December 2014

Finally we had a month where we actually played in more than a couple of league games! This gave us the chance to rack up some much needed points ...

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With 5 league games we managed to pick up 10 points and moved up to 8th position, now on 21 points.

We moved 11 clear of the relegation zone and are now only 9 off Barcelona in 4th place (optimistic I know).

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

JORDAN HENDERSON + DANIEL STURRIDGE

View attachment 228071HENDERSON:

AVERAGE RATING: 8.16

ASSISTS: 4

GOALS: 0

STURRIDGE:

AVERAGE RATING: 7.50

ASSISTS: 1

GOALS: 5


A joint award this season as I just couldn't choose between Henderson and Sturridge. The amount of assists and man of the match awards that Henderson won meant he couldn't be ignored! But Sturridge scored 5 goal in 7 games which is normally enough to win this award on its own.
 
January 2015

January started off with some transfer news ...

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This was pretty straight forward but still very pleasing to get wrapped up.

Flanaghan had broken into the starting line up at right back following injuries to Nathaniel Clyne and Manquillo. He's performed admirably, he's not quite as prolific as Clyne going forward but you can't know his defence work up to date.

He's only 22 so I'm still hopeful he can improve and really challenge Clyne as number one right back.


Next up was a transfer which was a lot more complex and probably wouldn't go down too well in some parts of Merseyside ...

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We made an offer for Everton wonderkid, John Stones!

I was really hoping to get him a lot cheaper than this but Everton simply would not budge. The other downside was they also wouldn't budge on him being loaned back to Everton for the remainder of the season. Something I wasn't that disappointed about as we still have Lovren, Skrtel and Sakho to compete to partner Otamendi.

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Unfortunately for us John Stones wasn't interested in discussing terms with us as he doesn't want to be loaned back to Everton.

Everton currently play in Division 3 and are battling for promotion. It sounds like Stones wants to come here but will demand an immediate transfer.

After going back in with negotiations with Everton they won't accept anything without Stones being loaned back to them!

It looks like I'll have to leave this piece of business for the time being and maybe look to try again in the summer.


We could at least confirm one signing however ...

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Defensive midfielder, Lucas Silva joins our ranks as a £10million transfer from Real Madrid.

Lucas Silva only managed 6 months in the Spanish capital after moving there for £10.5million from Brazilian side Cruzeiro.

Silva only played 5 times for Real after he struggled to break into their midfield.

With him still only being 22 years old he could still become one of the best holding players in world football.​
 
January 2015

January turned out to be a decent month in terms of results as well ...

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Our first game was a 2-1 home victory over Man Utd.

Kevin Volland and Jordan Henderson with the goals to claim victory after being 1-0 down thanks to a Robin Van Persie opener.

Henderson continued his good form after a brilliant December he then struck the winner here against Man Utd.


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We then travelled to face PSG in the second game of the month and pulled off one of the best results of our season.

Jordan Henderson once again continuing his brilliant form and opened the scoring here against a very good PSG side. Nicolas Otamendi then doubled our lead with a close range header before Zlatan Ibrahimovic inevitably got on the scoresheet to peg one back.

The game was wrapped up however when Sami Khedira finished off a brilliant counter attacking move to make it 3-1 and wrap up the game.

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Chelsea came next an Anfield and once again, we simply blew them away.

Khedira scored his second in 2 games to open the scoring here against another very good side challenging for a top 4 finish.

Mario Balotelli then stole the show with a first half brace to ensure the game was comfortably won. Mario only started thanks to yet another injury sustained to Daniel Sturridge. But he certainly took his chance with both hands to challenge Sturridge to be our number 9 for the rest of the season.


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We followed the 3-0 success against Chelsea with another 3-0 win, this time against a Benfica side currently bottom of the league having only won 2 games all season.

Balotelli picked up an injury just before the game and therefore couldn't carry on his great form after scoring 2 goals in the previous game.

It was Divock Origi who came in and started, and just like Balotelli, he too grabbed the chance with both hands by also scoring a brace.

The scoring was opened though by Philippe Coutinho after 5 minutes, Origi then scored a second half brace after impressing and being a constant threat.


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We finished the month in disappointing fashion though with a really poor performance and result against Arsenal who are too struggling in the bottom half of the table.

Putting it simply, we were really poor here and got exactly what we deserved.

With our form coming into the game, I genunally thought we'd win this one quite comfortably, how wrong could I be. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring before Danny Welbeck bagged the second.

Giroud then hit his second to end a truly miserable game for us.



We also progressed in both cup competitions during this month ...

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First up, we defeated Olympiakos after extra time to reach the League Cup Quarter Finals.

We played a real second string side here due to the amount of games played throughout the last 2 months. Olympiakos went 1-0 up through Ibrahim Afellay and continue to lead until Daniel Sturridge, just back to full fitness, equalised with less than 20 minutes remaining.

The game then went into extra time where Joe Allen became the hero after scoring in the 106th minute to claim a 2-1 victory.


Our prize for beating them ...


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Probably the pick of the draw here as we play Celta Vigo in the Quarter Final. The only disappointment was to be drawn away from home! This still give us a great chance to progress to the Semi's though where Juventus, Real Madrid or Barcelona could await.



We then moved onto the League Trophy ...


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We also progressed in the League Trophy wit a 2-1 win over Real Betis.

Mario Balotelli opened the scoring before Betis equalised with 10 minutes left. We left it late though as Kevin Volland managed to get the winner in the 4th minute of added time.


The draw for the League Trophy 4th round was ...

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Another winnable tie.

A home tie against Italian side Palermo which is yet another great chance to progress, this time the Quarter Final.​



 
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January 2015

January was another really impressive month with us picking up 12 points from 5 league games as well as progressing in both cup competitions.

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Our impressive form means we move up to an impressive 7th place, only 3 points behind Juventus, although they do have a game in hand.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

JORDAN HENDERSON

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GOALS: 2

ASSISTS: 2

AVERAGE RATING: 7.62
 
February 2015

February was another fairly short month in terms of games played. For once I was actually thankful for this after a stupidly hectic December and January.

We started the month with the long trip to face Corinthians.

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Very disappointing here!

We just didn't click and never really go going. We were always in control and never looked like losing but we just couldn't find our feet in the attacking third. To make matters even worse, Corinthians were down to 10 men for the last 15 minutes or so which meant they sat even deeper and allowed even less space for us to attack.

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After the disappointment of the dull Corinthians game, we bounced back brilliantly to beat Real Madrid 3-1 in one of our best performance of the season.

Martin Skrtel opened the scoring with a bullet header before Sami Khedira scored against his old club to double our lead. I'm really pleased for Khedira as he's had a good season without really winning the headlines which have always gone to Jordan Henderson.

Former Man Utd striker then got one back midway through the second half after some slack defending from Alberto Moreno.

Jordan Henderson then continued his fabulous season by netting the third to put the game beyond doubt. Henderson's form has been incredible but I'm increasingly concerned that he'll be moving on in the near future.

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The month ended in disappointing fashion with a 3-1 away defeat to Man City who also overtook us into 7th place by beating us.

We started well and really took the game to Man City and Nicolas Otamendi opened the scoring after 19 minutes.

Man City then really took control with Fernandinho equalising only 5 minutes later. Frank Lampard then put them 2-1 infront with a good finish from the edge of the area.

Former Liverpool forward, Raheem Sterling then netted the third to put the game beyond any kind of doubt.


We also progressed in the League Trophy again ...

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Again we didn't play that well here but still made it through against lower league opposition.

Nigel De Jong continued his good goal scoring form by netting his 3rd of the season in what turned out to be the only goal of the game.

We haven't hit top form yet in the League Trophy but we still make it to the Quarter Final, where we draw ...

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PSG!!

By far the toughest draw so far.

I'm pretty please to avoid Real Madrid but other than them, PSG were the next toughest.

Having said that, they're only 12th in the Premier League, 8 points behind us. So it's certainly a winnable game but we'll have to improve on our current performances in the competition if we want to progress any further.​
 
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February 2015

February was yet another short month where we only played 3 leagues, picking up 4 points as well as progressing into the Semi Final of the League Trophy.

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We drop down 1 place here into 8th after Man City overtake us, although we do have a game in hand over them.

I think top 6 should now be our target for this first season.

We're well clear of relegation (19 points clear) and only 5 off Juventus in 6th and also have a game in hand.


PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

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JORDAN HENDERSON

AVERAGE RATING: 7.65

ASSISTS: 1

GOALS: 0
 
March 2015

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We started March brilliantly with a really good victory against a decent Inter Milan side who are right with us in the table.

The game was won thanks to a brilliant Philippe Coutinho freekick from 25 yards out which left the keeper with no chance as it hit the post and went in.

We dominated from start to finish with 60% of the ball and 26 efforts to Inter's 3 with 12 on target. My only concern was that we only scored 1 goal, with 26 efforts on goal you would expect more, Sturridge was really poor today and was subbed for Danny Ings midway through the second half.

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We then faced another Italian side, this time Italian Champions, Juventus away from home. We were far from our best here today. Although the first half was pretty even, we lacked the cutting edge that we've been showing for most of the season. Sturridge again failed to impress.

The second half was a different story with Juventus taking their chances. First Carlos Tevez scored from what seemed to be an impossible angle, possible Mignolet was slightly at fault here.

Alvaro Morata then doubled the lead and put the game to bed with a brilliantly taken counter attacking goal as we pushed everyone forward in search for the equaliser.

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Another tough game followed with Bayern Munich coming to Anfield. I'm pretty happy with a draw here against Bayern, currently top of the league.

The game was pretty even with the possession stat 50/50 and very similar shots and shots on target. The scoring was opened through Philippe Coutinho who scored his second of the month on the stroke of half time.

We held on to our lead right up until the 81st minute when Arjen Robben coasted past our defenders and slotted the ball past Mignolet. Robben was a constant problem and we struggled to contain him all game.

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Back to winning ways with a really good 3-0 win away at Porto. Although Porto are struggling in the league it's still a tough place to visit and their recent home record isn't too bad.

Daniel Sturridge picked up a slight injury just before the game that will probably keep him out until the end of the month. Therefore, Mario Balotelli came in for to start and repaid me by opening the scoring within 2 minutes.

Jordan Henderson then doubled our lead before the half hour mark. It was then Brazilian, Philippe Coutinho who wrapped the game up early in the second half. That's his 3rd goal this month in what's been a really impressive run for him on the left wing.

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The last game of the month is about as difficult as you can get ... Barcelona away!

A 0-0 draw though is pretty pleasing! Barcelona dominated but just couldn't find a way past our stubborn defence. Barcelona are going for the title so this will be really disappointing for them.

Luis Suarez had a couple of really good chances which he should have scored, playing against his old side for the first time.


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We also progressed in the League Cup with a Quarter Final win over Celta Vigo. Again, we weren't brilliant but just did enough to progress into the semi finals.

We rested a couple of first team players which thankfully didn't back fire. The two cup competitions are now my main priority as we now have a great opportunity to win some silverware this season.

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We drew Barcelona in the semi finals!

Both semi finals will be played at a neutral venue so at least being picked as the away side won't matter. We've just drawn 0-0 against the Spanish giants but Barcelona dominated so we'll have to change the game plan slightly for this cup game.​
 
March 2015

So March was a very hectic month and gave us a good chance to pick up a number of points, although a few of the games were against the league's top sides.

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We move up to 7th in the table with everyone now having played the same amount of games (28). Our aim has to be to gun down Juventus in 6th who are only a point in front of us. Chelsea (5th) I would say are too far in front for us to catch and we shoud comfortably finish infront of PSG who are 5 points behind.

Juventus have a tough run in with games against Chelsea (5th), PSG (8th), Man Utd (4th) and Barcelona (2nd).



PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

PHILIPPE COUTINHO

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AVERAGE RATING: 7.82

ASSISTS: 1

GOALS: 3
 
In the middle of our preparations of the Barcelona Cup Semi Final game, there was a knock on my office door. It was Christian Benteke ...

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I was fuming with the big Belgian! We're days away from playing the biggest game of the season and he's moaning that he's not playing.

I'd sympathise with him if he was playing well and training well and still not being given a chance but he's only scored 1 goal all season!

The simple fact is he just isn't good enough. I'll without doubt be looking to offload him in the summer.

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The very next day I was shocked when all the lads turned up eager to impress with the Barca game coming up but one player hadn't got the message. Christian Benteke failed to turn up to training after our meeting the previous day.

He was duly fined 2 weeks wages and a promise was made that he'll never play for the club again.​
 
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Benteke was put to the back of my mind when I saw Nathaniel Clyne joining the lads in a full training session after a lengthy injury.

Clyne looked really sharp and gives me a serious decision for the right back slot against Barcelona. Clyne is definitely our best right back but I don't want to force him back too early. Flanaghan and Maquillo have shared the responsibility during Clyne's time out and have both played really well.



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I was absolutely fuming with this!

Clyne has only just returned to training and the ****** FA call him up for a meaningless friendly against Serbia less than a week before we play the biggest game of the season so far.

This now means that Clyne will not only miss the Barcelona game but also the Fa Trophy Quarter Final match which is played straight after.​
 
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LIVERPOOL UNHAPPY WITH FA

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has publicly criticized the English FA and England manager Roy Hodgson for calling up full back, Nathaniel Clyne despite the Liverpool defender only resuming full training 48 hours before.

Clyne had missed over 4 months of the season with a broken foot sustained back at the start of the year. Liverpool had hoped that the full back would be in contention for both the upcoming cup games.

The Premier League outfit take on Barcelona in the League Cup Semi final on Wednesday and then take on PSG in the League Trophy Quarter Final the following Saturday.

Sadly for Liverpool though, Clyne is expected to miss another 2 weeks of the season with a twisted knee picked up in a training session with the England senior side.

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Liverpool boss, Rodgers, didn't hold back with his own assessment:

"It's absolutely absurd! The lads only had one training session with us and hasn't played for 4 months. Surely the England manager should be picking players on form anyway".

On asked how this incident will affect their relationship going forward, the Liverpool boss was equally as frustrated, "It's certainly going to make us think how to advise the lads going forward, Nathaniel is now out of the equation for the two biggest games of the season so far, all because of a pointless friendly against Serbia".

The FA are yet to comment but one can only imagine their disappointment with Rodgers reaction.​
 
League Cup Semi Final

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Barcelona line up with a 4-3-3 formation with Suarez, Neymar and Pedro as the front three. I was delighted to see Lionel Messi absent from the starting line up, even better than that is he also failed to make the bench. Messi had failed a late fitness test after being injured for the last few weeks or so. Still, Neymar, Pedro and Suarez is enough to fear.

Gerard Pique also misses for Barcelona with Bartra partnering Mathieu at center half. This is really an area we have to target as Barca's weakness.

Meanwhile, we line up with Sakho partnering Otamendi at center back. The biggest decision I had to make was at right back, however just hours before kick off Javi Manquillo picked up a knock which meant Jon Flanaghan was our only option at right back.

I also went for some added defensive ability with Nigel De Jong partnering Lucas Silva and both playing a deeper role than normal. Hopefully this will enable us to cope with their front three better.


So, let's see how the game went on ...

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Heartbreak in injury time!

Barcelona are through to the League Cup Final with a 2-1 win over Liverpool.

Barcelona needed extra time to claim the victory in what was a very even game and really could have gone either way.

With the two sides playing out a 0-0 draw only a couple of weeks ago, bot sides knew exactly what to expect. After an even first half with few chances between the two sides, both teams went into the second half with the intention of really getting forward to attack.

And that paid off for Barcelona as Xavi opened the scoring on the hour mark. Xavi was allowed too much time and space about 25 yards from goal, he set his sights and fired the ball into the top corner and left Mignolet with no chance.

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Liverpool could have felt hard done by to be a goal down but they rallied on and put Balotelli on with 20 minutes left to play.

That substitution turned out be a brilliant decision as the Italian equalised with less than 5 minutes to go. Liverpool had been knocking at the door for some time before then but captain, Jordan Henderson made a powerful run towards goal and was fouled just outside the area. Balotelli immediately took the ball and fired it past the 'keeper into the top left corner to make it 1-1 with only minutes left.

The game then went into extra time but with Liverpool now having a very attacking side out, they struggled to keep the ball against a tiring Barcelona side.

Both sides had chances but it was an unlikely hero who won it for the Spanish side. Sergio Busquets got the winner after Neymar had a good effort well saved. The re-bound though fell straight to Busquets and Mignolet was slow getting back to his feet, a finish high into the roof of the net beat the keeper and sent Barcelona into the final!

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We went all out for the win but just couldn't find a way past them.​
 
League Trophy Quarter Final

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The next game of the month was the League Trophy Quarter Final against PSG.

We went with the same team that lost so narrowly to Barcelona in the other cup game last time out. And we dominated from start to finish.

Daniel Sturridge got back to scoring ways by opening the scoring after just 7 minutes. Sturridge received the ball on the edge of the box and shot on the turn to beat the keeper into the roof of the net.

Coutinho then doubled our lead after Jordan Henderson had an effort saved which rebounded straight to Coutinho who couldn't miss.

The game was made even easier when Yohan Cabaye was shown his second yellow card after just 21 minutes. Cabaye looked off pace right from the start and really made his teams afternoon difficult with them now playing with 10 men.

Kevin Volland then wrapped things up by scoring the 3rd shortly before half time by heading home a wonderful cross from Moreno.

We then saw out the second half with ease and progress into the Semi Finals.

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The win here see's us draw against by far the toughest opposition available. Again this semi final is also played in a neutral venue so being the away side doesn't matter.

I was really hoping we'd draw one of the other two sides who both play in the first division.​
 
April 2015

April turned out to be really busy with both the cup games as well as 3 leagues games:

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After playing Barca and PSG at the beginning of the month, we traveled to Dortmund for the first league game of the month.

Kevin Volland opened the scoring just after the half hour mark after really good play from Henderson down the left wing who put in a brilliant cross which found Volland at the far post.

The second half felt very much like a pre-season friendly with both sides having little to play for. Dortmund equqlised however through Adrian Ramos midway through the second half. His pace was a constant problem and this was the case here after he broke the offside trap and cooly finished past Mignolet.

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Athletico then came to Anfield in the next game. I mention that the Dortmund game felt like a friendly but this was something else. We looked totally disinterested and offered very little going forward.

The League Trophy is obviously on the players mind too early.

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Valencia at home was the final game of the month. With Real Madrid coming next I didn't know whether to rest a few or try and get a really good performance out of them to put the shocker against Athletico out of their mind.

In the end I decided to play our strongest side to try and get the confidence back which seems to have vanished in the last couple of weeks or so.

After 37 minutes I was already regretting my decision when Parejo scored his second against us this season as Valencia opened the scoring against the run of play.

We bounced back though and leveled through Mr Dependable, Jordan Henderson who made a brilliant run and was found well by Sturridge.

It was then Volland who netted the second to claim victory. Flanaghan put in a wicked ball and Volland netted with a bullet header. That's Volland's 3rd goal this month for the in-form winger.


Next up, Real Madrid in the League Trophy Semi Final​
 
League Cup Trophy Semi Final

The next game was another big one, after losing so narrowly to Barcelona a couple of weeks before, the League Trophy was now our last chance of silverware this season.

But to progress any further, we had to get past a very strong Real Madrid side.

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I was absolutely delighted to see the Real teamsheet in the morning of the game. Not because I was happy to see Bale, Benzema, Modric or Kroos start but because Ronaldo was missing!

I know you shouldn't wish injury on any player but I cant lie, I did on this occasion. His replacement was a young kid from their academy called Perez who has very little experience. Christiano Ronaldo he is not!






The game started with Madrid starting the better side with the youngster Perez causing us various problems down the right flank.

And it was the youngster who had replaced Ronaldo who opened the scoring after just 6 minutes. He got goal side of Moreno after some sloppy defending, the took the ball into the box and finished well into the bottom left corner.

REAL MADRID 1-0 LIVERPOOL


Madrid then continued to dominate the first half with only Mignolet keeping us in the game. Perez could have had a hattrick by now and Bale really should have scored a couple as well.

I was looking forward to getting the lads in a half-time to re-group and change a couple of things.

But just as half time approached, Real started another attack. Once again it was Perez who caused all the problems, this time he got the better of Lovren, turning him inside out before striking the ball from 12 yards out which Mignolet had no chance with.

REAL MADRID 2-0 LIVERPOOL

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This was now a massive task and not one I was fully convinced we were capable of.

HALF TIME

During the half time teamtalk I decided we needed to go for this and throw caution to the wind, we needed 2 goals against Real Madrid for goodness sake! Nigel De Jong came off to leave just Lucas Silva as the holding midfielder and Mario Balotelli came on to partner Sturridge up-front.

We started the second half like a totally different animal! Just 5 minutes into the second half Philippe Coutinho made a daring run into the penalty area and drew a dangerous and lazy challenge from Ramos which left the ref only one choice ... PENALTY!

Balotelli, who had only been on the pitch a few minutes insisted on taking the responsibility. He tucked it away into the bottom corner, as cool as you'd like.

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REAL MADRID 2-1 LIVERPOOL

We then started taking control and looked really dangerous every time we went forward, my only concern now was how dangerous Madrid looked on the counter attack. Perez was leaving a real mark on me and the match and gave Moreno a torrid time!

As chances came and went, with Daniel Sturridge missing a number of clear cut chances. By now we should at least have been level but with 10 minutes left we were still 2-0 down and looked fresh out of ideas.

With 10 minutes to go I really went for, I'd rather have lost 3-1 or 4-1 and have a go than lose 2-1 and offer nothing. So Adam Lallana came on for Lucas Silva which just Jordan Henderson as the only midfielder left. Even more daring though as Dejan Lovren made way for forward, Divock Origi.

This left Sakho as the only defender with Clyne and Moreno pushed right forward. Henderson was the only midfielder with Coutinho and Volland in front of him. We then had a front three of Origi, Sturridge and Balotelli. This was either going to get us the equaliser or make us embarrassed with Real potentially running riot.

But with just minutes to go, Clyne made a run down the right hand side and whipped in a wicked ball, Ramos missed his clearance and the ball fell perfectly to Origi. Time seemed to stand still as he controlled the ball. He then finished low and hard past the keeper to equalise in the 92nd minute.

REAL MADRID 2-2 LIVERPOOL

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After the referee had calmed down our celebrations, Real kicked off with the final whistle being blown immediately after.

FULL TIME


As the final whistle rang, I could see on my players faces ... they thought they'd won the game! The drama of the final few minutes made it feel like we'd completed the turnaround and won the game.

I quickly reminded the lads that there was another half an hour to play. I racked my brain trying to think how we can stop Real scoring again with such an attacking line up. I decided that we couldn't!

My decision was to attack from the off and try and win, with no subs left I was left with 3 strikers, 2 attacking midfielder and 1 defender.

We started well with further chances falling to Sturridge who again missed a number of chances.

I could tell the lads weren't as fresh as before, our attacks were much slower. As were Real's.

Therefore it was no surprise that extra time finished goalless as we entered the lottery of penalties.

Real Madrid had the first kick with Coentrao going first - who scored with ease.

1-0

Sturridge was next up, taking our first who also scored into the bottom corner.

1-1

Then came Sergio Ramos who blasted the ball into the roof of the net.

2-1


Balotelli was next for us, after already scoring one in the second half. He once again sent the keeper the wrong way.

2-2


Bale went next and didn't mess about, a top class penalty.

3-2

Origi stood up next, I was really nervous. He's only a young kid! What pressure. But we tucked it away nicely.

3-3

Then came substitute, Javier Hernandez. He didn't look confident walking up to the ball, and that was proved to be the case as his effort went well wide.

3-3 - Liverpool with a penalty in hand.

Coutinho walked up next, I had no doubt about him. He also scored with ease to compound the miss by Hernandez.

3-4

Toni Kroos then stepped up to keep Madrid in it. He finished cooly to leave all the pressure on our last taker.

4-4

The pressure all laid on the shoulders of Kevin Volland. Historic moment for the new signing. He certainly didn't disappoint as struck it well into the corner.

4-5
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FULL TIME

LIVERPOOL GO THROUGH AFTER PENALTY SHOOTOUT WIN





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I'm absolutley delighted with this win, especially after being 2-0 down against one of the best sides in the country.

Our prize for pulling off such a great comeback was a place in the final ...

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Bayern Leverkusen progressed in the other Semi Final after beating Monaco.

Although Leverkusen are only in the second divison, they still represent a good challenge. They've a few players who could really hurt us if we're not on our game.
 
With that dramatic win over Real in the Semi Final out the way, we now then had 2 more league games to finish off the season before the League Trophy Final took place against Leverkusen.

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The second to last game came at home to AC Milan just days after the Semi Final triumph.

As expected, we put in a leggy performance and didn't look anything like ourselves. Because the Real Madrid game went all the way to penalties, I rested the big boys and out in some of the youngsters, who didn't let me down.

Ac Milan didn't have anything to play for and the game really did have a pre-season friendly feel to it.


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The final game was a old local rivalry with Man Utd. Man Utd were still in the title hunt and were desperate for the 3 points but we stood firm and held out for a decent point.

Again the bigger named players were left out and rested for the cup final to be played in a week's time.

Man Utd took the lead through Juan Mata before we equalised and then took the lead, Daniel Sturridge scoring both goals. I felt it important to play Sturridge as his form has been patchy in recent weeks and I need him firing next week.

Man Utd leveled late on though through Falcao to share the spoils.


NEXT UP, THE BIG ONE!

THE LEAGUE CUP FINAL VS LEVERKUSEN​
 
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