI

“It's true that they have speed tests at Sporting and in one of them I have the record. Over 30 metres it's something like three seconds.” Ilori

U-20s

Expertly written by: Ivan Emanuel

You can tweet Ivan at @emy_2good

Aly

CISSOKHO

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The career of Aly Cissokho has been one of many ups and downs. A meteoric rise to stardom with FC Porto following a €300,000 move from Vitória Setúbal was marked by the achievement of a league and cup double at the age of just 21. He spent just one year with the Portuguese side before making the €15million move back to his homeland with Lyon – only the last-minute discovery of an obscure tooth problem prevented the defender from joining AC Milan during that transfer window, a measure of the footballing reputation he now had in Europe. Yet, after a promising first season with the French champions, this reputation began to disintegrate and Lyon were prepared to lose €10million euros to offload him to Valencia at the beginning of the 2012-13 season. As Liverpool fans, we must now hope that Anfield will inspire Cissokho to re-gain his form. Since John Arne Riise departed for AS Roma in 2008, Liverpool have struggled to find a permanent choice at left back. A long list of potential suitors have tried and failed to fill the gap.

TJ Jordan tells us what to expect from our new left-back, once he’s back from injury...

Introducing...

Dossena, Insua, Aurelio and co. all looked promising before falling away. I’m sure most of you have understandably forgotten about another infamous bald left back who was once seen (by the current England manager!) as the replacement for Riise; it is crime against football that Paul Konchesky ever played for Liverpool. Although current first-choice Jose Enrique has his fans, he remains consistently inconsistent. After an excellent first half of his maiden season at Anfield – a stalwart in most fantasy football sides – he quickly lost his way and has been in and out of the team ever since. At one stage, Rodgers was so unconvinced by him that he saw an out of position Stewart Downing as a better option at left back, a slap in the face to any footballer. With Cissokho back to fitness, Rodgers now has to make the choice between two similarly erratic, attacking full backs. Neither will inspire confidence in the Liverpool manager. In terms of his playing style, Cissokho can certainly be noted for his attacking prowess. During his single campaign at Porto, manager Jesualdo Ferreira believed this to the extent that the defender was often used further up the pitch in a left-sided offensive position, with his pace, strength and energy allowing him to bomb up and down the wings. Surely then, Cissokho is made for the hustle and bustle of the Premier League?

Cissokho’s technical problems lie within his own positive attrib-utes. The Frenchman’s extensive physical assets lead to a certain amount of over-exuberance when it comes to the final third –

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CISSOKHO

“He's a player that's got experience; only a few years back he went for €15million so he's a player that has got quality. The idea was to build the squad and make it competitive.” Rodgers on Cissokho

French football expert Andrew Gibney declares in his scouting report of the defender that his “deliveries lack any consistency”. This over-exuberance is reflected in the defensive side of his game, with Gibney mentioning that he is prone to “rash challenges”. This could be a real issue when placed within the context of the pace of the English top division. Furthermore, he has just one international cap to his name, although it would be unfair to cite Cissokho’s inability to break into the national side as a reason to disregard his talent. The full back is in the unfortu-nate situation of playing in a highly competitive position: Evra, Clichy and Jeremy Mathieu have understandably kept him out of the French squad. This fact does, however, serve to provide a context for which to compare Cissokho to two established Premier League left backs. The former Portuguese league and cup champion certainly has untapped potential, and at 26 there is still just enough time for this to be realised. Although his form has been unreliable in recent seasons, Liverpool fans should take comfort in one of their favourite phrases: “Form is temporary, class is permanent”. In the case of Aly Cissokho, though, he is yet to prove that the class is there.

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CISSOKHO

Waiting for the call

Expertly written by: Thomas Jordan Tweet Thomas - @teejbusbys1

After dispatching Sunderland a few weeks ago, the Reds begin this months’ games back in the North-east. Games against Newcastle generally don’t disappoint, so expect a fast, free-flowing game with plenty of thrills and spills. But we have too much class to fall at this black-and-white striped hurdle, so the win should be ours, which will put us, ahem, top of the league by three points… (it being an early kick-off and all..). Magic! We should be similarly fearless about facing West Brom at Anfield the following week: as good as West Brom are, they are no match for our SAS (Suarez and Sturridge). Another three points should technically be in the bag after a couple of early goals gives us enough of a lead to get a bit lazy in the second half. Which sets us up nicely for the big one… Arsenal away. A fixture that a few years ago would seem to be un-winnable, but, in recent years, with their inconsistency and general lameness, then we can go there and fancy our chances. United fans have been saying that we’ll slip by the wayside as the season progresses, but if we win this one, then who else will there be to lose to?!

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Gary McParnaby looks at the matches coming up - will we still be top of the league after these…?

Low-lying Fulham round up our games for the next four weeks. Assuming they have sacked their manager by then, then the Londoners should hope-fully be in free-fall, and we could probably play the youth team and get a win. Rodgers, of course, won’t be as cocky as all that, so he’ll play the first eleven and it’s likely that half of them won’t even break a sweat. So three or four victories, and we’ll still be sitting pretty come the Derby (Next up - in late November!)

Comp Opposition Date Time Predict

Prem Newcastle (a) Sat 19th Oct 12:45 WIN

Prem West Brom (h) Sat 26th Oct 15:00 WIN

Prem Arsenal (a) Sat 2nd Nov 17:30 DRAW

Prem Fulham (h) Sat 9th Nov 15:00 WIN

FIXTURES

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Expertly written by: Gary McParnaby - you can send your feedback

to us and we’ll pass it on - editor@anfieldroar.com

So glad this didn’t happen!

Our bi game this month is against Arsenal. We look back at some classic moments in matches against the Gunners...

Liverpool 4 Arsenal 2 (5-3 on agg) 2008 – Champs League Adebayor put Arsenal 3-2 ahead on away goals before Gerrard converted a penalty and Ryan Babel completed the scoring with a fourth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ShDNMstEA

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Liverpool 4 Arsenal 1 – March 2007 A heavy defeat for the Gunners courtesy of Peter Crouch’s first hat-trick at club level. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MHl7grCKdU

Arsenal 1 Liverpool 2 – May 2001 – FA Cup final Michael Owen produced a virtuoso late show, scoring twice in the last eight minutes to crush Arsene Wenger’s side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y135c-eST8

YOUTUBE

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Send us your favourites - @anfieldroarmag

The phrase 'lies, damned lies and statistics' is often used to describe the persuasive power of numbers and how they can be manipulated to evidence a certain point of view. Although perhaps more pertinent in a financial or political context, it is something which can often be seen in a football setting. Each week when writing about Liverpool, in particular when compiling match previews, I find myself trawling through endless pages of facts and stats which purport to give an indication of form or player ability etc. Sometimes, for example, a particular titbit may say 'Team A has beaten Team B in each of their past five meetings', which on the face of it would represent an important pointer towards the potential outcome of an upcoming match. Dig a little deeper however and it could well be that all five matches took place in the 1960s and therefore it provides no relevant indicator at all. This is of course a very basic example but the subject is something I considered at length in the build-up to Luis Suarez's recent come-back from suspension. At the time there was a lot of talk doing the rounds concerning how his comeback would have a negative effect and destabilise the team. A figure readily banded about to support the argument stated that Liverpool, when Suarez was absent, had a 22% better win percentage than when he played (61% compared to just 39%).

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And indeed, at the time at least, it was true; 11 wins in 18 games without him and 30 wins in 77 with. Ignoring the obvious fact that it can hardly be regarded as a like-for-like comparison, given a difference of 59 played matches between the figures, the evidence to leave him out was portrayed as compelling.

In reality it was ridiculous. Almost any team in the world would be made better by the presence of Suarez in their line-up, controversies included, and so it has proved. His return, alongside Daniel Sturridge, has reinvigorated the early stages of our campaign and at a time when we had started to see some cause for concern in the matches against Swansea City and Southampton. There is a feel good factor around the club currently and even the national press and supporters of other teams have been praising the job Brendan Rodgers is doing. Statistically speaking, Rodgers' record is only fractionally better than that of his predecessor Kenny Dalglish, who, despite being a living legend in the eyes of Kopites, is generally regarded as having struggled during his second spell at the helm. The overall figures for Dalglish's second coming: P74 W36 D16 L22. Which equates to a win percentage of 48.65%. Rodgers at the time of writing? P63 W31 D16 L16. A win percentage improvement of 0.56% over Dalglish to 49.21%.

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CLEAR AS DAY

The evidence to leave Suarez out was portrayed as compelling.

Part of the feelgood factor?

Arguably, as with the Suarez debate, most people's thinking is based on the perception, misplaced or otherwise, which is given off by the media.

Even if there wasn't an air of positivity around Anfield, it is still clear, to most ardent observers at least, that we are a better club now than two years ago even if you can still find evidence to counter the claim. Sometimes you have to take a broader look at proceedings and see beyond head-lines and statistics to form your own opinion. Of course Rodgers is yet to win anything other than plaudits, whereas King Kenny at least lifted a trophy, but all the hard work being done behind the scenes to ensure we continue to improve and develop will hopefully continue to bare fruit.

CLEAR AS DAY

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Expertly written by: Gavin Day - tweet him @superbag

Visit Gavin’s site at http://www.liverpool.vitalfootball.co.uk

Statistically speaking, Rodgers' record is only fractionally better than that of Kenny Dalglish

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