By Chris Rowland.
Welcome to today’s daily digest, listing the day’s Liverpool FC news, the latest LFC transfer news, other major football news and also providing links to the best posts on the site’s debate section.
LFC News:
Brendan Rodgers has explained why he decided to change his defensive line-up for Saturday’s clash with Fulham, indicating that he intends to utilise his squad fully over the coming weeks:
“I just decided to change it,” he said, when asked about his thinking behind Saturday’s team selection.
“I have said to the players that between now and January we have one game a week.
“The players are working very well and very hard on a daily basis but I need to give oxygen to some players, so they can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Joe Allen aims to follow Martin Skrtel’s example as he attempts to win back a regular place in the Liverpool starting line-up:
“Martin is the perfect example for anyone who feels frustrated or impatient when they are not in the side,” he said.
“He’s done brilliantly and my idea is to do the same. Dealing with not being in the team can be tough, but it’s part and parcel of football.
Talented Spanish teenager Sergi Canos has finally got his Liverpool career up and running after his clearance finally came through. The 16-year-old made his competitive debut for the Reds in the U18s 3-1 win over Stoke City last weekend. Canos is away on international duty this week with Spain U17s alongside Liverpool team-mate Pedro Chirivella, who joined from Valencia in the summer.
Italy midfielder Marco Parolo has revealed he sees England captain Steven Gerrard as his role model whilst learning to become a top player. The Parma playmaker is set to feature in Friday’s international friendly against Germany in Milan.
“I have always been inspired by Gerrard,” Parolo said on Wednesday. “I think he is a point of reference for any midfielder of my generation.”
LFC Transfer Talk:
Liverpool target Jackson Martinez has again indicated he is willing to leave Porto if a big enough club were to make an offer.
The 27-year-old Columbian has been linked with a switch to the Reds in the past and there was talk of a move last summer but nothing came of it. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is not alone in looking at the striker as Chelsea’s former Porto managers Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas-Boas, are also said to be keen to land the forward.
Arsenal are the latest English club to be linked with a move for AC Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy. El Shaarawy has been linked with Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham since the summer with Milan thought to hold no interest in selling the Italian international.
However, reports in Italy suggest that Milan may have had a change of heart with Massimo Allegri preferring Mario Balotelli and Alessandro Matri up front.
Other Football News:
West Brom have written to the Premier League and its match officials asking for video reviews of penalty decisions. The Baggies were incensed by the awarding of a late penalty that allowed Chelsea to draw 2-2 with Albion at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Derby County are to rename Pride Park the iPro Stadium in a 10-year sponsorship deal with the sports drink company worth £7m. The Blackpool match on Dec. 7th will be the first at the renamed stadium.
Articles Published Today:
Will You Be Disappointed If We Don’t Make Top 4? – Symposium.
Best/Most Interesting Posts Today:
Bob posted a Liverpool Daily Post article asking Did Hillsborough police help cause crush outside ground?
Which I have always contended was a major contributor to what happened inside it.
Dangerous buildup of supporters outside the Leppings Lane terrace triggered fateful decision of match commander David Duckenfield to open exit gates.
“Supt Marshall seems to have told the officers under his control to herd fans towards the gates.
“The question needs to be answered as to whether it was officers under Supt Marshall’s control who actively caused the crush that led to the Hillsborough disaster.
——
It seems possible that those officers premeditatedly concealed the part their actions played in causing the Hillsborough disaster.”
Lots of good debate on the Symposium topic Will You Be Disappointed If We Don’t Make Top 4? – keep watching this one, it’s good – including this one from Slemsman:
And with the home returns against all those sides to come at the end of the season when several will still have European commitments I think our mentality and big match will get its biggest test and we will see if these players are fragile as they sometimes have been in must win games or actually capable of progressing to the next level.
At the moment I’m feeling extremely confident about the ‘by the numbers/percentage game’ that BR is playing and that’s why I wasn’t too bothered about the result against Arsenal.
The other side is to say that this is the year to take advantage of the relative weakness of all the other top sides – if not this year then when?
And this from Beez:
If we finish on 70 (say), we’ll have improved on two years ago by 18 points – a 35% improvement. 4th or not, I think it’d be hard to feel *too* disappointed with that.
Garythespud weighed in discussing the pros and cons of the case for us finishing top 4:
So yes, to answer the question, I’d be gutted. But that’s the heart talking and in this body the heart wears the pants! Come on, Red Men!
Another from Beez showed some revealing stats on Martin Tyler’s blog in answer to a Southampton fan’s query whether teams with 22 points after 11 games have ever failed to qualify for Europe:
Since 2008/09 every team with 22 points at this stage has gone on to finish in a European spot and only one – Newcastle in 2011/12 failed to get into the Champions League.
There’s a full list of the 58 teams who picked up 22 points or more from their first 11 games in the PL (which you can see here). Then Beez posted a table of all the teams who have had Liverpool’s current total of 23 after 11. As he said:
The average finishing position is 3.3……. excited, moi?
Rafaisthebosphorus also made some interesting points on this debate:
It’s entirely rational to change hope and expectation in response to a good start.
It’s irrational to ignore the data on us and the competition, and retain the same level of expectation as at the start of the season.
Beez also posted an interactive map of 113 years of football transfers, from the Guardian.
News of Gerrard needing an injection in his hip before he an be considered for next week’s friendly with Germany drew this interesting post from Jeff:
My point is that I would never trust a team doctor to put the interest of the player before that of the team.
It also produced this from fourcandles:
Gerrard has the injection before every England match. It numbs him to Hodgson’s tactics.
Being picked for England carrying an injury is giving us the needle …
