Tottenham Hotspur captain Harry Kane was back to his brilliant best as he scored a hat trick to send England to Euro 2020.
Tottenham have not been at their brilliant best this season, and have struggled for form and consistency. They looked like a team that needed a break and the international break would serve as an avenue for the players to refresh their energy and come back with renewed confidence.
(more…)Liverpool have been the pacesetters this season with eight wins out of eight as the club appears to be in control of the title race. With 30 games remaining, it may seem hasty to proclaim Jurgen Klopp’s side as Champions elect but they certainly look like champions. The German has been able to construct a team that is relentless and capable of defeating different opponents.
He has been helped by an excellent transfer strategy which has seen the club attract top-quality talent not seen since the time of Benitez. The defence, in particular, has been amazing with a back four of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Virgil Van Dirk and Joel Matip.
(more…)The recent announcement of Virgil Van Dirk as the best player in the UEFA Champions League has brought into fore what is a formidable Liverpool defence.
The Dutchman is the leader of the backline that is considered the best in England and arguably the best in Europe. Jurgen Klopp has built a backline that is adept at keeping the ball from the goal and capable of creating and scoring chances.
This brings comparison with the Liverpool team under Rafa Benitez. Looking at the goalkeeping position we can say Alisson is arguably better than Pepe Reina on the evidence of his impact on the defence and his spectacular year.
The 26-year-old won the best goalkeeper awards in Copa America, Champions League and Golden Glove in the Premier League. It is easy to forget that Reina won the Golden Glove three times in an era of world-class stoppers like Edwin Van Der Sar and PetrCech.
Benitez trusted left-back was John Arne Risse who was an attacking threat bombing forward but was not so good defensively. Andrew Robertson trumps him in this regard as the Scottish ace is capable of attacking and defending in equal proportion.
The right-back position is harder to determine as although Trent Alexander-Arnold offers plenty attacking, he is a liability on defence. Benitez had Arbeloa who was sound defensively but poor in the attack.
The centre back positions are the hardest to pick with Klopp possessing Van Dirk who is the best defender in world football supported by Joel Matip. Matip is a quality player and has shown the capacity to support Van Dirk.
Benitez had the rock of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. Agger was the calmer defender with the Dane possessing excellent ball passing skills while Skrtel was brute power and a hard tackler. The choice is yours to pick which you prefer.
Who knew that retired Liverpool defender Daniel Agger would be a fan of the famous Dutch center-back player of the club- Virgil van Dijk? Daniel was recently found commenting that apart from all strength and skills that Virgil possesses, his leadership qualities stand out more important and admirable. Daniel said that keeping in mind Virgil’s play this season, his performance as a leader has been most appreciable. The review from Agger who retired three years ago is certainly valuable, as he is no less than a Liverpool legend from his time.
Liverpool recently played a friendly against the AC Milan legends in a repeat of the 2005 finals of the Champions League at Anfield as part of a charity match. The game ended 3-2 in favour of the Reds as Steven Gerard turn back the years to score a late winner for his team.
The Premier League race has been unpredictable this season as Liverpool and Manchester City have taken turns at the top of the summit. The Anfield side looking to win it for the first time in almost 30 years have been consistent in their performances this campaign.
