3 In as 2 Confirm Departure

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Liverpool today announced the signings of 3 new players in preparation for the coming season. Former Chelsea man Kevin de Bruyne has joined the reds from Woflsburg in a deal worth £19.25m. De Bruyne spent 4 seasons on the Chelsea books, but didn't make a first team appearance in the premiership, and had two loan spells, firstly at Genk, where he scored 2 goals in 13 appearances, and then at Werder Bremen, where he notched 10 goals in 33 games. In 2013, De Bruyne moved to Wolfsburg for £18.5m, and scored 17 goals in 65 games for the club before this season's move to Liverpool. Still only 24, Liverpool's fans will be hoping De Bruyne continues to flourish as part of an attacking unit which will push him to the limit for his place every week.

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Liverpool's second signing is a move manager Hamann has been keen on since his arrival at the club; a £23.5m move for Southampton left-back Luke Shaw. At only 19, Shaw is touted in the media as one of the best players of his generation, and with 92 senior appearances to his name, experience is not likely to be high on the fan's list of concerns. Along with current first-choice left back Criscito, Shaw will be pushing for a place in the squad immediately, and it's likely that the two will be rotated, with Jose Enrique placed on the transfer list, and presumably looking to depart the club.

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Liverpool's final confirmed signing is Eder Alvarez Balanta, who joins the club from River for £2.8m, a price tag which many think is far too low for a player of his quality and potential. At 22 years old, Balanta will look to push the now-established pairing of Chiriches and Sakho in the heart of the Liverpool defence, and it is likely that old favourites such as Agger and Skrtel will be seeking clarification on their futures.

Confirmed Departures

Several players have left the club on free transfers this season, as manager Hamann continues to trim his youth and reserve squads of those he doesn't believe will succeed at Liverpool. The free-transfers include Brad Jones, Kolo Toure, Jack Robinson, Joao Texiera and Ryan Crump.

Centre-backs Sebastian Coates and Andre Wisdom have also left the club, moving to Frieburg and Stoke respectively, for a combined total of £4.67m.

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Liverpool Stroll Through Pre-Season

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Liverpool's Champions League hero from last season, Jordan Rossiter, was once again at the heart of the Liverpool midfield for their busy pre-season schedule. With Lucas playing for Brazil in the Copa America, Rossiter played in 8 of the 10 pre-season matches, and gave a great account of himself, after last season saw him improve dramatically.

Liverpool's opening game came against River, as part of a pre-season Friendly League. A Kevin Volland hat-trick saw the Reds run out 3-1 winners, although an injury to Harry Wilson overshadowed the victory. St. Pat's Athletic presented Liverpool's second pre-season challenge, but goals from Volland and youngster David Harrison brushed them aside. The League's final game came against Boca Juniors, and goals from Glen Johnson and Domenico Criscito gave Liverpool a 3-2 lead, and their first 'silverware' of the season.

Next up, Liverpool visited Bangor, defeating Bangor Y.M 6-0, with two goals from Daniel Sturridge, one from John Oliver, and a hat-trick from Mamadou Sakho sealing a tremendous win. Against Vasco, Liverpool's prolific scoring form was posted missing, with Kevin de Bruyne scoring late to rescue a 1-1 draw.

Back on home soil, and against Shotton Steel, Liverpool recorded a 7-0 victory, to dispel any concerns, with goals from Shaw, Volland, Sturridge and Coutinho sending the fans into raptures.

Following this, the Reds went on tour in China, recording 3 wins in a row, before returning to Europe to play Juventus away, drawing 1-1, and looking in great shape for the upcoming season.

Preseason Results

Tough Start to Reds' Campaign

Despite an unbeaten pre-season, and an overbearing sense of optimism around Anfield, Liverpools league campaign got off on entirely the wrong footing, and fans were left bitterly dissapointed by a side which had promised so much during pre-season.

In the opening game of the season, Liverpool went down 3-1 to a hard-working Chelsea side, Kevin de Bruyne's goal the only high-point of an otherwise torrid afternoon for the Reds.

A 1-1 draw with Tottenham followed, Daniel Sturridge putting the Reds ahead before Emmanuel Adebayor scored a 93rd minute equaliser to prevent the Reds notching their first win of the season.

The poor form continued against Manchester United, when Mamadou Sakho cancelled out Wayne Rooney's 3rd minute strike to leave Liverpool with 2 points in 3 games, and 15th in the Premier League ahead of the European Super Cup tie against Bayern on Saturday.

August Results

League Table and Stats

Player of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne

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European Supercup 2015

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Liverpool and Bayern travelled to meet each other today, in the European Supercup, on the samw day that the two sides found out their Champions League group stages fates. Bayern were drawn in a relatively straightforward group, and they will play Juventus, Olympiakos and Dinamo, whilst Liverpool face games against Schalke, Lyon and Hapolel Tel-Aviv.

The major talking point before the match however, was another group in the Champions League draw: Group D, which drew Real Madrid, PSG, Ac Milan and Celtic together, to gain the billing of the 'group of death' this year.

Ahead of his side's Supercup match, Didi Hamann refused to talk about the Champions League draw, and instead announced his side for the match, following on from his Bayern counterpart Claudio Ranieri doing the same.

Liverpool XI

Mingolet, Criscito, Balanta, Sakho, Kelly, Rossiter, Henderson, Allen, Coutinho, De Bruyne, Suarez
Subs: Valdes, McIlduff, Sterling, Wilson, Shaw, Volland, Sturridge

Bayern XI

Neuer, Alaba, Reyes, Zouma, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Martinez, Kroos, Gotze, Fischer, Lewandowsi
Subs: Starke, Thiago, Muller, Zivkovic, Boateng, Ribery, Xhaka

First Half

Liverpool kicked off, and were immediately moving the ball around the Bayern half, sniffing around the outside of the penalty box with some slick passing, before Kelly's pass hit off a Bayern defender and went out for a throw-in.
Bayern were almost ahead after 15 minutes, when Henderson lost the ball in the centre-circle, and a raking ball forward from Martinez found Fischer on the edge of the Liverpool box, but an acobatic save from Mingolet kept it out, and Martin Kelly cleared the ball into touch.
The best chance of the half fell to Kevin De Bruyne, who couldn't lift his shot high enough to make it over Neuer, after some great play from Coutinho just outside the box.

Second Half

15 minutes after the restart, and with no real signs of any activity in either goalmouth, Hamann turned to his bench, laden with stars and starlets, and made 2 changes; Criscito, who had just been booked for a rash tackle, was replaced by Luke Shaw, and Daniel Sturridge replaced the largely ineffective Suarez, who had also picked up a booking for diving.
Shaw's impact was immediate, as he lifted a ball into the Bayern area which caused confusion as it hung in the air. Daniel Sturridge's inital shot was blocked, but Kevin De Bruyne made no mistake with the rebound, slotting it past a sprawling Neuer, and Liverpool were 1-0 up!
With six minutes to go, Daniel Sturridge picked up a knock at the hands of Phillip Lahm, and had to be replaced by Kevin Volland, who was overjoyed to take his place on the stage, even for such a short time.
With a minute left of added time, Zivkovic found himself clean through on goal, and tried to lift his shot over Mingolet as he rushed out to meet him, but brave goalkeeping from the Belgian meant that he could collect the ball from Zivkovic's toes, and the danger was averted. It proved to be the last act of the match, and Liverpool were crowned European Supercup Champions!!!

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Liverpool's New Engine Room Reaps Results

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Liverpool's midfield pairing of Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson have been at the centre of the sides 12 game unbeaten run since their Supercup win against Bayern Munich. Often playing just ahead of young defensive midfielder Jordan Rossiter, the duo have been in terrific form, creating chances and keeping the side playing as a unit.

Rossiter himself has produced a run of form which is currently keeping Lucas out of the side, and Hamann certainly seems to have moved away from usual fan favourites such as Suarez and Sturridge, in favour of players such as Kevin Volland, Kevin De Bruyne and Harry Wison, and to good effect, with the side winning 8 of their 12 games on the way to breaking into the league's top six.

The attacking talents of Kevin De Bruyne and Kevin Volland have been key to the team's success, with De Bryune netting 6 goals, and Volland notching 3 to lead the line.

Many pundits are also pointing to Liverpool's new shape this season as a possible reason for their unbeaten run, as the 4-5-1 is a formation which Hamann has not used since starting his reign at Liverpool, but it has certainly been effective.

September/October Results

League Table and Stats

Champions League Table and Stats

Player of the Months: Jordan Henderson

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Liverpool Add Another Title

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After a tough November saw Liverpool lose to Schalke and suffer a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, the Reds turned on the style in spectacular fashion, showing flashes of brilliance throughout December, including a 5-1 victory over TP Mazembe on their way to winning the Club World Championship, and an 8-2 victory over Chelsea to end the year on a high.

November started well enough for Liverpool, 1-0 victories over Tel-Aviv and Fulham preceeded a 0-0 draw with Man City, and everyone was happy; the unbeaten run was extended and the team were playing well.

It all came crashing down against Schalke, when even Kevin Volland's last-minute goal wasn't enough to save the Reds' record, and with the side reeling, Arsenal took full advantage 2 days later to hand out a 4-0 drubbing at the Emirates.

A Kevin De Bruyne goal was enough to give Liverpool a win against Blackburn, and they proceeded to win 5 games back-to-back, including a 1-0 win over Sao Paulo to win the World Club Championship, before a 90th minute goal from Michu gave Swansea victory in the Capital One Cup Quarter Finals.

A disappointing draw against QPR followed, but a tactical switch ahead of the Chelsea game proved to be a great success, as goals from Sturridge, Wilson, Criscito, Henderson and Volland handed Liverpool an 8-2 victory.

November/December Results

League Table and Stats

Champions League: First Knockout Round

Player of The Month(s): Harry Wilson

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