The Premier League: Still The Best League In The World

In recent times there have been claims the Premier League is not what it was, the standard has dropped and it’s no longer the best league in the world which couldn’t be any further from the truth.

The excitement of the Premier League is not matched by any other league anywhere across the globe, the competitiveness of every team and unpredictability of each game is what makes it the marvellous league it is.

La Liga has been touted by some as the new best league in world football, but in reality La Liga is a two horse race every season with El Classico being the only highlight of an otherwise uncompetitive league, so what if they have Messi and Ronaldo, watching Barcelona and Real Madrid hammer teams week by week does not say much for the standard of the league.

The Bundesliga is along the same lines, Dortmund and Bayern are the two challengers for the title year on year, although the standard of the other teams in this league is better than La Liga it still does not compare to the Premier League.

Other Leagues such as Serie A, Eredivisie and Ligue 1 are not anywhere near the standard set by the Premier League and do not have half the excitement.

In most European leagues we have a standout fixture such as El Classico, Dortmund vs. Munich and the Milan derby but the great thing about the Premier League is there are so many big rivalries and derbies: the Manchester derby, the North London derby, the Merseyside derby, Liverpool vs. Man United, Man United vs. Arsenal and many more. This amount of big games is not matched by any other league.

The competitiveness of the Premier League is also unmatched throughout the world, the ability for any team to beat any other team makes almost every Premier League game an exciting prospect, in other major leagues before a match it’s a question of how much will Barcelona beat Levante by for example whereas before a Premier League match the question is will Man United beat Stoke or will there be an upset.

The amount of teams competing for the title is another feature of the Premier League, this season we are looking at 6 potential winners, this cannot be said for La Liga where it’s a 2 horse race maybe 3 if Atletico sustain there form, similarly the Bundesliga and the other top leagues have 2 or 3 teams going for the title.

If this is not enough to convince you the Premier League is the best well lets look at the relegation battle, I think its fair to say that the Premier League relegation battle is by far the most exciting year upon year with up to 7 or 8 teams battling it out most seasons to stay up.

Seasons and Leagues are defined by great moments and do we need to look any further than the 2011-2012 seasons final day when Sergio Aguero’s last minute goal to round off a remarkable comeback snatched the league title for Man City from the grasp of their great rivals Man United, possibly one of the greatest moments of this footballing era.

Maybe Premier League teams have not been fairing brilliantly in the Champions League as of late but this is no reflection on the quality and sheer excitement the league brings to its hundreds of millions of fans across the globe. It is without a doubt the best league in the world at the moment and will be for many more years to come.

League Cup No Longer A Joke!

Gone are the days of teams putting out weak teams when it comes to playing the League cup, nowadays every team sees it as being a potential trophy and have started fielding teams that can win it.

In years gone by we have seen the top teams Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and the likes putting out a team of reserve players when they play the league cup and inevitably get beaten.

The last two years however may have changed the mind-set of all managers when they come to play the league cup, Liverpool under Kenny Dalglish in 2011 made it one of their priorities to win a trophy and saw the League cup as a potential chance for that.

Liverpool fielded their strongest team from the first match they played in the cup and went on to win it against Cardiff in the final, Last year Swansea saw it as an opportunity for them to get a trophy and by fielding a strong team they went all the way.

Before this the competition was seen as a bit of a nuisance and it only tired out the players but now managers are realising that winning any trophy is good when trying to implement a winning mentality in players.

If we look at the remaining amount of Premier League teams in round 4 this year, it is 13 out of the 16 in the round, this is two more than last year and the year before.

The quarter finals will be a better indication of the change in emphasis in the league cup as there is a possibility we could be left with only Premier League teams.

This is certainly a welcome change as teams are finally treating the League Cup as a decent trophy making it more competitive, it also increases the enjoyment for the fans with games becoming more exciting and meaningful.

This years Capital One Cup could be one of the best in recent memory with Man Utd, Spurs, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal all still in the competition battling it out to get to Wembley.

Is Torres Finally Back To His Best?

Fernando Torres has threatened to return to top form time and time again in the last few years and has inevitably faded away and failed to hold his form.

Against Manchester City yesterday however the signs were there that Torres could finally be coming back to his once brilliant self.

Within the first half Torres showed all sides of his game starting with the bad when he blew a massive goal scoring chance when it seemed harder to miss, any optimism that Torres had given Chelsea fans midweek scoring a double against Schalke went out the window at the stage, the miss was treated with customary groans and a look of bemusement from Mourinho in the dugout.

That moment was soon forgotten when Torres glided past Clichy to set up Schurrle for a tap in, moments later from the edge of the box he almost scored a spectacular goal hitting the post with a great curling effort.

Torres rounded off his great performance scoring the winner in the 90^th minute to secure a win for Chelsea, something he has failed to do regularly for Chelsea since his 50 million move to the London club.

Torres has had these matches before and failed to continue in this vain, yesterday however Torres looked like the man who used to thrill fans at Anfield. He had a touch of pace that seemed to elude him for the past few years and seemed to have an eye for goal that we were so used to seeing when he was in his prime.

Many people thought the appointment of Rafa Benitez last season would be the key for Torres finding his form and when that did not happen all hope was lost for a Torres revival but could Jose Mourinho be the manager to finally get Torres back to his best?

The next few weeks will be interesting to see if Torres pushes on from his fine display against City and maybe, just maybe Torres may finally be finding his feet at Chelsea.

El Classico: Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid

Super Sanchez goal seals victory for Barcelona in tight affair in the Nou Camp.

Barcelona have beaten Real Madrid thanks to goals from Neymar and Sanchez to put 6 points between the two sides.

The game started slowly with both sides attempting to get settled in to their passing style, unsurprisingly Busquets picked up an early yellow card after a rash challenge on Angel Di Maria.

The opening goal came in the 19^th minute when Iniesta dribbled past 2 Madrid defenders and slid the ball to Neymar who applied the finish, Neymar was somewhat fortunate with deflections as his low shot managed to nestle into the far corner of the goal past a stranded Lopez.

This goal failed to ignite the game however as it continued in a pedestrian manner, Messi came close after a sublime ball from Iniesta, Bale making his El Classico debut attempted one of his trademark shots after cutting in from the left but failed to hit the target.

Sami Khedira had the only other chance of the half on the stroke of half time sliding in from a Ronaldo cross only to be denied by Adriano and Victor Valdes, Barcelona went in at half time deserving their lead and bossing possession with 60% of the ball.

The second half similar to the first started slowly with very few chances in the opening minutes, Sergio Ramos was replaced on 50 minutes by Illarramendi as a precaution after picking up a yellow card in the first half.

Neymar had the first chance of the half latching onto a long ball and volleying straight at Lopez in the Madrid goal, moments later Ronaldo came close with a thunderous volley only to be denied by a super Valdes save.

Bale made way on 60 minutes for Benzema after having a quiet game, Barcelona also made a change bringing Sanchez on for Fabregas, Madrid started to control the game around the 70^th minute and will feel hard done by not to have gotten a penalty after Mascherano blatantly shoved Ronaldo in the back but the referee did not share the Madrid players view.

Benzema also came close striking the underside of the cross bar from the edge of the box, Angel Di Maria was replaced by Jese on 75 minutes having performed poorly by his standards.

Alexis Sanchez stole the headlines on 78 minutes when he chipped the ball home from 20 yards after a great pass from man of the match Neymar, Neymar was almost immediately substituted for Pedro, coming off to a well deserved standing ovation.

Real Madrid tried to get back into it and scored on 90 minutes thanks to a Jese goal that Valdes will feel he could have done better with, It was only to be a consolation however as Barcelona held out for the final three minutes to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

Barcelona have now picked up 28 points from 10 games and find themselves 4 points clear of Atletico Madrid in 2^nd who play tomorrow and 6 ahead of Real Madrid who lie third with 22 points.

Champions League Matchday 3 Review. (Groups A-D)

Group A

In the main match in group A Manchester United played Real Sociedad at home as they looked to bounce back from poor domestic results, and bounce back they did scoring through an own goal in the first minute and holding out for a comfortable 1-0 victory.

The other match in this group saw Bayer Leverkusen thrash Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 at home, these results leave United on top with 7 points followed by Leverkusen and Shakhtar on 6 and 4 points respectively, Sociedad find themselves last without a single point.

Group B

The big game in group B saw Juventus travel to Spain to play Real Madrid, Madrid came out on top in this one winning 2-1 thanks to a Ronaldo double, Galatasaray also recorded a home win beating Copenhagen 3-1 in Turkey.

Real Madrid lead the group with 9 points and are as good as through, 2^nd place is up for grabs however with only 3 points separating the 3 teams.

Group C

PSG hammered Anderlecht 5-0 away from home thanks to a 4 goal master class from Ibrahimovic which steers them clear at the top, elsewhere in group C Benfica left it late to snatch a home 1-1 draw against Olympiacos.

PSG lead the way in group C on 9 points with Olympiacos and Benfica set to fight it out for 2^nd spot as they both rest on 4 points, Anderlecht are yet to record a point in this group.

Group D

Pre tournament favourites Bayern Munich thrashed Viktoria Plzen 5-0 in the Allianz Arena to maintain their perfect record in the Champions League under Pep Guardiola, elsewhere Man City recorded a 2-1 victory in Russia against CSKA to keep their campaign on track.

Bayern Munich look set to win this group and Manchester City should not have any trouble qualifying as they sit 3 points clear of CSKA who must visit the Etihad in the next round of fixtures.

Champions League Matchday 3 Review. (Groups E-H)

Group E

Chelsea re-emerged at the top of group E this week after a fine display and 3-0 victory away to Schalke, Torres got a double in what was a comfortable win, elsewhere in group E Steaua and Basel played out a 1-1 draw.

These results leave Chelsea joint top alongside Schalke on 6 points with Basel in 3^rd on 4 points and Steaua find themselves bottom with only one point.

Group F

Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund played out a thoroughly enjoyable game to watch in which Dortmund snatched a 2-1 victory courtesy of a late Lewandowski winner, the other game saw Napoli record a 2-1 away win in Marseille.

Arsenal, Dortmund and Napoli all now have 6 points leaving the group wide open with Marseille now only playing for pride in last place on 0 points.

Group G

Zenit defeated FC Porto 1-0 in Portugal thanks to a late Kerzhakov goal to keep there hopes of qualification alive, Atletico Madrid also recorded an away win beating Austria Wien 3-0 to maintain there 100% record.

Atletico Madrid lead this group 5 points ahead of Zenit on 4 who will battle it out with Porto, who have 3 points, for 2^nd spot.

Group H

This group held the massive encounter in the San Siro between football giants AC Milan and Barcelona which ended 1-1 thanks to a Messi equaliser, the other game saw Celtic get their first win by shrugging off Ajax by 2 goals to 1.

Barcelona lead the way in thus group with 7 points followed by AC Milan with 5, Celtic are 3^rd with 3 points and Ajax find themselves last with only one point.

Manchester City scrape 3 points in Russia.

A Sergio Aguero double has sealed an unimpressive victory for Man City against a tricky CSKA Moscow side.

Man City were predicted to breeze past CSKA but this was not the case, the absence of Kompany from the back was evident as makeshift centre back Javi Garcia struggled and was at fault for the opening goal when he was beaten in the air by Honda which allowed former Manchester United winger Tosic to chip the ball over the oncoming Hart.

The lead did not last long as moments after the kick off David Silva latched onto the ball in opposition territory drove down the side and played a low ball in to the box that Aguero managed to win and slide into the net for his first of the game.

CSKA continued to look dangerous on the break and looked like scoring but instead it was Man City and Aguero who scored the next goal, this time it came from a header after Negredo put in a precise ball with the outside of his boot to leave Aguero with an easy finish past the flailing leg of Akinfeev in the CSKA goal to bring City in 2-1 up at half time.

The second half was not as exciting as the first and Man City failed to threaten the CSKA goal regularly, Musa and CSKA had a wonderful strike from outside the box ruled out because of a high leg on Yaya Toure in the build up.

CSKA did get a golden opportunity to equalise however in the dying embers of the match when Honda found himself free at the far post only to be denied by a superb save from Joe Hart, the sound of the final whistle came with a great sigh of relief from all Man City players and staff.

This victory leaves Manchester City in a strong position to qualify in 2^nd place with 6 points 3 ahead of CSKA Moscow who travel to the Etihad in the next fixture.

CSKA Moscow 1-2 Manchester City

 

Arsenal vs. Borussia Dortmund: Review

Dortmund snatch undeserved win despite strong Arsenal performance.

Arsenal lost out last night to Dortmund courtesy of an 83^rd minute winner from Robert Lewandowski, Lewandowski scored a well placed volley from inside the box against the run of play to break Arsenal fans hearts.

The game started in swift fashion with both teams looking capable of scoring early on, Dortmund got the breakthrough in the 16^th minute when Mkhitaryan latched onto the ball at the edge of the box after a mistake by Ramsey, and slid it to the right of Szczesney.

After the goal the game became rather one sided as Arsenal pushed for an equaliser, they could have had a penalty but the referee adjudged a Hummels tackle on Giroud to be outside the box. Just minutes before half time Arsenal’s pressure paid off when a mix up from a Sagna cross allowed Giroud in to smash the ball into an empty goal to bring the sides in level at half time.

The second half began much the same as the first as Arsenal became more and more dominant with Wilshere Ozil and Ramsey running proceedings in midfield, Cazorla came on to replace Wilshere who had picked up an injury in the first half.

Cazorla almost put Arsenal in front with 15 minutes to go when his shot from outside the box hit the crossbar with Weidenfeller looking helpless in the goal, it would have been a deserved goal with Arsenal running the game as the possession stats suggest with 58% of the ball.

Disaster struck however when Lewandowski volleyed home in the 83^rd minute to earn an undeserved victory for the German side. Despite the result there were plenty positives for Arsene Wenger and his side.

Arsenal 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

Relegation battle as unpredictable as ever

Another Barclays Premier League Season and another unpredictable relegation battle is set to unfold, this season I see it being a battle for survival between 8 teams, those teams being the 3 promoted clubs Crystal Palace, Hull and Cardiff along with struggling clubs Sunderland, Fulham, Stoke, Norwich and West Ham.

The early games suggest that Crystal Palace are dead certs for the drop finding themselves in 19th position with only 3 points from 7 games, despite having charismatic boss Ian Holloway at the helm the strength of their squad does not look capable of staying in the Premier League.

Sunderland are also in a precarious position having only picked up 1 point from their opening 8 games, although the sacking of Paulo Di Canio and subsequent appointment of Gus Poyet could spell a revival and I wouldn't write Sunderland off just yet.

Norwich, Stoke, Cardiff, Fulham and West Ham are all in a similar position after all experiencing poor starts, each of these teams are mid table teams at best and will struggle to stay away from the drop zone, a run of form any of these sides could steer them clear but I expect they will be fighting for their lives this season.

Hull have been the surprise package so far this season finding themselves in 9th position with 11 points from 8 games, the lack of strength in depth however is likely to see them gradually slide down the table and get dragged into what promises to be an exciting relegation fight.

The identity of the teams to be relegated is unclear but one thing that is certain is it will be an exciting battle between all these teams to try and stay afloat of the dreaded drop zone.

Newcastle v Liverpool preview

                          

The international break is over and this weekend we return too Barclays Premier League action, the 12.45pm kick off sees Liverpool take a trip to Tyneside to play Newcastle in what promises to be an enthralling encounter.

Liverpool are currently flying high in the standings and see themselves in 2^nd position, Newcastle however have had a stuttering start and find themselves in 11^th place although a win could potentially move them into 6^th.

In terms of teams;

Liverpool may welcome back Glen Johnson and Philippe Coutinho to the squad which is a massive boost, Joe Allen and Aly Cissokho may also return from injury to play some part and Lucas is back from his suspension.

Newcastle will be without the steadying influence of Coloccini at the back but do not have any other fresh injury concerns.

Going by recent history it should be an exciting encounter with matches in recent years possessing plenty of goals and great moments such as the wonderful Suarez goal in the reverse fixture last season, Newcastle will certainly be hoping that a repeat of last years fixture is not on the cards when they went down 6-0 after a scintillating Liverpool performance.

The match is likely to be close with Liverpool the most likely winners although a draw seems a real possibility based on the usual closeness of this fixture. Suarez and Sturridge will be too much for the opposition defence in my opinion and I expect Liverpool to run out winners.

My Prediction: Newcastle 1-3 Liverpool

Reason to be optimistic for Irish national team

Republic of Ireland dumped out of Euro 2012 without a single point, Ireland thrashed at home by Germans, Alaba scores last minute goal to deny Irish win, Ireland lose to Austria and Sweden to end World Cup 2014 ambitions. It’s been a tough year for the Irish fans and team, but with the departure of manager Giovanni Trapattoni there could be reason for optimism about the team once again.

 

There is no doubt Trapattoni did a great job in getting us to the European Championships and that he fulfilled his expectations in that sense. However, the quality of football he liked to play, unfortunately, was dire. The defensive approach to each match regardless of the quality of opposition, omitting quality players such as Wes Hoolahan and James McCarthy from the team for so long, the use of sub-standard players such as Conor Sammon and Paul Green and the poor showing in the World Cup group stages certainly justified his sacking.

 

The identity of the new boss is uncertain but one thing that is certain is that the man appointed will be the right one due to the rigorous search being done by Ray Houghton and Ruud Dokter to find a suitable candidate. Trapattoni in his time had many arguments with many players and a lot of these players never featured again under his reign. These exiled players include Stephen Ireland, Anthony Stokes and Andy Reid, the new man in charge may have the luxury of these players which will add more quality to the team.

 

Regardless whether players like Ireland decide to end their exile or not the manager will still have an array of options. Players such as Long, McCarthy, Coleman and Hoolahan are just some of the top players at the new mans disposal, with many of them yet to display their full potential in the green of Ireland. Others such as Keane and Dunne still have a lot to give if they continue their international careers.

The new structure of Euro 2016 is also a major encouragement for the national team, with the tournament being opened up to 24 teams instead of the old 16 it gives teams like Ireland that extra chance of getting there. There has been a lot of doom and gloom around soccer in Ireland recently but with a good manager the right mentality and a bit of luck there’s no reason why Ireland can’t turn the corner and prosper in the coming years.

           

                                                                                                                                                                                   

SAS can lead Liverpool to a top 4 spot !!!

2009 is the most recent year Liverpool have featured in Europe's elite competition. 4 years on and Liverpool may have found the key to joining the Bayern Munich's and Barcelona's again. This key is the electrifying strike force of Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez also known as SAS.

In years gone by it has been a lack of goal scoring power up front that has hindered the Liverpool challenge. While Torres was at the club he was the only top striker in the ranks, similarly in recent times Suarez had become the main striker but if any injuries or in Suarez's case bans occurred Liverpool struggled with a lack of quality cover.

Now with the arrival of Sturridge last January there is more than one quality striker at the club and if injuries occur Liverpool will have cover, On the other hand if they were both to stay fit and out of trouble for the majority of the season they could make the difference.

Liverpool last season frequently failed to beat lesser teams because of poor finishing but this season I cant see that being a problem, Suarez was on fire last season scoring 23 Premier League goals, in his absence towards the end of the season Sturridge scored 10 goals, with the two playing together its hard to see Liverpool not being able to score every game.

From watching the two games they have played together this season it looks very promising for the  team, from both matches Suarez has a tally of 3 goals and Sturridge has notched up 2.The link up between the two seems almost telepathic and is truly great to watch, the pace and power of Sturridge and the trickery and movement of Suarez is a perfect partnership.

Both strikers are considered major contenders for the golden boot and they will be expected to deliver a 40 goal partnership this season. With these attacking players on form, the ever improving midfielders such as Henderson and Coutinho and the strengthening of the defence courtesy of Mamadou Sakho its no wonder Liverpool are aiming for the top 4 and if early season form is any indicator, they could be on their way.

The Most Wide Open Premier League In Years!!!!

The 2012/2013 Barclays Premier League season could potentially have the most thrilling title race we have witnessed in years. Last season Manchester United won the league at a canter with Manchester City the only team putting in any sort of fight, this year however if the opening six games are anything to go by it could be a six horse race. With Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea all experiencing mediocre starts at best and the less favoured teams Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs experiencing reasonably solid starts to the season it indicates that any one of these teams could mount a serious challenge for the title. The question is which one of these teams has the credentials to go all the way:

Arsenal;

If we were to take away the opening day 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa and put it down to a freak match Arsenal have been nothing short of flawless, they have shown the flair and class of Arsenal teams of old. Arsene Wenger (63) has been criticised in the past for his work in the transfer market, or lack of it but the signing of German playmaker Mesut Ozil (24) from Real Madrid for 43 million pounds was a true stroke of genius. Ozil has already weighed in with 5 assists this season and with both Ramsey (23) and Giroud (25) both in rich goal scoring form it could be an extremely successful campaign for the Gunners and Arsene Wenger. My Prediction: 2^nd

Liverpool;

Liverpool have made a good start to the season, they had a minor blip at home to Southampton but bounced back straight away to Sunderland. The signing of Victor Moses (23) and Sakho (23) look to have improved the side and the form of Sturridge (25) and the returning Luis Suarez (26) is a great boost to the team. This season could be a breakthrough year and without the distraction of European football I fancy Liverpool to sneak into the 4^th position they so dearly crave. My Prediction: 4^th

Spurs;

It has been a reasonably good start to the season for Spurs despite the departure of shining star Gareth Bale (24) to Real Madrid. Spurs have brought in many new players for in and around 100 million pounds which I ultimately feel will be their downfall. Signing too many new players can be a disadvantage as the team struggles to gel together, the games against Arsenal and Chelsea indicate that Spurs are unable to get big victories when they need them most and without the saving grace of Bale I think they will struggle and miss out on the Champions League places. My Prediction: 6^th

Chelsea;

Surprisingly Chelsea have made a poor start to the season despite the return of their messiah Jose Mourinho (50). Mourinho’s return was expected to signal another golden era for the blues but thus far this has not come to fruition, Chelsea have been below par losing to Everton and not playing to the standard that is expected of them. Chelsea are severely lacking a goal scoring striker with Torres(29), Ba(28) and Eto’o(32) not up to the standard required, making the decision to loan out Lukaku(20) all the more baffling. I do not expect things to turn around and I am predicting that Chelsea will lose out on the top 4 narrowly. My Prediction: 5^th

Man City;

Manuel Pelligrini (60) has not had a perfect start to his Premier League career losing out to Aston Villa and drawing with Stoke, the 4-1 win against Man Utd however was magnificent, the performance of the team was truly exceptional. If Man City can sustain that level of performance for a run of games, or anywhere near it they will undoubtedly win the league. The strength in depth of the squad is the best in the league and with star players such as Vincent Kompany (27), Yaya Toure (30) and Sergio Aguero (25) I think they are destined to be lifting the trophy come May. My Prediction: 1^st

Man Utd;

David Moyes (50) and Manchester United have had an appalling start to the season, the worst start since 89/90. This is as a result of the mishaps in the transfer window and Moyes not having made his stamp on the squad. Marouane Fellaini (25) was the only recruit of note and he was vastly overpriced for the limited roles he can posses in the team. The 4-1 thrashing by fierce rivals Man City and the home defeat to West Brom have to be cause for concern but ultimately I cannot see Man Utd sustaining this bad run of form for too long. Players such as Robin Van Persie (30) and Wayne Rooney (27) have too much quality for their team to struggle for the entire season. I expect results to change relatively soon and for Man Utd to put in a strong challenge to retain their title. My Prediction: 3^rd

Liverpool’s start to the season

Liverpool may not have started the season playing beautiful football and scoring shed loads of goals but more importantly some would say they have grinded out results. Liverpool have thus far have been stuttering through games but getting the necessary results. As the cliché goes: winning while playing poorly is the sign of a good team, this is sure to give hope to all Liverpool fans and give both them and the team a belief that this could be a successful year for the Mersey side.

6 games have passed this season Liverpool have gathered 13 points and are sitting pretty in second place in the Barclays Premier League only to trail an impressive Arsenal side who lead the early running with 15 points. If you had offered this to any Liverpool fan prior to the start of the season I’m sure they would have bitten your hand off. This Impressive start has been made all the more satisfying with fierce rivals Manchester United enduring their worst start to a season since 89/90.

This success however has not just occurred overnight huge praise must be accredited to manager Brendan Rodgers (40), he came to the club with a plan: to play attractive possession football with flair up front to seal the victories. This early season form is of stark contrast to the dreadful opening six games last season where Liverpool had picked up only 5 points. Rodgers though despite the poor return stuck by his blueprint of how the game should be played and has received the fruit of his labour this season thus far. It must be noted that the start to this season has consisted of relatively easier fixtures but nevertheless it indicates an improving team.

Rodgers will undoubtedly be happy with the teams standing but is sure to be looking for an improvement in performances in the coming weeks. If we were to look at each fixture so far this season I would say that out of the 6 games only against Man UTD and Aston Villa did Liverpool have a good display and get the result. Against both Stoke and Swansea they had very impressive first halves but faded away in the second to allow both aforementioned teams back into the game. In the end they just held on to a 1-0 victory against Stoke thanks to Simon Mignolet (25) making a great debut penalty save to deny Jon Walters and Stoke a point they will feel they deserved. Similarly against Swansea, Liverpool struggled in the second half and were lucky to hold on to a 2-2 draw. The Sunderland game in my view was the biggest indication so far that Liverpool are on the right track, It was on the back of Chelsea, Man UTD, Manchester City and Spurs dropping points a scenario that would usually see Liverpool bottle it but this time they capitalised on other teams poor results and beat manager less Sunderland 3-1 at the Stadium of Light .This was probably Liverpool’s worst performance so far this season but they snatched the victory which impressed most pundits and fans.

Having created a good platform for the season so far and with the return of the Luis Suarez (26) to partner the on fire Daniel Sturridge (25) this could prove to be an exciting season for the legendary club. They will without a doubt challenge for the top 4 and the way things are going you wouldn’t bet against them. Whatever the season entails it is sure to be another exciting one for all associated with Liverpool Football Club.