Tuesday, 12 August 2014

UEFA SUPER CUP: Real Madrid vs Sevilla, LIVE COMMENTARY -


Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post, another LIVE Commentary as UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid play against fellow Spanish side Sevilla, who won the UEFA Europa League last season. 

Here are the team line-ups for tonight's game: 

Real Madrid: Casillas, Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Coentrao, Kroos, Rodriguez, Modric, Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.

Subs: Navas, Varane, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Di Maria, Isco, Illarramendi.

Sevilla: Beto, Coke, Pareja, Fazio, Fernando Navarro, Alex Vidal, Krychowiak, Carrico, Vitolo, Suarez, Bacca.

Subs: Barbosa, Diogo Figueiras, Reyes, Jairo, Iborra, Aspas, Luismi.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (from England)

19:45 - The referee Mark Clattenburg blows his whistle, as the UEFA Super Cup has begun!

1: It will be interesting to see how both teams fare tonight, Real Madrid have gone from strength to strength after completing big money-moves for James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos from AS Monaco and Bayern Munich respectively.


Star signing: James took the World Cup by storm, and earned a £60million dream move to Real
2:  Sevilla meanwhile will feel disappointed as they have lost some of their key players, Rakitic joined Barcelona earlier on in the summer, M'Bia is now a free agent and young full-back Alberto Moreno is set to join Liverpool after a reported transfer fee of £12million pounds was agreed earlier today, so he will not play any part tonight. 

3: This match is being played at the Cardiff City Stadium, in Wales, where Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale grew up as a child - so this match will mean a lot to him back in his home country today.

5: Liga BBVA season begins in a few weeks, so this match will be a good test for both teams tonight, both with their separate goals for the campaign ahead.

15: It's been all Real Madrid so far in this match, but it's nothing more than you would expect in fairness. if Sevilla get the ball and go on the counter attack, they could expose the defence which does look shaky at times to be honest.

16: Clattenburg halts play as Sevilla get forward and Carvajal commits a foul, an inswinging free-kick to be taken from 40 yards out.

17: Good block by Sevilla's loanee signing Denis Suarez (Barcelona youth talent) to clear the danger away after a great lofted through ball pass by Rodriguez is fed into the path of Bale; he shifts his body quickly and connects with the ball but he is denied by the tracking run from the Spaniard.

18: Real keep hold of possession, trying to get forward with pace.

20: Sevilla corner, after Casillas does well to parry away a half-chance strike by Vitolo from the near post. 

23: Sevilla defending very well at the moment, but not getting forward quickly enough as of yet. They are pressing though, which forces Real into passing the ball into space.

26: GOOD SAVE! Cristiano Ronaldo almost makes it 1-0 to Real, but for a good low stop from Beto who gets down quickly and parries away Ronaldo's effort in a crucial one-on-one duel. 

30: GOAL! Real Madrid ahead! A great counter attacking move, finished off by Ronaldo after a superb cross by Gareth Bale.


Sliding in at the far post: Ronaldo broke the deadlock after a super cross from Bale
1-0 up: Ronaldo celebrates his finish with his team-mates, as Real go a goal ahead
31: A quick switch of the play, Ronaldo sprints past his marker and Bale spots him with a 40-yard cross across goal for him to slide and slot past Beto, as Sevilla are caught on the break.

33: Good save by Casillas who reacts quickly to deny Carrico after a poor clearance from Rodriguez, Ramos and Pepe struggle to deal with it and the defender has a one-on-one that he should really be scoring in truth. 

34: Carrico has his head in his hands, because he knows that he should have scored there. 

38: Real get forward again, but Sevilla stay strong at the back and force an early cross from Rodriguez; he hits a cross into the box and Beto comes forward to collect in his hands and clear. 

41: First yellow card of the game is given to Sevilla's Vitolo - after he lunges forward at Ronaldo and accidentally catches his foot. Ronaldo goes down, clutching his foot and wins a free-kick.

42: Kroos with the delivery into the box, Bacca inadvertently heads the ball backwards and it almost falls to the path of Rodriguez who chases the ball and lets it go out for a corner-kick.

43: The corner comes of nothing as Ramos lifts his hands and the ball bounces off him - Clattenburg spots this and blows his whistle for a foul.  

45: The fourth official signals for just one minute of stoppage time to be added on, after Carvajal is booked for a late sliding challenge on the flank.

45+1: HALF-TIME: 

Real Madrid 1 Sevilla 0 - 

Real lead their Spanish counterparts at half-time, and it's deserved as they have dominated chances and possession. Sevilla need to trouble the Madrid defence more if they want to score sooner or later, because Real's defence isn't as good as it is perceived to be. 

(Follow the LIVE action - this page auto-updates every 45 seconds)

20:48 - The second-half has begun, with no substitutes as of yet. 

48: GOAL! Real are 2-0 up, thanks to another goal from Cristiano Ronaldo who smashes the ball past Beto who can only parry into the net after a good flick-on pass by Benzema on the turn.


Ronaldo celebrates his goal with new Colombian team-mate Rodriguez, after he makes it 2-0
49: Upon reflection, Beto probably should have done better with the shot but Ronaldo's effort was way too powerful to stop properly there.

50: 2-0 to Madrid, and unless Sevilla turn the tables quickly they have the game as good as won now. 

51: That's Ronaldo's 18th goal against Sevilla, who he has come up against 11 times. 

53: Kroos is the second player to be booked after a late sliding tackle on Sevilla midfielder Krychowiak. 

58: Sevilla have struggled in truth today, not in terms of defending but in terms of having any real chances or shots on goal.

59: I'm pretty sure that Casillas has only had to make one or two saves during the game so far, which isn't good enough when you are playing against a team of Real's calibre.

60: It's obvious to see that they miss Croatian playmaker Ivan Rakitic, who would have taken this game by storm with his passing abilities. 

61: He can create a half-chance out of nothing, just burst forward with the ball at his feet and feed Bacca or Suarez, both who need service but are having to go into midfield and try to win possession.

62: Bale steps towards a free-kick, he will have a strike towards goal from around 35 yards out. 

62: And his effort is tame as he tries to curl it around the wall, but it hits the free-kick wall and goes out for a throw-in.

65: Good stop by Beto again, this time from Benzema's effort on-goal; he dives to his right to parry away before the linesman flags for an offside as Coentrao sprints towards the ball.

66: Sevilla SUB - 
Alex Vidal OFF
Iago Aspas ON

67: Yet another good save by Beto, this time from a well-struck effort from James Rodriguez, 25 yards out. 

68: Rodriguez does well to hit the strike sweetly, Beto reacts quickly to parry it away with one hand acrobatically. 

70: Nice 1-2 play between Benzema and Modric on the edge of the area, but the Frenchman's effort is well wide and high of the goal in the end.

71: Real Madrid SUB - 
James Rodriguez OFF
Isco ON

76: Real corner is delayed by the referee after some tussles in the area, between Ramos and Krychowiak before Pepe gets involved (as per usual).

78: Sevilla SUB - 
Denis Suarez OFF
Jose Antonio Reyes ON

79: The referee blows his whistle and the match is restarted after Ramos was receiving medical attention for the apparent knock to the head.

82: Great last-ditch tackle by Krychowiak who does well to get between Ronaldo and the ball on the edge of the area, to slide and win the ball.

83: Ronaldo goes down and is in some considerable pain.

84: Real Madrid SUB - 
Fabio Coentrao OFF
Marcelo ON 

84: Sevilla SUB - 
Coke OFF
Diogo Figueiras ON

86: Real Madrid SUB -
Luka Modric OFF 
Asier Illaramendi ON

89: Sevilla 2-0 down, with a minute to go - but if you'd just turned on you'd thinking they are winning. Nice to see.

90: The fourth official signals for 3 minutes of stoppage time to be added on.

90+3: A last-gasp stop from Beto denies Bale from getting a goal on his return to his home country, before Mark Clattenburg blows the whistle for the final time tonight. 

FULL-TIME:

Real Madrid 2 Sevilla 0 - 

It's only a friendly, but Real have really put down a marker for their competition next season. A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo have given Real their first trophy of the season, the UEFA Super Cup.

21:40 - I'll have the trophy presentation, and then that will be the end of this LIVE Commentary tonight. I will be back in the next few days with either a transfer update, or another LIVE Commentary perhaps.

21:41 - the Premier League starts on Saturday, just 4 days remaining! Many people cannot wait, I will be having a lot of LIVE Commentaries, match reports, reviews and analysis throughout the season in all of the European big leagues. 

21:42 - Sevilla get a round of applause as they walk up the steps to get their runners-up medals for tonight's match, looking glum. 

21:43 - Real Madrid deserved to win tonight, but no-one really thought that Sevilla would challenge them in this match to be honest. 

21:44 - Pictures show Sevilla's young full-back Alberto Moreno in tears as he picks up his runners-up medal for tonight's game, in which he was NOT involved. 

21:45 - This suggests, that tonight's game may be Moreno's last as a Sevilla player, or representing the club. Liverpool have had a £12million pound bid for him accepted in the past few hours today. 

21:46 - The Real Madrid players come up with huge smiles on their faces as they walk up to get their winners medals. 

21:48 - The only players I can see who look upset or glum are Alonso and Khedira. Both players did not play a part tonight.

21:49 - Ramos steps up and lifts the UEFA Super Cup trophy aloft, to big cheers from the crowd in the stadium!

Real Madrid win the UEFA Super Cup, and they will be hoping for more success this season. 

21:50 - That's goodbye from me tonight, I hope you enjoyed today's LIVE Commentary of the match. I will be back soon with more footballing content, until then I will speak to you later!

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Sunday, 10 August 2014

COMMUNITY SHIELD, Arsenal vs Manchester City - LIVE COMMENTARY:




Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post - where I have a LIVE Commentary of the match between Arsenal and Manchester City, in an official curtain raiser before the season begins next week Saturday. 

Both teams will be eager for the win to see them win the first piece of silverware ahead of the new campaign, and it will be intriguing to see how both sides perform under pressure at Wembley later today. 

13:51 - I will have official confirmation of the team news and starting line-ups for today's game when it is released, the match is set to kick off in just over an hour's time.

13:52 - Both teams will not be at full strength today, because Pellegrini and Wenger are both resting some of their key players who were playing in the World Cup back in June and July. 

13:53 - Arsenal have been unusually busy in this summer transfer market, and their business is not even done yet according to Wenger! 


Thursday, 7 August 2014

Latest transfer news, football updates and rumours:

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post, where I have the latest transfer news, football updates and rumours across Europe as the month of August has begun.

Less than 1 month away from the end of the transfer window, many clubs are in talks with other teams for players as they are all looking to bolster their squads ahead of the new season. 


Sunday, 3 August 2014

PRE-SEASON ACTION: LIVE COMMENTARY -


Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post, where I have a LIVE Commentary of the pre-season action involving Premier League sides today.

Arsenal are up against Ligue 1 runners-up Monaco in the Emirates Cup, while Everton play FC Porto and Chelsea have a tough test on their hands against German side Werder Bremen.


Saturday, 2 August 2014

EPL: 6 reasons to be excited for 2014-15!


Hello again everyone, and welcome to my latest blog post - today I will be presenting 6 reasons as to why you should all be excited about the 2014-15 season in the Premier League, and what it means for the future.

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Latest football news, transfer rumours, done deals and updates:

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post - a transfer news update. There have been a lot of rumours flying around in the past week or so, and some done deals have been confirmed across Europe. 

So without further ado, let me begin:

NEWS UPDATE: English defender Rio Ferdinand, who was formerly of Manchester United for the past 12 years publicly stated to the media yesterday that if he had not come back to a team in London, he would have retired from club football.

He also said that he was happy to stay at United, but new manager Louis van Gaal did not have him in his immediate plans for the season, meaning he had to be replaced.  

ALMOST COMPLETE: Liga BBVA champions Atletico Madrid have confirmed that they are set to sign Real Sociedad and France winger Antoine Griezmann for a reported fee of £18million pounds, pending a medical set to take place in the comng days.

NOT FOR SALE: Swansea manager Garry Monk has confirmed that his key striker Wilfried Bony is not for sale, and only an "astronomical bid" could prise him away from The Swans.
Key: Bony has been confirmed as a player not for sale - from manager Garry Monk.
Surprise: Michu joined Napoli on a loan deal last week, no more departures for The Swans?
ENCOURAGING WORDS: Daniel Sturridge has said that he can fill the gap left by the sale of fellow striker Luis Suárez, who has joined Barcelona pending FIFA's approval after his four-month ban finishes.

SAS: They combined perfectly to make one of the most deadliest strike partnerships ever.
Big blow: The Reds will miss their talisman, but they still have Sturridge!
Lead the line: Sturridge has said he can help replace Suárez, who is set to join Barcelona.
INJURY NEWS: Manchester United full-back Rafael is struggling with a groin injury, and has left the club's USA tour for further treatment on the problem which was suffered last Friday during a training session. 

FRESH RUMOUR: Aston Villa are poised to make an enquiry to complete a loan deal for Chelsea winger Victor Moses, who has rarely featured for The Blues since his £9million pound move back in 2012. 

Another loan? Moses was at Liverpool last season, but only scored 2 goals in 22 appearances

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: West Ham, Southampton, Swansea and Hull are among some Premier League clubs interested in Arsenal's right-back Carl Jenkinson.
The 22-year-old has been a bit-part player for The Gunners in the 2013-14 campaign, and due to Chambers' arrival it seems that he will be third choice full-back if he decides to stay.

Hull have made a £3million pound offer for him, West Ham and Southampton both want him on loan deals but his future is uncertain. 

DONE DEAL: Chelsea have confirmed a deal to re-sign former legendary striker Didier Drogba, on an initial one-year contract deal. It is thought that Didier could become a Chelsea coach after his second spell finishes.    

RUMOUR: Manchester United defensive midfielder Marouane Fellaini is reportedly unsettled by talk of a move, and his agent is set to speak with Italian club Napoli in the coming days of a potential move to the Serie A. 

That would be a surprising deal, seeing as Fellaini joined United back on deadline day of last season and has struggled despite being played out of position.   

Remember this? Fellaini joined on deadline day, with David Moyes in charge
NEWS REPORT: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has officially confirmed that teenage left-back Luke Shaw has returned from World Cup duty with England un-fit, and he has been given a special fitness training programme to get him to peak levels before the start of the season in a fortnight.
Luke is currently on the club's USA tour.

RUMOUR: Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has a busy few weeks ahead of him. According to reports Barcelona are ready to make a bid for the Belgian centre-back, but he has publicly said that he is happy to stay where he is at Spurs. 

FRESH RUMOUR: Tottenham have reportedly confirmed their interest in Southampton duo midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and forward Jay Rodriguez, and are set to sign both players. 

Spurs' new manager Mauricio Pochettino worked well with both men in the past when he was Southampton manager, who knows? 

DONE DEAL: Arsenal announced the signing of Southampton teenage full-back Calum Chambers for a reported transfer fee of £12million pounds, which is set to rise to around £16million in the future based on performance and appearances for the club. 


It's a good signing for The Gunners, and Chambers has the potential to be a long-term investment, at the club for many years to come.

Monday, 28 July 2014

Real Madrid: Time for more success?


Having won the UEFA Champions League and Spanish cup last season, Real Madrid will be looking to improve on where they left off in the league and in European competitions.



No team is perfect, and that's why manager Carlo Ancellotti has already made a bold statement by agreeing deals to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos and Monaco wonderkid James Rodriguez, who stole the show at this year's World Cup in Brazil.

In terms of quality, it is clearly obvious that Real have arguably the best squad in the world at the moment. Not only are they powerful and effective on the counter attack, but with the likes of young Frenchman Raphael Varane and Spanish centre-back Sergio Ramos in the centre of defence, it's very hard to get past them. 

And dating back to the power of the counter attack, Madrid are very powerful and fast on the break which makes them even stronger than their opponents. Anyone remember the match against Bayern in the Champions League earlier in the year?

If you haven't, or need something to jog your memory back to that comfortable rout - watch this:


Despite winning the Champions League, which is a huge feat in itself - Real will be disappointed that their rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fought for the title until the last day while they had the trophy within their grasp but struggled towards the end of the season, despite many favouring them to win it all. 

Atletico won Liga BBVA in the end, and despite having sold many of their key players this summer - they are more likely to bounce back and challenge for the title again, which makes the league more interesting as a whole.

Real were focussed on winning the Champions League, which is perhaps part of the reason why their league form declined towards the end of the 2013-14 campaign, but their squad depth and quality will be tested to the limit in the upcoming season as they attempt to win the quadruple.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema. Who knows? 

Deadly partnership: Ronaldo and Bale gelled together perfectly in their first season together; 70 goals and 30 assists between them
Clinical finisher: Benzema is Real's top striker, and scored 24 goals last campaign
Rodriguez was the man of the tournament in the World Cup, and joined Real for £63million
Consistency is the key. 

Friday, 25 July 2014

Lallana to Liverpool - Summer Signing Review #7:


Hello and welcome to my seventh installment of my summer signing reviews, this time I will be reviewing Liverpool's move to sign English midfielder Adam Lallana from Southampton, a reported transfer fee of around £25million pounds was agreed and Lallana was consequently unveiled a few weeks ago to the media and the supporters around the world.


At age 26, Lallana is clearly a player in the prime of his career and what better way to test himself than signing for a top 4 club in one of the most competitive leagues in the world?

Liverpool's consistent performances throughout the 2013-14 season meant that they qualified for the Champions League, for the first time in 5 years. 

Based on their world-class players and their style of football, they have attracted interest from many good players across Europe and are looking to strengthen in every position as they look to return to European action on weekdays in style, for the upcoming campaign. 

At The Saints, he was performing over expectations and raising his transfer value every week - now, he will be under pressure to perform alongside the likes of Coutinho, Gerrard and Henderson in an attacking midfield.

FACT: Lallana has become Liverpool's most expensive midfielder ever, after he signed.

This is what Lallana had to say in his first official interview with the club: 

Question: How massive is this move for your career?

Answer: It's a huge step - Liverpool is a club with so much history and the way they played last season is something I can't wait to build on. Champions League football is back and everyone's telling me that the atmosphere on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at Anfield is special.

Question: So Liverpool impressed you last season? 

Answer: Watching them towards the end of last season was unbelievable. It got the hairs on the back of my neck standing up - deep down I was thinking to myself that one day I'd be able to play in that team! That dream has become a reality and I can't wait to get started.

Question: How different are Liverpool and Southampton?

Answer: People have said to me that there are similarities in the way that Southampton and Liverpool play their football. I hope that helps me to settle in easily, I just can't wait to work with the world-class players here. Only going to learn and get better. 

Question: What can you learn from Steven Gerrard?

Answer: There is no limit to what I can learn playing alongside Steven. I grew up watching him play, and he's a legend in the eyes of Liverpool fans! For me to be playing alongside him at club level is surreal!

Question: What's your message to your new club's fans?

Answer: Hopefully I can settle in quickly and I will give it my best throughout my whole time here. I just hope I can add something to the team and hopefully we can win trophies, because that's why I'm here!


FINAL VERDICT: It's a good signing without a doubt, fair transfer fee and he's going to a good club where he will settle in perfectly alongside his new team-mates as they hope to gel well together.

His playing style will give Liverpool a new dimension to the way they approach the game; his silky dribbling and top-class vision aswell as his range of passing and ability to create chances out of nothing will help the club greatly, to try and soften the blow lost by the sale of Luis Suárez.

If they can sign a clinical striker (currently linked with Remy), there is no reason why they cannot perform well in all competitions next season. 

Signal of intent by the Reds, they clearly want to stay among Europe's elite and signing a player of Lallana's quality proves this. 

Can they stay in the top four? Will they perform in the CL? Time will tell.

Thursday, 24 July 2014

PRE-SEASON ACTION: Herrera shines on debut while Liverpool lose late on

Hello again everyone, welcome to my latest blog post - where I have a review of the pre-season friendlies that were played during Wednesday and Thursday.

Many teams across Europe were in action yesterday, as they prepared for the start of the season in respective matches.


Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Why Liverpool could struggle in the UCL next season:


Now don’t get me wrong – this is definitely not a hate campaign against Liverpool, who were one of the best sides to watch in football last season. Their counter attacking speed and clinical nature helped them to their best finish since the 2008-09 season, and within touching distance of their first Barclays Premier League trophy since it began back in 1992.

I personally like the majority of their players aswell, the likes of Coutinho, Sturridge and Sterling all have different qualities which link-up together perfectly to create a healthy balance in an up and coming team under Brendan Rodgers; who has done well to steady the ship and deliver Champions League football back to Anfield once again.

But, there are major doubts currently as to whether or not Liverpool have what it takes to be able to multi-task efficiently and still finish in a respectable place next campaign. They have a new competition to worry about, as well as trying to cement themselves as a true top four team again instead of the “one season wonder” tag that haunted the likes of Tottenham and Everton a few years ago.

The UEFA Champions League itself carries a high level of prestige and honour, which can be a real factor when it comes to signing world-class players who want to be on centre stage every week; but the real question is whether the teams involved can actually stay consistent and be able to compete with the best in Europe every year.

A lot of Liverpool’s current crop of players do not have any real UCL experience, which is not exactly an encouraging sight. Plus, the sale of talisman striker Luis Suárez to Barcelona (for £75million pounds) is not exactly going to help the cause, especially as the Uruguayan (as much as he is criticized for his bad behaviour) was an integral part of their team going forward alongside Sturridge last season.

Suárez is one of, if not the best striker in the world and his sale will be sorely missed from all at LFC, whether they will admit that to you or not. What I am saying is there are doubts over whether the current crop will be able to deliver at the top level of football under pressure from the best of the best, those teams who know how to get the job done no matter how they do it.


To prove my point, I am going to look at each and every one of Liverpool’s players currently playing for the first-team in an objective manner -

Simon Mignolet – A solid goalkeeper all-round, but has a tendency to make mistakes.

Pepe Reina – Out on-loan at Napoli last season, and he was impressive. Will he stay at LFC?  Experience is vital for them regardless.

Brad Jones – Third string keeper, and that is all. Not really challenging for top dog either.

Glen Johnson – Experienced, but has been quiet for the majority of the season and has notably decreased his performances as he has got older. Hopefully he can stay fit next season, struggling with injuries and such.

Jose Enrique – Not much UCL experience, and he has been struggling with injuries over the past season or so. Would be a shame to see him out of action, but he is a solid full-back.

Kolo Touré – Experienced, but at 33 he has a tendency to make mistakes which are simply not justifiable in the centre of defence.

Daniel Agger – Very reliable centre-back who still has a few years left in him at age 29, the vice captain of the team and a tactically aware player which is a good quality to have.

Mamadou Sakho – Let’s just say you wouldn’t want him marking you as a striker. Powerful, pacy and a brick wall in defence who has the tendency to give away fouls occasionally and make the odd mistake. PSG are missing out though.

Martin Skrtel – Scores at both ends of the pitch, he is a powerful centre-back who unfortunately is leaky under pressure.

Jon Flanagan – He proved himself in the few matches that he played last season, but he is too young to be placed under media spotlight and expectation already. Expect a few cameo appearances though.

Steven Gerrard (c) – The captain, the most experienced player in the team. Look at him to lead the team, not just in the dressing room but on the pitch. Natural born leader with the most assists last season, he’s clearly still got “it”.

Phillipe Coutinho – How and why Inter Milan sold this Brazilian youngster I will never know, but Liverpool don’t mind! One of their key creative attacking forces, he will be hoping that he can do the same again starting in August.

Jordan Henderson – Last season, he silenced the critics and proved to everyone that he is worth £20million pounds. Quiet during the World Cup, but he will hope he can show himself on the big stage.

Lucas Leiva – When he’s not injured, he is a class midfielder. But, his injury problems have halted his career.

Emre Can – An interesting deal to sign Can from LFC, £10million for a youngster who has potential. To be fulfilled, but needs game time.

Joe Allen – In my opinion, he should have stayed at Swansea. Doesn’t get played very often, and when he does he looks uncomfortable.

Raheem Sterling – Attacking flair, blistering pace and good dribbling; Raheem is one of the best young players in Europe. Is he ready?

Lazar Markovic – A new signing for The Reds, £20million spent on Benfica’s golden boy. He’ll get his chance, but doesn’t have much experience.

Rickie Lambert – A bargain at £4million pounds from Southampton, but not exactly the first name on the team sheet. Consistent performer, but not UCL material.

Daniel Sturridge – Their best attacking option, Dani has proved his worth in the past two seasons and it will be good to see him in the UCL next season. Clinical, selfish at times but worth it.

Fabio Borini – No experience, but he’s decent. Rumours running rampant that he’s off to Sunderland for £15m though.

So what do you guys think, can Liverpool do well this season or will they struggle under pressure? I hope I’m wrong, but looking at it from a neutral perspective the odds are not exactly in their favour. The new season is under a month to go now!