Rodgers' Reds: Class is Permanent

Liverpool didn't do anything this month transfer-wise, but things have certainly been happening for them in terms of results, as they scored 34 goals in 8 games. A win against rivals Manchester United knocked them out of the FA Cup in the Fourth Round, and they are also in the Final of the Capital One Cup for the second consecutive time after besting Chelsea in the Semi Final. In the Premier League, Liverpool have dropped to 2nd, but with a game in hand and will probably reclaim 1st place by the end of the next month.

Liverpool January Player of the Month

January could best be described as the Mario Balotelli & Daniel Sturridge show with the two forwards sharing 19 of the club's 34 goals this month between them. However, Mario Balotelli is the man chosen to pick up this month's award, largely in part to his 3 hat tricks against Watford in the Premier League, Blackburn in the Capital One Cup, and last but not least Chelsea in the FA Cup. The Italian has picked up 10 goals in a single month and will be hoping he can continue his red hot form.

Manager's Thoughts

Fantastic month with goals galore, I was especially impressed by both Sturridge and Balotelli, who have been incredible in wrecking many of our oppositions' defenses. Moving on to the results and fixtures, it felt brilliant to crush Chelsea 3-6 at Stamford Bridge and I'm sure the fans are delighted, to be able to get one over Manchester United to progress to the next round of the FA Cup is also great. February will be an important month for us, with the Capital One Cup Final and the Champions League games against Paris Saint-Germain, and I'm pleased that the team is looking more than ready for them.

Injury Report

Ruben Garcia - 8 months (damaged cruciate ligaments)
Jordan Henderson - 2 months (hip injury)

Two big losses for Liverpool this month in the form of Ruben Garcia and Jordan Henderson, with the former being ruled out for the rest of the season. Henderson, one of the most important men within the Liverpool squad, is also ruled out for the Capital One Cup Final and the upcoming Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.

Justice: Hahaha, I'm flattered it's going to be quite awkward if I lose now though

A superb month for Liverpool! You have a real chance of winning four trophies this season which would be an incredible feat, but if your team plays like they did in January, it will be plain-sailing. Shame about the injuries though, hopefully they will bounce back even stronger, when they eventually return.

15 goals from Balotelli & Coutinho that month!

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Liverpool winger Ruben Garcia took time out today to give an interview to the Daily Mail's Dominic King, at the club's training ground, Melwood.

The 22-year-old has played well since his arrival in England, settling in quickly and hugely impressing manager Brendan Rodgers, with his stylish play and ability to move the ball around. However, an unlucky injury suffered while playing against Manchester City in the Premier League has ruled him out for the rest of the season.

It's definitely not the kind of debut season Garcia would have expected, and the young Spaniard is clearly disappointed with that.

"I feel that I've been playing well so yes, to get a season-long injury at this point in time was quite hard for me to take," said Garcia in his native Spanish, communicating through the help of a translator. "It was very unlucky."


And playing well he was indeed. Garcia has made 22 appearances in total for Liverpool so far, scoring 5 goals, 3 of which come in the Premier League. The absence of Raheem Sterling in December certainly contributed to his run in the first team, and that is something he admits himself.

"Normally, Raheem is first-choice at the position that I play. When he was out injured, the boss told me I had to step up and show him what I could do. So I went ahead and did it.

"I think I did great when I was given the opportunity to play. I'm happy with the way I took my chances."


He also agreed that his newly picked-up damaged ligaments would endanger his growing status in the starting eleven. "I feel that I've given the boss a lot to think about, but then I got injured, so my progress is unfortunately going to be halted for awhile.

"It can't be helped and when I recover from this I want to work doubly hard on the training ground to convince him to keep selecting me. I want to play and I want to impress.

"Coming to England to play in the Premier League was a dream of mine and I have already achieved it, and I want to make sure it continues for as long as it possibly can."

Comparisons of him to one of Liverpool's fan favorites have caught his attention as well.

"Yes, I have heard about Luis Garcia. It's flattering to be compared to him, to be honest, because I know he's very well-liked here in Liverpool. When the fans talk about this, it's quite inspiring as it makes me want to play well and fulfill their expectations of me."

Talking about the fans themselves, he said, "The fans in England and Liverpool are very passionate about football. They've given me a great reception and I love playing for them. Games at Anfield are my favorites, the fans always make me feel at home and they are very much the reason why I have settled in here so quickly."

Without a doubt, the Reds' number 11 has gotten himself in the good books of the Kop, and it isn't just because of his name. There are many who consider him to be Rodgers' best summer signing, although Richairo Zivkovic, another summer recruit who has struck home 14 goals, will have something to say about that. Ironically, he was also one of the cheapest, coming from Levante at a fee of £8.5 million.


"Yes," was the definite reply to a question about the possibility of winning four trophies this season. Liverpool are title favorites and at the summit of the Premier League table, while at the same time still in the running for the FA Cup and the Champions League. Beating Chelsea last month saw them progress to the Final of the Capital One Cup, where they will face Merseyside rivals Everton.

"The team is good and easily one of the best in the world. I don't see why we can't win a quadruple. The possibility is there, that's what I think.

"It would hurt if the team won a quadruple though, because I won't be there on the pitch to share that success with them. At the same time, they have been working hard and I want them to do well.

"Regardless, I'm going to come back next season, stronger and better."

Garcia is not the only injury problem in the Liverpool team, as vice-captain Jordan Henderson is also out for the Capital One Cup Final and against Paris Saint-Germain, two crucial fixtures that could determine the outcome of Liverpool's quadruple dream.

It remains to be seen how the club fares without influential presence, and whether they can keep up their run of form.

Pompey: Thank you for the kind words, yeah it's a shame about the injuries. A quadruple would be the dream, not sure if we can keep playing like we did in January though

Justice:

Also noticed that I've been nominated for Story of the Month for the second time in a row. A big thank you to the nominating judges and the people who have been following so far, it's an honour!

P.S. You can vote for me here

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Not one, not two, not three, but four players have joined Ruben Garcia and Jordan Henderson on Liverpool's injury list.

Steven Gerrard and Eder Alvarez Balanta both picked up a sprained ankle and a twisted knee respectively in their side's fixture against Nottingham Forest, while Martin Skrtel has also been ruled out for the rest of the month after colliding into an opposition player while playing against Newcastle.

Lastly, Mario Balotelli is having problems with his ankle and the Italian could be out for 3 weeks, according to reports.

It is perhaps the worst possible time for this to happen, with Liverpool missing out on the selection of six important first-team players just as the club is getting ready to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League as well as the Capital One Cup Final against rivals Everton.

Additionally, Mamadou Sakho has been made to serve a suspension for exceeding the limit for yellow cards in European games, meaning that Liverpool will have Samuel Umtiti as their only fully fit central defender against PSG.


The Merseyside club have also lost their first-choices in central midfield. Gerrard & Henderson, two of the squad's major leaders, are also out, and Lucas Romero & James Ward-Prowse are going to have some big shoes to fill.

But the crisis position is undeniably defense as Umtiti will be forced to hold down the fort for the time being.

Before welcoming PSG to Anfield, Liverpool first take on Aston Villa in the Premier League, and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers spoke at length about the situation in his pre-match press conference.


"It's an extremely frustrating time for us especially considering that the ones injured are some of our more important players. We have only 14 people in the squad who are able to play in the PSG game.

"We're very unlucky to have all these injuries rain down on us all at once and we honestly cannot afford to have any more. The number of injury problems we've been having is nonsensical - it's so unrealistic that it makes me feel like I'm playing a game of Football Manager.

"But at this moment in time we just have to deal with it. We might have a slightly weakened team, but that won't stop the lads from beating PSG. We still have a very big chance of progressing through."

Injury-ravaged Liverpool easily stomped Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 on the French giants' visit to Anfield for the first leg of the Champions League's First Knockout Round.

It is a miraculous result for Brendan Rodgers, who has seen key players like Jordan Henderson, Steven Gerrard and Mario Balotelli falling to injury, and Mamadou Sakho's suspension for one European match also added on to the troubles.

However, Liverpool still managed to get a result against a PSG side which failed to give them any sort of challenge at all, and the Ligue 1 champions will have to score 4 goals at Parc des Princes in the second leg if they want to have any chance of mounting a comeback in the tie.

Returning to the match, Rodgers made a rather surprising decision, starting Jason Steele ahead of usual first-choice Simon Mignolet. However, the former Middlesbrough man repaid his faith and was excellent throughout the entire 90 minutes, keeping PSG at bay when he needed to. Eder Alvarez Balanta also recovered in time to make the lineup as he started alongside Samuel Umtiti in defence.

It's easy to see exactly how much the Liverpool squad has been stretched, as Rodgers opted to name two youth team players on the bench, Eneko Osia and Conor Skinner, two promising midfielders from the club academy, although not quite ready for big matches like these.

PSG had a few surprises in their lineup as well, with Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani both relegated to the bench in favor of a five-man central midfield formation, made up of Yohan Cabaye, Marek Hamsik, Marco Verratti, Alessandro Florenzi, and Yuto Nagatomo.


The match kicked off to a good start for Liverpool almost immediately. Coutinho attempted to get the ball towards Sturrige, but the Reds front man was not allowed any space by Thiago Silva. Instead, the ball rolled towards Markovic, and the winger let fly the first shot of the game.

Sirigu came to PSG's rescue, making a spectacular save to deny Markovic, but he latched onto the rebound. It was impossible for him to miss on his second try, and the Serb promptly placed it in the back of the net with a mighty effort.


PSG displayed determination, fighting their hardest to claw one back. Brilliant link-up play by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Yuto Nagatomo saw Nagatomo speeding past Nathaniel Clyne and firing his side's first shot of the game, but it was all for naught as Steele reacted quickly, tipping the ball away.

Then, Liverpool struck again. The Merseysiders showed just how well they could utilize set pieces, with Sturridge getting his left foot to a James Ward-Prowse corner. It was a strike that no goalkeeper could save, and just like that, it was 2-0.


PSG's response was immediate, as they launched a counter-attack barely two minutes later, ending with Ibrahimovic going one-on-one with Steele in the Liverpool box. One had played for top clubs from all over Europe, won 4 Serie A titles, 3 Ligue 1 titles, and 1 La Liga title. The other once conceded 63 goals in 41 appearances for Blackburn Rovers.

Yet, it was Steele who won that battle, making a tremendous save and keeping out what could have been a crucial away goal.


Half-time came and went, with PSG using all three of their subs at the break. Laurent Blanc was keen for something to change, and brought on his aces - Lavezzi, Cavani and exciting young midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

Yet, Liverpool's fire could not be put out. Just three minutes into the second half, Raheem Sterling made it 3-0. The Reds' number 7 got into space, rushing forward to meet a brilliant cross by Clyne.

Cool, calm and collected, Sterling allowed the ball to fall to his feet, before slamming it easily past Salvatore Sirigu.

From then on, it was all Liverpool's game, as the men in red dominated all over the field and ran over their French counterparts.

Sturridge rounded up the victory in the 86th minute against a lost and unmotivated PSG team. Receiving the ball from a Sterling cross, the England man found himself in a perfect position, and did not waste his chance.

Boom. 4-0.

Today, Liverpool ran the show, and it will be up to PSG to reply in kind at the Parc des Princes next month if they want to remain in the competition.

Player Ratings - Liverpool

Jason Steele - 8. Made a couple of great saves to win a clean sheet. Assured performance from the second-choice goalie.

Nathaniel Clyne - 9. The man responsible for the third goal, made a lot of great runs and crosses up front, toyed with PSG's wing backs for the full 90 minutes.

Samuel Umtiti - 8. Had a solid game and contained Ibrahimovic well.

Eder Alvarez Balanta - 7. Looked slightly shaky and it's clear to see he has not yet returned to full fitness, but still performed decently overall.

Jon Flanagan - 8. Captained the side today in the absence of Gerrard & Henderson, and not only displayed his leadership qualities but had a fine game as well.

Lucas Romero - 7. Did not have as good of a game as his fellow midfielders but hardly had a chance to make a mistake with his side dominating.

James Ward-Prowse - 9. Gave a one-hundred percent performance and ran the midfield, went up against three players in the center of the park but outplayed every single one of them.

Raheem Sterling - 9. Scored a fantastic goal and also made the cross for the fourth goal.

Lazar Markovic - 9. Kicked off his side to a good start after scoring the first goal of the game and never lost his spark for the entire match.

Philippe Coutinho - 7. An uncharacteristically average showing from the attacking midfielder, still made a few great passes to contribute to the win.

Daniel Sturridge - 9. Bagged a brace and took his tally to 26 goals for the season.

Alberto Moreno - N/A. Didn't have much time to make an impression.

Richairo Zivkovic - N/A. Came on for Eder Alvarez Balanta to provide the defender with a much-needed rest.

Conor Skinner - N/A. A proud moment for the lad who made his Liverpool debut but had barely anything to do with only 3 minutes left on the clock.

Player Ratings - Paris Saint-Germain

Salvatore Sirigu - 6. Couldn't do anything about the four goals. Had a quiet game.

Serge Aurier - 5. Looked almost invisible at right-back and was unable to deal with Liverpool's constant attacks down the wings.

David Luiz - 5. Was slightly at fault for the first goal and could not prevent the following three.

Thiago Silva - 5. Tried his best to keep Liverpool out of the danger area but ultimately failed to do much.

Mattia De Sciglio - 5. Had a bad game and like Aurier, could not find a response to Liverpool's attacks from the wing.

Alessandro Florenzi - 5. Started ahead of Cavani but did not make an impression and was substituted at half-time.

Marco Verratti - 6. Did alright when called upon and played a few good balls.

Marek Hamsik - 6. Had an average game and was constantly outclassed by the immense Ward-Prowse.

Yohan Cabaye - 6. Similar to his fellow midfield partners, played averagely and didn't do much else.

Yuto Nagatomo - 6. Made some great runs forward and was an offensive threat to Liverpool for the first few minutes, but fizzled out soon after.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 6. Tried to get his side firing but could not find a way past the defence and was denied repeatedly by Steele when he eventually did.

Adrien Rabiot - 6. Came on in the second half but was unable to change the game.

Ezequiel Lavezzi - 6. Called on in the second half, kept quiet by the Liverpool defence for the remaining 45 minutes.

Edinson Cavani - 6. Took the captain's armband for the remaining 45 minutes yet failed to make much of an impact.

That's a damn great achievement,P.S.G is hard enough to beat 4-0 with full squad so without 4 critical first-team players, it is beyond brilliant. Your writing is, per usual, fantastic.

Nice results mate, not easy to do.

Great update, I really liked it and a fantastic victory over PSG. Hope it continues!

Oz96: I'm very happy about it too! Thanks for the kind words

BadWolf: Thanks!

MisterLister: Thank you, glad to know you liked it.

John Thomas reporting live for Eurosport at Wembley Stadium! We're in for an interesting game as we're going to be witnessing some grand football between two very historic clubs. Liverpool and Everton are going to be battling against each other for the right to lift this season's League Cup and call it their own.

Liverpool have won this cup a record number of 9 times and with their high-flying form, are perhaps the favorites for the game, but their fellow Merseysiders have some great players themselves and are not to be taken lightly either.


Entering the competition in the Third Round, last season's winners easily put 5 goals past Brentford and scored another 4 against Wigan Athletic to easily advance to the Quarter Final, where they found tougher opposition in the form of Manchester City, but still came out top in a tough game. However, the most outstanding performance in their entire cup run has to be against Chelsea in the Semi Final. Despite drawing 2-2 at Anfield, Liverpool hit back in the second leg, scoring 6 goals at Stamford Bridge to put Chelsea to the sword.


Starting 11: Mignolet; Clyne, Sakho, Balanta, Flanagan; Romero, Ward-Prowse, Sterling; Markovic, Coutinho; Sturridge
Subs: Steele, Skrtel, Umtiti, Moreno, Gerrard, Balotelli, Zivkovic


Despite his heroics against Paris Saint-Germain, Jason Steele could not win a return to the lineup as Simon Mignolet took his place for the cup final. Mamadou Sakho also makes a return from suspension to join Eder Alvarez Balanta, Nathaniel Clyne, and Jon Flanagan in defense. With Steven Gerrard yet to recover fully, Rodgers goes for Lucas Romero and James Ward-Prowse in midfield. Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Lazar Markovic form an attacking trio up front that will surely threaten Everton defences, and Daniel Sturridge rounds up the eleven as he starts up front.


Everton disposed of Derby County in the Third Round, and was rewarded by being drawn against Manchester United in the Fourth Round. In a major upset, they kicked the Red Devils out of the competition after scoring 2 goals in extra time, and did not disappoint in the rest of their games, beating Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in the Quarter and Semi Final respectively.


Starting 11: Howard; Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Baines; Isla, Gibson, Coman, Oviedo; Zahavi; Lukaku
Subs: Joel, Pereira, Monreal, Dzemaili, Mirallas, Vermouth, Bacca


Just as Liverpool's strong point is attack, Everton possesses one of the strongest defences in the Premier League. Their back four of Seamus Coleman, John Stones, Phil Jagielka, and Leighton Baines have been instrumental to the club this season and are naturally given starts in this fixture. Mauricio Isla and Kingsley Coman, two summer arrivals from Juventus, start in midfield alongside Darron Gibson and Bryan Oviedo, while Eran Zahavi, another summer buy, will play in the number 10 position. Leading the line will be the Toffees' danger man, Romelu Lukaku.

0' - And here we go, the Capital One Cup Final begins now!

7' - GOAL! 0-1! What a start for Everton! Romelu Lukaku capitalises on Nathaniel Clyne's hesitancy to receive the ball, and intercepts a pass from Mamadou Sakho to fire into the net at point-blank range!


8' - Lazar Markovic races down the right wing and puts in a cross to Daniel Sturridge, but the striker's volley is superbly blocked by Tim Howard!

13' - Liverpool desperately search for an equaliser relentlessly and Tim Howard is called into action again, as he dives to parry a shot from the lively Sturridge.

22' - Raheem Sterling sweeps in a wonderful cross for Philippe Coutinho but the Brazilian just cannot get his head to it and is easily outmuscled by Phil Jagielka.

26' - Coutinho plays a pinpoint pass toward Sturridge, who is in a great position, but Seamus Coleman comes to the rescue with a fair tackle, regaining possession for his side.

31' - Sturridge single-handedly takes on three Everton defenders and whizzes past them, but does not have enough space and as a result is unable to get his shot on target.

33' - PENALTY FOR EVERTON! What a disaster this is turning out to be for Liverpool! Coutinho gives Coleman a shove in the box and the right-back goes tumbling down. Andre Marriner points to the spot immediately!

34' - GOAL! 0-2! No problem at all for Leighton Baines as the Everton vice-captain easily converts the penalty to increase the lead.


38' - PENALTY FOR LIVERPOOL! Just barely minutes after the first penalty incident, Andre Marriner is forced to give another as Mauricio Isla hacks down James Ward-Prowse in the Eveton box.

39' - GOAL! 1-2! Surprisingly, it is Lucas Romero who takes the penalty, but the young midfielder does not disappoint and scores to reduce the defict. Could this be the start of Liverpool's comeback?

45' - HT: Liverpool 1-2 Everton. Everton are in the lead but this game is far from over, and Liverpool will have everything to play for in the remaining 45 minutes.

45' - Both teams return to the pitch, ready to kick off the second half.

54' - Kingsley Coman combines well with Romelu Lukaku to find an opening in the Liverpool defensive wall, but his effort rattles off the crossbar.

60' - Liverpool make a double change as Mario Balotelli is brought on for Lazar Markovic, and Alberto Moreno replaces Nathaniel Clyne, who has had a poor game today.

65' - Everton are ready to substitute players as well, with Kevin Mirallas coming on for Bryan Oviedo, who is starting to limp slightly.

68' - A massive chance for Liverpool to find the equaliser that they need but Sturridge's attempt is once again denied by Howard.

72' - Kingsley Coman is replaced by Blerim Dzemaili.

74' - Steven Gerrard returns to the Liverpool lineup, coming on as the last substitute to replace James Ward-Prowse.

78' - GOAL! 1-3! What a magnificent goal by Baines! The set-piece specialist makes it 1-3 with his curling free kick, and the Everton fans go wild! Is this the end?


80' - Liverpool's desperation is showing as Balotelli tries a shot from yards out, but Howard is able to get his hands on the ball without even trying.

82' - GOAL! 2-3! Sturridge finally gets the goal that he's been looking for after 82 minutes of searching for one, as he rises to meet Sterling's cross and heads the ball into the net. Liverpool are showing that they aren't going down without a fight!


90' - GOAL! 3-3! Liverpool have done it! Sterling releases Sturridge with an amazingly accurate lob, and left unmarked, he races towards the Everton goal to strike it fiercely past Howard!


90' - FT: Everton 3-3 Liverpool. The Reds have done excellently to come back and the game will now go into extra time.

90' - Extra time kicks off.

97' - Sakho is given his marching orders, picking up a second yellow card after clattering into Lukaku. A disastrous time for Liverpool to be reduced to 10 men and Everton will definitely be looking to take advantage.

100' - Eran Zahavi plays it forward to Darron Gibson who gets rid of his marker and manages to have an effort, but Simon Mignolet reacts quickly enough to keep the ball out.

105' - GOAL! 4-3! What a masterclass from Liverpool! Balotelli and Flanagan show incredible teamwork as they play each other forward, ending with Balotelli doing a backheel pass to Flanagan, allowing the right-back to fire it into Howard. The rebound falls to Sterling, who buries it with ease.


115' - GOAL! 4-4! A mistake of the highest order! Mignolet's goal kick mistakenly finds Lukaku, who proceeds to shoot it past the unsuspecting goalkeeper.


120' - FT in ET: Liverpool 4-4 Everton. And after all that excitement, the Capital One Cup Final is going to be decided by penalties!


- Baines is the first penalty taker for Everton and he places it into the bottom left corner of the net easily.

- Gerrard is able to convert his penalty as well.

- Stones hits the crossbar!

- But so does Balotelli!

- Dzemaili sticks his penalty away with confidence and Mignolet does not even have the time to make a move.

- Romero takes his second penalty of the game, and scores his second penalty of the game as well.

- Zahavi, who has played well for the entirety of 120 minutes, rounds up his performance by scoring his penalty.

- Sturridge is next to tuck his penalty away.

- Gibson hits it hard into the top left corner.

- Coutinho keeps his side in the game with his smartly-taken penalty.

- Lukaku has no problems converting his penalty either.

- Moreno blasts the ball fiercely past Howard.

- Vermouth sends his opposition goalkeeper the wrong way and hits the ball into the bottom right corner.

- Sterling misses! Sterling misses his penalty! And with that, Everton have won the League Cup! A remarkable upset that has completely smashed Liverpool's quadruple dreams into pieces. Everton players, staff and fans will be celebrating but Liverpool will instead be left to contemplate what might have been.

Tough loss on penalties but I can't believe both Zahavi and Vermouth made it to Everton.

Tough loss but I reckon Everton deserved it Glenn sorry