Liverpool's fabulous start to the season continues

      

       Liverpool's winning streak this season has been inevitable and they've literally blocked all roads, not allowing a single team to knock them down. Totally dominant in both European and Club football this season, making them the most feared and best team in Europe at the moment. Slicing it clean with comfortable victories in all competitions, the Reds are currently on course to claim their first Premier League trophy after 3 decades now. Liverpool fairly enjoyed impressive seasons in the past, particularly in 2008/2009, 2013/2014 and 2018/2019, but the current form that they are in are incomparable to any of that mentioned! 

      Don't remember seeing a Liverpool side as deadly as this and it certainly is a proud moment for all Reds fan to see the team back to where they rightfully belong. The formidable form that the Reds are currently enjoying looks almost impossible to beat off and it is definitely going to stay for a very long time. 

     There was a time Liverpool only had several players capable of delivering world-class crosses, but now, almost everyone in the squad can do it. That's how much the team has progressed over the years under the supervision of Klopp. The width and depth this possesses now is unbelievable. Klopp now has two major trophies under his name and is looking ever confident and likely to win more in the years to come with his fellow Redmen. 

      It was a week full of happiness for Liverpool fans as they celebrated some really good news when Klopp and James Milner signed an extension to the contract with the club until 2024. Milner on the hand, has proved to be a great asset by stepping up when it matters the most and it is the kind of maturity and experience that Liverpool needs from time to time. 

    Liverpool's back four has been a formidable force and a major pursuit in the Reds course of maintaining 100% record in the league this season. In the past few weeks, we've seen the likes of Matip and Lovren (latest in the list) suffering from injuries which opens the door for Gomez to step up and prove a point. The English national player was sidelined for several months after suffering a broken leg last season and struggled to find the form he once had. But now, with Matip and Lovren out through injuries, Gomez filled up the gap just perfectly and was a deadly force pairing with Virgil Van Dijk. 

     Gomez's and Van Dijk's strong physique is a worrying factor for many attackers although there's less clean sheets in the past few games. Among the front three, Mane is proving to be a force to be reckoned and it was indeed a surprise to not see Mane win the Ballon d'Or this year. That's how good Mane has been and truly, an underrated player. Salah and Firmino has not been as deadly as how they used to be but definitely effective as ever. 

YNWA! 

Record transfer VVD turns into a MAGIC BUY

Hailing from a city in Southern Netherlands, Breda, who would have thought that Virgil Van Dijk would be making such headlines in the world of football? What shook the whole world is probably the amount that Premier League side, Liverpool paid to secure him from Southampton in 2015. 

Born on 8 July 1991, Van Dijk is a Dutch professional footballer that currently plays for Premier League side, Liverpool and captains the Netherlands national team. 

The big Dutchman started his footballing career with Groningen before moving to Celtic in 2013, where he also won the Scottish Premiership and was named in PFA Scotland Team of the Year. Van Dijk's dynamic physical and tactical approach to his game caught global attention and Southampton was first to react as he made the move in late September 2015 before signing for Liverpool in January 2018, for a staggering record transfer of 75 million pounds! And that's a a record transfer for a defender. 

Questions were raised over the massive buy and whether will the big Dutchman live up to the expectations, and guess what, he wiped out all critics and is now one of the most promising, deadly and probably the best DEFENDER the world has ever seen! 

In his first full debut with Liverpool, Van Dijk won PFA Player of the Year Award and was named Premier Player of the Year Season for the 2018-2019 season. Van Dijk played his first ever Champions League Final when Liverpool squared off against Real Madrid in the 2018 Final in Kiev. The Spanish side came out favorite winners in what happened to be a disastrous final for the Reds after losing their talisman forward, Mo Salah in the early stages of the game. 

After the agonizing defeat that tailed along with several catastrophic mistakes, Van Dijk and team brought the A Game on when they enjoyed an unbelievably amazing 2018-2019 season. Van Dijk's contribution in Liverpool's success of reaching back-to-back consecutive Champions League final was huge and it was no surprise when he not only won the CL medal with the Reds, but also bagged Man of the Match award! A true BEAST at sight! 

It was close to being a double joy for the Reds as they were seeking for the first PL trophy after almost 30 years, but it was cut short by a single point victory by the Citizens, Manchester City. 

Van Dijk made his international debut in 2015 and was fast to be appointed as the team's captain in 2018. Now, for any player to make such an instant impact and be promoted to captaincy level, is extremely extraordinary! Van Dijk is a deserving captain and a perfect example of a captain material. 

Years after Liverpool saw inspirational defenders hang their boots with the likes of Jamie Carragher, Samy Hypia, Daniel Agger, Steve Finnan and others, the back four was in great amount of trouble. This was simply because the team lacked leadership at the back and no one really stepped up. 

Then, Van Dijk happened and everything changed and now we are considered as the team with the best back four! Van Dijk is not alone, he has 3-4 others that equally contributes to the success that Liverpool is currently enjoying. 

Trent-Alexander Arnold and Andy Robertson make up such a mind-blowing combo and it is evident in all the games that they've starred together all season. Trent and Andy has filled up the missing puzzle all this while for Liverpool from breathtaking crosses, quickness of reacting to difficult situations, pitch perfect passes, speed and most importantly, timely tackles! 

On the other side, Van Dijk is often paired with Matip has shown great potential and due to Gomez's fitness issues, he has been the perfect replacement. 

Just like what Klopp said during the post-interview session after the heroic victory over Spurs at the Champions League final,  "This is just the beginning to many more successes to come for Liverpool."

YNWA 

Liverpool clinched their 6th Champions League trophy in style

What an end to a nail-biting, pulsating and a breathtaking season by the almighty Reds! Clinching their 6th Champions League trophy over the weekend against a hardworking Tottenham side has earned Liverpool as the 3rd most successful club in European history! Liverpool finally getting their hands on what's rightfully theirs is no surprise with the type of performances they've put on throughout the season and there can be no more better proud moment for all fellow Liverpool fans than this. 

So close yet so far on finally breaking the duck of a 30-year wait to claim the PL trophy was cut short by a point advantage by the Citizens. Although a disappointing end and not being able to capture the much-needed silverware in the league competition, Liverpool did great justice by knocking down some of the biggest clubs in the world such as  PSG, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to claim the European crown exactly after 14 years. 

The last time Liverpool tasted European glory was the remarkable 3-3 draw in normal time before sealing the victory in penalties against AC Milan in 2005 in Istanbul. The 2005 final in Turkey is regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in European history by the Reds, but it looks like the 2005 triumph over the Italian giants now has a new rivalry to compete - the stunning 4-3 comeback victory against FC Barcelona in the semi-final second leg. 

From an average looking Liverpool side with questions surrounding their credibility in winning any form of silverware to the best in Europe now! Massive credits to Jurgen Klopp and his revamped Liverpool players. It almost looked like a rebirth with the current side being so resilient, passionate, clinical and ever threatening in front of goal. 

Often taunted for failing to get the job done when it matters, Liverpool finally shut down critics by winning the grandest prize of them all - the CL trophy! 

There has been several big buys by Klopp which has highly contributed to the current success the club is enjoying, one of it, Virgil Van Dijk! What a catch he has been from Southampton. His defensive skills, calmness of a veteran and clinical tackles at crucial moments has been incredibly helpful and important in the Liverpool. It was more like the missing puzzle all this while and its finally complete through the big Dutchman. 

Allison Becker's sensational clean sheets in both, European and Club level has rewarded him as one of the best this season and most certainly will go down as one of the best in the world as well. He made some important, crucial saves during the final against Spurs at Madrid and in other words, he rightfully should be the Man of the Match. 

What scenes at Madrid during the final whistle as an emotional Jordan Henderson walking to the crowd and hugging and sharing a light moment in tears with his father, a tearful Klopp cheering with the crowd and right at the stand, seeing my idol, Steven Gerrard standing proud cheering and witnessing his childhood club lifting their 6th CL trophy. Words aren't enough to describe the happiness and excitement to witness such a joyous moment. 

This win is a big step towards more success to come for the club and if there's one thing that I would ever ask for is for Klopp to stay on and enjoy countless successes with this club that he has transformed from an under-performing to the best in EUROPE! 

You'll Never Walk Alone! 

Let's talk about SIX BABY

Manchester Derby - Title-Deciding Game! But only for one Manchester...... CITY.... LOL

It is a rare phenomena to witness a football club finish second best after collecting points that's decent enough to win a title across all the major football leagues. Current league leaders, Liverpool have 88 points with just three games to play and Manchester City with 86 points with a game in hand, which gives them the slightest of advantage over their rivals. 

Liverpool can go on and finish 2nd in the league even after collecting 97 points from 38 games played, provided Manchester City get the job done against Manchester United in a late game on Thursday morning. 

United who started relatively well under the care of Solksjaer, is now in the darkest of times as they suffered major setbacks in games that should have been won easily. Having faced FC Barcelona in the Champions League Quarter Finals and suffering defeats in both the legs, United's form has seen a major downfall. 

It was typical United when Solksjaer hinted that there are certain players that will see the 'OUT' sign when the new season starts in August. 

To me, the title race is far from over because the possibilities of both, Liverpool and Manchester City choking at any point of the remaining matches are high, especially City. 

City will face a daunting task when they travel to Old Trafford to face a wounded United team that's eagerly looking to finish top four by collecting maximum points from the remaining matches. The race for top four is now down to Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, who are not far behind from each other in terms of points and goal difference. 

Tonight, 24 April 2019 at 3:00am (Malaysian time), All Liverpool fans across the globe will turn their unwilling support for their arch rivals, Manchester United to get the job done against a stubborn City side that looks way beyond determined in securing the title for the second consecutive season. 

Having played a game more than City, Liverpool will have to wait until Friday night to resume match day 36 as they square off against Huddersfield. 

Throughout this season, the Reds have suffered just one defeat, that too in the hands of City. As a fan, I am extremely proud looking at my team's improved performance from all aspects and finally having found the missing pieces in the puzzle. Van Dijk has been the greatest thing that Klopp has done for the team and his work rate and defensive skills has been immense! 

He looks almost unstoppable at all situations and to be honest, I can't remember seeking an attacker or any player for that matter, dribble past the big Dutch defender. As always, Liverpool's front three has been spectacular all season although Mo Salah has seen restriction on his freedom to run past defenders, a routine he was heavily enjoying last season. 

When you block Mo Salah, know that we have a MANE hunting down your ass! The Senegal forward was handed the freedom of Salah and without doubt, he was a bomb at it! Mane often maintains a great composure in front of goal and the lad does possess a set of amazing goalscoring skills, like the one he scored against Bayer Munich in the Champions League Last 16, second leg tie at Munich. 

Is it finally our year or are we going to chant the same old lines again? I hope not though. Let's hope for a favourable result from tonight's Manchester Derby! 

Solid Reds March On!

2019 started rather slow for Liverpool, after surrendering a 10-point lead at the top of the table to rivals, Manchester City following a dramatic end to 2018. The Citizens have now leapfrogged Liverpool to first place, only with a narrow one-point lead.

City, although leading just by a point, it doesn't make them any lesser of a favorite to go and nick their sixth Premier League title, but with Liverpool looking to end their 30-years wait of tasting Premier League medal, things may well go down to the wire.

It was typical Liverpool when they carelessly dropped points against Leicester City, Everton and West Ham United in the league, all of which should have been easily dealt with. The current Liverpool squad looks dangerous as ever, but at times, they do remind me of the old Liverpool that I don't wish to utter a single word about.

Under the supervision of Klopp, Liverpool have seen some serious improvements in major areas that can highly contribute to being a serious title contender. To me, the buy that has made Liverpool reclaim their comfort zone at the top of the league after some inconsistent spells over the past few seasons is Virgil Van Dijk!

He's such a beast! I seriously can't recall any player from the opponent team going pass VVD in an open play. That's how phenomenal he has been, what an investment! The big Dutchman is a top value buy, so much of a complete player that any team would dream of having.

Liverpool is currently enjoying the best period of any football they've played in recent years, especially after a handsome victory over German giants, Bayern Munich in the Champions League, second leg tie at Munich on Thursday morning.

Once upon a time, Bayern's home turf, Allianz, was regarded as the most challenging and toughest venues for opponents, and escaping a small defeat was also the rarest! But, I am mesmerized with the change now. Beating down Bayern, that too at their home ground, was hard to digest but what a win man!

This year's Champions League Quarter Finalists are not a surprise package, but still it is missing some top guns that we thought would make it, such as Athletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG.

Ronaldo and Athletico, still a better love story than Twilight. The Portugese star outclassed them at La Liga with Real, doing no less with Juventus this time round.

My cards are on Liverpool to win the Champions League this season! It's happening, it definitely is. Mark my words as I'll be happily putting up a new blog post when they win it. Let's pray.