Rodgers' Reds: Class is Permanent

So unlucky to lose in the final!

Oz96: They did, Roberto Martinez seems to like Israeli players a lot in my save.

Iconic: Ouch

Justice:

Liverpool struggled with injuries this month and suffered bad results against Newcastle and Aston Villa, as well as conceding the Capital One Cup to Everton. But they also enjoyed success, trouncing Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 in the Champions League and advancing to the Sixth Round of the FA Cup with an 8-0 trashing of Sheffield Wednesday.

Liverpool February Player of the Month

Daniel Sturridge scoops Liverpool's monthly award with ease after scoring 10 goals in 6 appearances this month. The striker is currently leading the race for the Premier League's Golden Boot and has been lethal in front of goal. He scored twice against Paris Saint-Germain, Everton and Stoke City, while also finishing Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup with his superb hat trick.

Manager's Thoughts

Disappointed that we dropped about four points in the Premier League but we still have a game in hand compared to Manchester United so we are very much still in the title race. I'm pleased about the victory against PSG though, the lads showed character and had an excellent performance despite a number of our key players missing. Now all that's left to do is to finish the job at the Parc des Princes.

Injury Report

Eder Alvarez Balanta - 2 weeks (twisted knee)
Steven Gerrard - 4 weeks (sprained ankle)
Martin Skrtel - 4 weeks (broken ribs)
Mario Balotelli - 3 weeks (twisted ankle)
Adam Lallana - 3 weeks (twisted ankle)

Five injuries this month for Liverpool and the squad was left severely crippled, but they pulled through somewhat in the end and Brendan Rodgers will definitely be pleased that he will have these five players back available to him after the end of the month.

Apart from the disappointing cup final, a fantastic month for the Reds. Chin up, there's more to win!

The title chase took a slight turn this month. With Liverpool and United originally on equal footing, the race began to lean toward Liverpool's advantage with United slipping up considerably, most notably losing 3-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. In other competitions, Liverpool also managed to finish off Paris Saint-Germain, losing 5-4 at the Parc des Princes but winning the tie 8-5 on aggregate, and went on to the FA Cup Semi Final after beating Manchester City.

Liverpool March Player of the Month

Jon Flanagan has been the pinnacle of consistency this month. The young right-back may not have shone as brightly as some of his teammates have but has definitely been a great presence in the team and will hopefully continue to be so. His willingness and ability to play at both right-back and left-back is also a very convenient asset for Rodgers and the squad.

Manager's Thoughts

It's fantastic that we're back on top with five points clear. We only have six more games left to play and if the team ensure they maintain their current performances throughout these six games, the league title is ours for the taking. The finishing line is really close by, and from this point onward we have to make sure we don't screw up anything. We're also still in two other competitions, the FA Cup and the Champions League, and it would definitely compensate for our loss in the League Cup if we could win both.

Injury Report

Richairo Zivkovic - 6 days (bruised shin)
Daniel Sturridge - 3 weeks (twisted ankle)

Injuries to two of Liverpool's strikers have limited their attacking options but fortunately Richairo Zivkovic is only out for 6 days, whereas star striker Daniel Sturridge will not be playing for another 3 weeks.

The Champions League is finally in it's later stages with eight teams remaining in Europe's most prestigious competition. We had a few brilliant games in the First Round - Liverpool beat Paris Saint-Germain with a rather bizarre aggregate score of 8-5, Barcelona managed to completely run over Juventus, and Tottenham Hotspur only just made it through after two very close games with Borussia Dortmund. This month, the Quarter Finals of the Champions League commence and we're in for more great football.

Teams

Bayern Munich
Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool
Manchester United
Bayer Leverkusen
Chelsea
Real Madrid
Barcelona


Leverkusen had a great season in the Bundesliga last year, finishing 2nd, and have replicated this in 2015/16. Bayer 04 advanced to the Quarter Final courtesy of two very interesting games against AFC Ajax, and the Germans barely edged the tie, winning 8-7 on aggregate. They will be relishing the opportunity to get one over their rivals, Bayern Munich, and certainly have the capability to do so. Defensive midfielder Lars Bender has seen a sharp increase in form this season, and up front, Leverkusen have one of the deadliest striking duos in Europe. Jonathan Calleri and Stefan Kießling share an impressive number of 45 goals and will play a vital part in their team's goalscoring chances.

Key Player: Lars Bender

Bayern were awarded an easy tie against Galatasaray in the First Round and unsurprisingly crushed their Turkish opponents. The giants dropped out of the Champions League in the Semi Final last season to a German rival, Borussia Dortmund, and will be looking to ensure history doesn't repeat itself against Leverkusen. 25-goal Robert Lewandowski is someone to look out for, but the likes of Xabi Alonso and Thomas Muller are no doubt also instrumental. And of course, the legendary Philipp Lahm has to be given a mention.

Key Player: Philipp Lahm


In another case of local rivalry, Tottenham will be going up against fellow Londoners Chelsea. The Spurs have exceeded expectations in the Champions League thus far, and beat semi-finalists Borussia Dortmund in the First Round. Mousa Dembele has been a key performer and summer signing Vincent Aboubakar has more or less justified the £17 million fee Tottenham paid for him with his return of 21 goals. Hugo Lloris is also a reliable figure they can fall back on - the club's vice-captain has kept 18 clean sheets in all competitions and is one of the contenders for the Premier League's Golden Glove.

Key Player: Hugo Lloris

Jose Mourinho has not won a single competition since beginning his second spell in charge of Chelsea and is desperate to change that fact. The Blues trashed Benfica 5-2 in the First Round thanks to Loic Remy, who scored 4 out of Chelsea's 5 goals over the two legs. The Frenchman has scored 22 goals this season and is one of their most dangerous men, along with Eden Hazard who is no doubt one of the world's best players at the moment. Aside from their attacking options, Chelsea have their defence covered as well, with captain John Terry leading the side from the back and Thibaut Courtois in goal.

Key Player: Eden Hazard


Real Madrid and Liverpool faced each other in the Champions League's group stages and will be battling against each other again, this time for the right to compete in the competition's Semi Finals. High-flying Real crushed Basel 6-0 in the First Round, and will be trying for a similar result against Liverpool. Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos are just some of the players that Liverpool have to look out for, and of course, there is no need to describe their best player because we all know who he is.

Key Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Liverpool had one of the toughest First Round opponents, playing and winning against Paris Saint-Germain. Their squad have been ravaged by injury all season but have continued their Premier League crusade, and are currently five points clear at the top of England. A force to be reckoned with when they have a fully-fit starting eleven, Liverpool have some of the best attacking-minded players in Europe, in the form of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge, the latter having scored 33 goals this season. However, their best player is undoubtedly the talented Raheem Sterling.

Key Player: Raheem Sterling


Manchester United triumphed over Schalke last round but will have a much, much more difficult time in the Quarter Final against Barcelona, who are looking to retain their Champions League title having won it last year. The Red Devils will be relying on key men like Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney to get past Barca. Star striker Radamel Falcao has been constantly tormented by injury recently, but is a goalscoring machine when fit and could unleash himself against the Catalans.

Key Player: Juan Mata

Champions League holders Barcelona proved their title as Europe's best in the First Round, making quick work of Juventus like they were nothing. Luis Suarez, Neymar, and Lionel Messi have 63 goals between the three of them and could be potential wreckers of United's defence. The La Liga champions are also secured at the back with Gerard Pique, and are a well-balanced, fearsome team all around.

Key Player: Lionel Messi

Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League this month once more in the Quarter Final, drawing 4-4 with Real Madrid on aggregate, but losing out due to the away goals rule. On the bright side however, they have secured the Premier League title with one more game to go, and will also be playing in the FA Cup Final after brushing Queens Park Rangers aside.

Liverpool April Player of the Month

Steven Gerrard was exceptional this month and led by example, demonstrating great performances and dominating the midfield in every game he played. His first-team role has been constantly challenged by Lucas Romero this season but despite being at the age of 35, the Liverpool captain is showing that he still has plenty to contribute to the team. His ability with dead balls is brilliant as well and he displayed that by scoring a stunning free kick against Everton.

Manager's Thoughts

It's unfortunate to go out of the Champions League but I felt we played well against Real Madrid and we will definitely be up there again next season. We also had a really, really stupid loss against West Bromwich but what matters is that the Premier League title is ours, for the second time in a row too. The FA Cup Final looms next month, and hopefully our season is going to end with at least a double.

Injury Report

Mario Balotelli - 6 weeks (strained knee ligaments)
Richairo Zivkovic - 3 days (dead leg)
Raheem Sterling - 4 months (broken foot)
Daniel Sturridge - 2 weeks (twisted ankle)

Liverpool's forwards have been completely taken out by injury but thankfully Richairo Zivkovic can kick a ball again in just 3 days. Daniel Sturridge has also suffered yet another injury setback with his ankle causing him more problems, and thus missed almost an entire month's worth of games. However, Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli have both been ruled out for the season's remaining games and will play no part in the upcoming FA Cup Final.

Liverpool have won the Premier League title for a second consecutive season, with 89 points taken from 38 games. The Reds are more than 10 points above 2nd-placed Manchester United, and have played some spectacular football, only losing 3 league games.

They finished their Premier League campaign brilliantly with a 4-1 win over West Ham at Anfield, courtesy of a superb hat trick by Daniel Sturridge.

The 26-year-old has been lethal this season, and powered his side to the title despite regularly struggling for fitness. Sturridge was stricken by various injuries throughout 2015 and 2016, but still managed to score 25 goals in 29 league appearances, a huge improvement from last season's tally of 20 goals in 32 games.

Sturridge should not be the only mention however, as Liverpool was also helped along by the likes of Raheem Sterling, who has stepped up his game since inheriting the number 7 shirt, scoring 11 goals and creating another 14 in 27 league appearances.



Aside from Liverpool, the final Premier League table held some surprises, as Manchester City, who had won the title as recently as 2014, could only finish at 9th place, and will not be playing any European football next season as a result.

The Manchester club have been in turmoil since their title win, with Manuel Pellegrini being sacked after only being able to lead City to 5th place in 2014/15. His replacement, Carlo Ancelotti, was brought in from Real Madrid but lasted only 3 months, making way for former Barcelona maanger Frank Rijkaard.

Arsenal is another club who have had a troubled season. Cesare Prandelli, who came in to replace the retiring Arsene Wenger, failed to get much out of his new players and the Gunners could not break into the top four, losing 4th place to their bitter rivals Tottenham, by a single point.

On the other end of the table, Hull City, Sunderland and West Bromwich have been relegated, with only 24 wins from 114 games shared between the three.

We're back to Arsenal and Liverpool in the FA Cup Final for the second year in a row. Last season, the two sides contested the exact same Final and Liverpool were the ones who took home the spoils. Can Arsenal exact revenge, or will Liverpool continue to pile on their opponents' misery? We will be finding out soon enough.

The two clubs are in similar positions from when they last faced each other in this same Final - Liverpool's players and fans alike are going to be hyped and excited, having just wrapped up their title win, while Arsenal are in a bad position, finishing outside of the top four and being barred from Champions League football next season.

Additionally, the Gunners are without a manager for the Final, as the board took the bold decision to sack Cesare Prandelli right before such an important game. Assistant manager Steve Bould will be the man taking charge for the time being.


Arsenal mainly dealt with easy opposition on their way to the FA Cup Final but upsets were almost caused. They only managed to narrowly beat Burnley in the Third Round, followed by wins against Leicester and Swansea in the Fourth and Fifth Rounds respectively. The Sixth Round presented them with a tougher opponent, Chelsea, but they overcame the Blues after forcing a replay. Last but not least, Sunderland were brushed out of the way in the Semi Final with a close game that went 1-0 in Arsenal's favour.



Starting 11: Szczesny; Chambers, Koscielny, Matip, Gibbs; Wilshere, Ramsey; Chamberlain, Ozil, Ayew; Welbeck
Subs: Ospina, Subotic, Digne, Cazorla, Sanchez, Barkley, Giroud


Steve Bould made a number of controversial decisions, with the most noticeable one being his snub of Per Mertesacker. Arsenal's captain is not even named on the bench as Neven Subotic takes his place within the subs, while a central defender pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Joel Matip starts. Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey make for a mean midfield partnership, but Bould chooses to bench most of his experienced attacking options, with Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez, and Olivier Giroud being relegated to the bench. Mesut Ozil will instead be playing alongside Andre Ayew and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on both wings, and Danny Welbeck is given the task of spearheading the Arsenal attack.


Liverpool started their FA Cup run well with a 5-2 win over Blackburn, before running into rivals Manchester United in the Fourth Round. The Red Devils were cleaned up and Liverpool proceeded to smash Sheffield Wednesday 8-0 in the Fifth Round, before gaining another impressive result in the next stage of the competition, beating Manchester City 2-1. Queens Park Rangers were the last to fall, easily defeated in the Semi Final by Brendan Rodgers' men.



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


Liverpool are unable to pick a number of important players for this cup final due to injuries, a problem that is sure to frustrate Rodgers. Raheem Sterling is a key absence, and James Ward-Prowse has been relocated to the left wing in his place. Mario Balotelli and Martin Skrtel are just two others who will be missing the game because of injury.

1' - We kick off here at Wembley Stadium, with Liverpool and Arsenal playing against each other for the FA Cup.

12' - Liverpool make a lively start to the game, with Daniel Sturridge making a great through pass to Lazar Markovic, but the Serb's strike goes out wide, messing up what looked to be a certain goal.

27' - After 27 minutes of blowing all their shots off target from outside of the box, Sturridge finally manages to get a clear shot at goal after being fed the ball by James Ward-Prowse inside the danger area, but Wojciech Szczesny reacts fast enough to palm it away.

35' - GOAL! Arsenal find their breakthrough, taking the lead through magnificent play by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The young winger surged down the left wing and played a lovely ball for Danny Welbeck, who crossed it back in return for his England teammate to score.


43' - GOAL! Liverpool's response is exactly what is expected of them. The men in red execute their style of passing football, ending in Jordan Henderson's final pass to Sturridge. The striker does not disappoint, and from just outside the Arsenal box, smashes the ball into the net.


45' - HT: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool. All square at Wembley after two great goals from both sides. Arsenal also make a change at the break, introducing Alexis Sanchez for Andre Ayew.

53' - GOAL! And just like that, Liverpool have taken the lead! Lazar Markovic receives the ball from a corner and crosses it into the area for his waiting teammates. James Ward-Prowse is the first to get to it, and his close-range effort does not miss his intended location.

53' - Liverpool's goal have prompted Arsenal to make their second change, and Steve Bould brings on Santi Cazorla to replace Mesut Ozil.

58' - GOAL! Steven Gerrard's free kick is almost accurate and hits the post, but Philippe Coutinho gets to the rebound and sweeps the ball in.


59' - Arsenal attempt to muster a response, with Chamberlain racing down the wing again and finding Welbeck, who got into adequate space for an effort on goal, but Simon Mignolet saves the ball cleanly.

62' - GOAL! Arsenal reduce the defict through Santi Cazorla, who was on the receiving end of a cross from Sanchez and easily volleyed the ball in past Mignolet.

65' - Samuel Umtiti comes on for Eder Alvarez Balanta.

68' - GOAL! Ward-Prowse plays it to Coutinho, but the attacking midfielder's strike is punched away by Szczesny. However, Markovic gets to it and fires it back into the net to make it 2-4.


83' - GOAL! Liverpool score their fifth goal of the game, with Ward-Prowse crossing into the box for Samuel Umtiti to get forward and power a header past Szczesny.

90' - FT: Arsenal 2-5 Liverpool. Liverpool are your FA Cup winners!

Liverpool had only two games to play this month, finishing their Premier League season with a win over West Ham, before beating Arsenal to win the FA Cup for the second year in a row.

Liverpool May Player of the Month

Daniel Sturridge scored 4 goals in 2 games and has picked up the monthly award. His hat trick against West Ham was nothing short of marvellous and his goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup Final completed his seasonal tally of 38 goals in 46 appearances.

Manager's Thoughts

A very fitting end to the season for us and we managed to finish our Premier League and FA Cup campaigns with success. We didn't hit the treble heights of last season, but a double is not bad either. Next season, our number one priority is definitely to go further in Europe and also build on what we have already achieved. Let's bring a quadruple to Anfield!

Congrats on the double!

Justice: Thank you

League winners Liverpool understandably dominated the Premier League's annual awards, claiming four and having 8 of their players being named in the PFA Team of the Year.


David de Gea has won the Golden Glove, reinforcing his title as one of the world's best in his position at the moment. The Spaniard was a brilliant player for Manchester United and conceded 26 goals in 37 games played, keeping a total of 19 clean sheets.


Falcao is the scorer of the Goal of the Season with his curling shot from long range for Manchester United against Newcastle in late 2015.


Daniel Sturridge has won this award, with a very impressive tally of 25 goals in 29 appearances. Trailing behind the Liverpool striker is Jordan Rhodes, who scored 19 goals for Nottingham Forest, and Mame Diouf, who has 18 goals for Stoke City.


Brendan Rodgers once again wins Manager of the Year after leading Liverpool to a second league title and FA Cup.


Chelsea's Eden Hazard is the FWA Footballer of the Year after a typical magnificent season with the Blues, scoring 16 goals and assisting another 16 in 36 games played.


Daniel Sturridge's second award this year is the PFA Player of the Year, thanks to the goalscoring form that also won him the Golden Boot.


Raheem Sterling is the PFA Young Player of the Year for a second time after his great performances for Liverpool this season, scoring 11 goals and creating 14 in 27 matches.

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Raheem Sterling has won the Best Player in Europe award, beating Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Luis Suarez, who were 2nd and 3rd-placed respectively.

This is Sterling's third personal award this season, having already won the European Golden Boy and the Premier League's PFA Young Player of the Year.

The England international has had a terrific season for Liverpool and scored 19 goals in 44 games, as well as lifting both the FA Cup and the Premier League title - both for the second time in a row.

He is one of the key players in an exciting, attacking-minded Liverpool side and it is easy to see how his footballing value has sharply risen, with Sterling taking the accolade instead of more established names like runner-ups Ronaldo and Suarez. Other notable names that he beat include Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard.



This is also the first time that an Englishman has won the award since it was created by UEFA in 2011, and Sterling joins a prestigious list of winners - Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Franck Ribery.

"It's unbelievable that I've won such an award," said Sterling, speaking to UEFA.com. "To be named the best player in Europe ahead of guys like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Suarez is frankly very unbelievable for me. It tells me that I'm on par with guys like them.

"I hope that I can win this award again because I want to keep improving and continue doing what I've always been doing, playing good football for Liverpool."


Sterling is currently suffering from a broken foot, obtained rather untimely in April, and thus will play no part in his country's upcoming Euro 2016 campaign on the back of his successful season.

He will also, presumably, miss his club's pre-season as he is only expected to return in August when the 2016/17 Premier League season kicks off.

But Sterling, who currently has 19 caps for England, is optimistic for the future.

"It was disappointing to find out that I wouldn't be playing in the Euros but I wish my teammates luck and I really hope that they can bring something home.

"I'm still young so I will definitely be looking to play in other future tournaments starting with, hopefully, the World Cup in 2018."

Liverpool won the Premier League and the FA Cup for the second time running this season, thanks to the help of many players like Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, and Steven Gerrard. James Ward-Prowse also impressed and has been playing well since his arrival from Southampton. However, who won the Fans' Player of the Year award, and who made it into the annual Liverpool Best Eleven?


Sturridge scored 38 goals this season in 46 appearances, 10 more than last season. 25 of those came in the Premier League, and his tally won him the league's Golden Boot.


Sterling ranks number one on the assist charts for Liverpool, having created 22 goals this season.


Sturridge's goals powered Liverpool to their double and whenever he was injured, the team looked like they were missing a limb. Great and consistent performances from the striker has won him the Fans' Player of the Year award.