liverpool-Bolton wanderers pre- match review

it will be a emotional return to Anfield for the former england international & liverpool forward who played for the Reds in the early part of millenium.

This time around he will be on the opposite side as the 37 years old striker said his match against his former club will not deter him from giving his best & help his new side Bolton wanderers to advance to the next round of the FA cup.

The 37 years old striker has won a number of trophies with the Reds & has played with some of the club's great like Michael owen & steven Gerrard.He enjoyed a four-year spell with the Reds & won a no. of trophies like the FA cup back in 2001,the league cup & the UEFA cup before he left for Birmingham city in 2004.

He again returned to the premier league with loan spells with wigan & aston villa but he later joined Newcastle jets of australian A-league & it looked like he will never return to epl once again.

But,soon after back in December 2013 Bolton wanderers brought this player back into the championships & now he is going to face his former club the Reds.

"it's a wonderful thing to go back"Heskey said to the reporters.I'm 37 years old & i'm not a young lad so it will not be easier to go back & play at Anfield.

But,if he helps his team to win who are unbeaten in their last 12 games then it will be great achievement for the trotters who are relying now in this cup competition this season after their chance of progressing to the league looks a distant dream as they stand at 14th position in the table.

Heskey will also be joined by former chelsea striker Gudjohnsen who is 1-year younger to Heskey.Both of them will try to challenge liverpool & will try to win it for the trotters.These two will be their main men tonight as their midfielder Craig Davies is out for two weeks due to injury.

on the other hand Reds will be without their inspirational captain steven Gerrard as he has been rested for the key clash against chelsea upcoming next week.Balotelli,Allen & johnson who will make a injury return will be featuring in the starting XI.Alongwith,with these three 17 years old Jordan Rossiter will also be featuring in the match.It will remain to be seen whether pacey wide forward jordan ibe who just returned from a loan-spell will feature or not.

it is expected that liverpool will easily win this match but you never know in this cup competitions,just as yesterday we saw united was held to a 0-0 draw against cambridge united.

can the likes of coutinho,sterling ,sturridge & Henderson become liverpool future kop idols...

Last year when luis suarez left no one ever thought that the Reds will be facing another shock within a year.Although,they lost their main goalscorer but they have their very own steven gerrard who always thrives for the Reds in any kind of situation.But,with Gerrard deciding to leave the club at the end of this summer who the Reds can now look upto as their future star whom they can idolise:

Not much can be said as of now because it's too early to say that these players can replace steven gerrard as the Reds next kop idol but they have shown potential to do that.The likes of sterling,coutinho,sturridge,Henderson & lallana have shown a lot of potential & spirit to become a true Red & the Reds next idol.

1.RAHEEM STERLING

Topping the charts will be this kid who has just gone from strength to strength since he debuted for the Reds in 2012 at the age of 18.Now,he is only 20 years old but he has already taken a lot of responsbilities within the team.He started as a supporting playmate to sturridge & suarez & played behind them last year & achieved a lot of success.He runs  opposition defences at pace & his dribbling skills has been much better at this age.He scored a lot of goals last year & was one of the architects of liverpool's 2nd place finish.Rodgers has already said he will one day become a club great.This year with liverpool losing their goal scorers with suarez left for Barcelona & sturridge got injured for most of the season it's sterling who took the responsibility of central striker with the likes of Balotelli,Borini & lambert failing to score.The Reds have also looked upon this young lad who could terrorise defences & score goals for the Reds this season & propel them once again back to champions league.He has already shown a lot of promise in that direction when he scored a brilliant goal against last week at Anfield.Although,he has his own goal-scoring problems,sometimes in one-on-one situations with the goalie he has failed to score but he is 20 now & he will improve day by day & can become one of club's great in the future.

2. PHILLIPE COUTINHO

Next comes in the list has to be this exciting youngster from Brazil who has himself shown a lot of promise & talent since he joined liverpool in the summer of 2013 from inter milan.He is one of Rodgers signings who has shown a lot of potential to become one of club,s great in the future.He started to play in 2013 but it was last year when the world noticed that this kid has something in him that can make him one of club's great.He played behind sturridge,suarez & sterling & was known to pierce the opposition defence with his inch perfect passes to the forwrds.He runs with pace & has a brilliant mind & made some terrific key that led to a lot of imp.victories to the team last season,most noticeably among them was his winning goal against manchester city. This season although he started slow but now once again he has returned to his very best & the opposition have found it difficult to control him.Now in 3-4-3 formation under Rodgers he gets a lot of space in the midfield & runs with pace & controls the midfield with his incisive play.The one thing that still remains to be improved is his goal-scoring ability.That's the reason why oscar was preferred over him last yr in the wc in Brazil.But,he is improving in that field & once he's done that he will become a complete player & can surely become one of the club's great.

3. DANIEL STURRIDGE

Next,comes in the list is this player who took everyone by surprise last year when he scored 21 goals for the Reds in the league,After struggling to break into the starting XI in chelsea he left chelsea & joined liverpool in 2013.After that he has never looked back & has gone from strength to strength.last year he formed one of the most feared partnerships with suarez & terrorised & teared apart almost every defence that came infront of them.such was his form that he scored in 9 consecutive matches & made a club record.Although,much credit was given to suarez for the assists but nothing can be taken away from sturridge whose finishing was just as exquisite as his positioning to get the right balls at the right place.He has also become england's No.1 striker in the process.This year he has been plagued by a prolonged injury but has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders when he returns because suarez has already & the Reds are eagerly waiting for the man who scored 21 goals last season & almost brought the trophy home.He has already won the hearts of th Reds & many all over the world & the day is not far when he is will counted among one of the club's great.

4. JORDAN HENDERSON

He was signed from sunderland by kenny Dalglish in 2012 but unfortunately he was not able to use this lads services as he was sidelined for most of the season.He struggled to break into the starting XI under kenny as it looked like he is going to leave the club soon.But,Destiny has something else for this guy.In 2013,kenny left & Rodgers was appointed as the new coach & i think Henderson has benefitted the most under Rodgers than anyone else.In the december of 2013 against spurs he showed his real talent as his scored a double in a five-goal mauling of spurs.He was used by Rodgers in the middle alongside Gerrard,until then he was used widely & he struggled in that position as he was never been a wide player he always liked to play in the center.Rodgers identified that & played him in the centre & after that he has never looked back after that.He went from strength to strength from that day & last year he impressed everyone with his hard running in the field & also by his long passes to suarez & his goal-scoring abillities.such was his hardwork & dedication that he was fondly called as the engine,the workhorse through which the entire team runs.He is said to become the next gerrard.This year with Gerrard not playing in all the games he has taken the captaincy responsibility & has shown the potential that he can become a captain like Gerrard in his limited oppourtunities as captain.Although,these are still early days to compare him with Gerrard but if he continues his hardwork & dedication he can become the ideal replacement for Gerrard in the future.

5. ADAM LALLANA

 Last but not the it's Adam Lallana.Although,he just joined the Reds this year & was plagued with injury initially but of late he has shown with his performances that one day he can become a club great.He joined from southampton last summer for a price of $25 million in the process becoming liverpool costliest buy last summer.He started the season with injury but Rodgers has been in all praise of his talent & abilities.And,of late he has shown the talent that mesmerized Rodgers & he has even able to win the hearts of the Reds in the limited display he has made this season.He is still improving & has all the qualities to become one club's great but it remains to be seen how far he achieves it.

So,all this players features in my list who can become club's greats in the future.These are still early days but these lads have shown the potential & if they keep doing that it's no doubt that they all can become club's future stars.

can now liverpool turn it at stamford bridge next week

After carving out a 1-1 draw at Anfield,Rodgers men would be looking to play in the similar fashion next week at stamford bridge & win the 2nd leg of the capital one cup semi-final & advance to the finals.

Although,the ist leg ended at 1-1 but liverpool looked the better team out of the two.They almost outplayed chelsea in every department but again the trouble came infront of the goal which has haunted liverpool throughout this season again came to the fore.

chelsea took the lead in the 18th minute against the run of play when eden hazard was tricked down inside the penalty area by emre can & a player like Hazard does'nt need a second invitation to go down.Then, he coolly converted the penalty by sending mignolet to the wrong side.But, this was the only highlight for chelsea in this match other than that there was no clear cut chance created by chelsea in the match.

liverpool completely outplayed chelsea in the midfield as lucas leiva looked the better against fabregas & matic.In the defence also liverpool looked rock solid apart from that penalty.still liverpool needed a individual brilliance from raheem sterling to equalise & after that liverpool got numerous chances to take the match away from chelsea but some tame shots & some great saves from Thibaut courtois saved the day for chelsea & the match ended in a 1-1 Draw.
Even looking at the liverpool saw the Reds enjoy a 62% possession with 13 shots at goal to chelsea's 1 & 7 corners to chelsea's nil.

But,after all this chelsea will happier to return to stamford bridge with a draw because now they will play as the favourites at home as mourinho has'nt lost a match at stamford bridge this season.But,mourinho will also be aware of the Reds who could cause an upset if they play to the best football which was the toast of last season.if they can play even close to that i think they can defeat chelsea but it will not be an easier task even Rodgers knows that.

Now,it remains to be seen whether liverpool can turn the tide in their favour & win the 2nd leg of the capital one cup & even Rodgers would to looking to do that as he has remain winless in all six meetings with chelsea.with their resolute defending & for their captain it remains to be seen whether the Reds will able to turn it on at stamford bridge aginst chelsea.

Big test for the Reds tonight as they play hosts to league leaders chelsea in the ist leg of the capital-one cup

Seriously,a big test tonight coming for the Reds as they play hosts to league leaders chelsea at Anfield.

Rodgers & the Reds are at the receiving end early in the season after getting eliminated from the ist round of champions league & losing matches in a row has brought rodgers under increased scrutiny.
But of late the team has started to look good & players gelling with each other.The team has started to win matches & now they have not lost a single game in their last eight encounters in all competitions.
Their last defeat came against Manchester united in the league in mid-december.

But,immediately after that defeat at old trafford liverpool have responded strongly with a 3-1 win against championship leaders Bournemouth & then league wins against sunderland,swansea city,asto villa & draws against arsenal & leichester have just brought more confidence into that young liverpool side.
Lot has to be credited to Rodgers for this recent run of successes as his 3-4-3 formation  inclusion of emre can in the defence & keeping non-performers lovren,allen & balotelli has been some of the positive changes made by Rodgers so far which has brought some success in an otherwise indifferent season for liverpool.
But,now liverpool have just lost one match in their last 14 clashes & are unbeaten in their last 8 matches in all competitions but Rodgers says this young team is still improving & we'll keep improving with every upcoming match.Also,he added that the much  needed confidence & the spirit of winning has returned to team just at the right team & we'll continue to play in the similar fashion in the coming Days.
But,he is also aware of the opposition>The league has been the team to beat this season & with the likes of costa,oscar,fabregas they are the toast of the season so far.But,liverpool can take some inspiration from spurs & newcastle who beat chelsea 5-3 & 2-0.sometimes the defence looks vulnerable & the Reds will be looking to exploit that chink in the armour of chelsea.

Reds will also be boasted by the return of their inspirational captain steven gerrard & adam lallana so let's see what happens in this mouth-watering ist leg tie at anfield.

BPL saturday Review

This week in the BPL kickstarted with an exciting win for my favourite Reds. Although the win came against a struggling aston villa whose winless record continues for 7 matches now but nothing can be taken away from liverpool whose winning record continues,Although the real test still to come in the coming weeks with matches with chelsea,city,ars & the ever improving saints still to come but so far so good the 3-4-3 formation  has yielded good results for the Reds.The best part of the game was that goals came from struggling strikers borini & substitute lambert.Both of them were highly criticized for their performances but it looks now like they are hitting some kind of form.with sturridge set to return in the coming weeks it looks like the Reds are hitting the right chords at the right time.

Then,the 2nd match saw chelsea thrash Gary monks  swansea city who are without their star striker wilfried bony who went to city this week for a whooping 28 million euros with a 5-0 win.Two goals each from costa & oscar & a goal from schurrle saw chelsea extend their lead to 5 points at the top.it looks like the title will go to stamford bridge if they continue to play  in this way.schurrle & oscar has been criticized for not contributing enough to the team in the recent weeks but goals from them will shut that doubt in the minds of the fans.

Then,another exciting match happened at st.james park when managerless newcastle united faced ever improving saints.But,the saints went 1-0 up within the first 15 minutes but saw their lead cut short due to some terrible defending in the first half.But, in the 2nd half they looked more composed in their play & scored their 2nd goal in the 48th min.Both the goals were scored by their newly signed striker elia who celebrated in ronaldo style after scoring his 2nd goal of the match.newcastle united then attacked in the last few minutes but some desperate 7 solid defending saw the saints with another win & they further tightened their grip on 3rd place.koeman & saints are looking like they are enjoying their best season of the BPL so far.

Another exciting contest happened between hard running burnley & newly appointed manager alan pardew's crystal palace with palace going 2-0 down within the ist 15 minutes due to some terrible defending by some palace players but made an terrific comeback by equalising in the ist half itself & winning the match in the dying seconds of the match when dwilight gayle scored a terrific goal.Now,it's two in two for alan pardew.it looks like he is enjoying his time with the eagles.

In other matches stoke city defeated the foxes with a 1-0 win & united defeated relegation threatened QPR with 2nd half goals from fellaini & wilson.Then,spurs got over from their shock defeat last week against the eagles & completed a 2-1 win against sunderland.
This is all from BPL saturday matches with more exciting contests coming sunday when city goes head on against arsenal.

can the 3-4-3 formation land liverpool a Top 4 finish...

so far so good.The 3-4-3 formation employed by Brendon Rodgers in recent weeks has resulted in some good results for the team. starting from a dismal start to the season & elimination from the ist round of champions league to the injury of Daniel Sturridge & some surprising summer signings Rodgers has been the target of fans this season.Although his expulsion has'nt been as loud as David moyes because fans still believe he has something in him special that took them to winning the title last year.But the road has'nt been easy for Rodgers so far.first of all he failed to sign any major impact player to replace luis suarez.Then, he surprised everyone by signing mario balotelli for ac milan for 16 million.It looked like a smart piece of business but controlling balotelli & taking out the best from him is a more difficult task.And it seems that Rodgers has failed in that task.Balotelli has'nt opened his goal scoring account in the league.Secondly,he was critisized for signing so many midfielders & the problem became more  serious when sturridge got injured.That's may be one of a reason liverpool has been strugging to score goals this season which they were doing at ease last season.Then, the expulsion from ucl & winning just a single game & dismal performance against Real Madrid made the things worse for Rodgers.

Then a string of losses in the premier league made the noise louder that Rodgers should be sacked.Even the manager accepted in front of media that his job is at risk.But,when everything looked gloom with Rodgers he came up with a masterstroke.instead of going for his favoured 4-1-2-1-2 & 4-3-3 formation which he employed last season & earned a lot of success he went for the more challenging 3-4-3 formation.And now it seems like liverpool have hit some kind of form & togetherness which has been seen in their last few matches.They have not lost a match in their last 6 encounters.Rightly,starting from the 3-1 win against the cherries in the league cup,then a 96th min equaliser by skrtel drew with ars in which liverpool played with having a lot of possession,then a 4-1 win against swansea when they looked like just like last year's team to the 1-0 win last week to sunderland on the Road.

 The midfielders who were criticized for their performances in the initial stages of the season are also coming good now.lallana whose season started with a injury is now finding some success alongside sterling in the forward line.coutinho who looked like he has lost his touch has got to his very best & has already started to make inroads into opposition defences & making that clever passes which earned him a lot of respect last season.It looks like the 3-4-3 formation suits him because he gets a lot of space in the middle.Then,the most criticized man lazar markovic is also playing superbly in his new found role as the left wing back.with making runs from the left side with pace to scoring a beautiful goal against sunderland he is winning th faith of his coach & fans.Raheem sterling has been the only bright player for liverpool in the initial but it looks like he is also enjoying more in this formation.

 Now comes the most challenging part-The Defence.in 3-4-3 defending becomes very challenging as you have only 3 at the back.Even louis van gaal failed with his formation.But,surprisingly rodgers has got success with 3 defenders more than that his got with 4.with sakho,skrtel & can playing in the backline,the backline looks a lot more solid.The decision of keeping the struggling lovren out & bringing can at his position has been looked as a good decision by rodgers.

so now liverpool are just 4 points behind the top 4 & with sturridge returning in the coming weeks can liverpool & Rodgers turn this dismal season into a Top 4 season that remained to be seen.