Rodgers' Reds: Class is Permanent

Zap: Thank you for the kind words!

Liverpool started their Champions League campaign fairly well, drawing against Napoli and then taking three points off Vitesse. They have also ascended to the top of the Premier League, maintaining their perfect record of 6 wins in 6 games.

Liverpool September Player of the Month

Steven Gerrard has been unplayable, turning in brilliant performances and not putting a foot wrong. The Liverpool captain did a fantastic job babysitting his defence this month and demonstrated exactly why he was rewarded with a two-year contract extension at the end of last season.

Manager's Thoughts

September has been a good month but if we want to keep progressing we are going to have to start scoring some goals. Daniel Sturridge is experiencing somewhat of a goal drought in the Premier League with 0 goals in 6 appearances, although he did manage to hit a hat trick against Hull City in the League Cup. Still, our defence has truly been remarkable, which is evident from how we've managed to keep 3 clean sheets in 3 league games.

Injury Report

Lazar Markovic - 4 weeks (sprained ankle)

Liverpool's first draw in the Premier League finally came against a resilient West Ham, who managed to leave Anfield with a point. Rodgers' side also drew against Real Madrid in the Champions League, and made it to the next round of the League Cup on penalty shootouts, with their Fourth Round opponents Swansea almost causing an upset.

Liverpool October Player of the Month

Jordan Henderson scoops the award this month. Liverpool's midfield general gave a Man of the Match performance against Nottingham Forest, helping his side dominate the game, and was also the best player on the pitch against Real Madrid, responsible for scoring Liverpool's only goal.

Manager's Thoughts

At last, Sturridge has rediscovered his goalscoring form in the league, with his brace against Norwich, and hopefully he will continue to score more. A draw against Real at their home ground is always nice and I'm happy with that as well. However, having to rely on penalties to advance in the League Cup against Swansea was unacceptable, and if the boys want to bring that trophy back to Anfield, they are going to have to step up their game a lot more.

Injury Report

Steven Gerrard - 10 days (damaged elbow)
James Ward-Prowse - 5 days (bruised rib)

Liverpool finished the group stages of the Champions League with zero losses, and topped the group thanks to Real Madrid losing to Napoli in a huge 5-1 upset. At the same time, they have kept their hold onto the top of the Premier League, taking notable wins against Manchester United, Arsenal, and Everton.

Liverpool November Player of the Month

Mario Balotelli struggled for a place in the first team since returning from the injury he suffered at the Euros but has more than proven himself this month to Brendan Rodgers. The Italian played a huge part in Liverpool being unbeatable in November, with 5 goals in 6 appearances.

Manager's Thoughts

A great month and a huge improvement from the last. Super Mario has been a revelation on the wing and watching Sturridge banging in 4 goals against Arsenal was simply brilliant, but my highlights of the month definitely have to be crushing Manchester United and Everton, two of our biggest rivals. Also, topping our group in the Champions League required a stroke of luck and we got it, with Real getting wrecked by Napoli. This month has been nothing but pleasant for us and long may that continue.

Injury Report

Daniel Sturridge - 4 weeks (twisted ankle)
Ruben Garcia - 3 months (hip injury)
David Alaba - 5 days (bruised rib)
Steven Gerrard - 4 days (gashed arm)
James Ward-Prowse - 2 months (dislocated shoulder)

A barrage of injuries this month, some of which have been quite unlucky, with Daniel Sturridge and James Ward-Prowse both getting hit at a time when they're on form. Ward-Prowse suffered his injury on international duty, which makes it all the more frustrating for Liverpool. Ruben Garcia has also been unfortunately ruled out for a long duration of 3 months.

A superb start to the season, but frustrating to see so many injuries...

---

He was relegated to the bench at the start of the season in favor of emerging second-choice goalkeeper Jason Steele, but Liverpool's Simon Mignolet has won back his place in the first team and is determined to hold on to it.

In an exclusive interview with Sportsmail, the 28-year-old spoke about Liverpool and his future at the club, which has looked uncertain since the opening of the summer transfer window.

Reds manager Brendan Rodgers had made signing a new goalkeeper one of his top priorities, but ultimately failed to find a suitable man before the window closed.

Instead, usual second-choice Steele started the first 8 league games of the season, leaving Mignolet on the bench and reduced to only cup games. However, the Belgian's reliable displays in the Champions League and Capital One Cup led to his selection against Norwich at the end of October.

And he has not looked back. Mignolet had a brilliant time against Manchester United, conceding only 1 goal and frequently denying a frustrated Falcao. He followed this up with one of his best performances in a Liverpool shirt, in a 6-2 win against Arsenal at Anfield, making a number of fantastic saves to keep out Lorenzo Insigne and Olivier Giroud.


"It was tough to not get picked for games because I'm a footballer and I want to play football," Mignolet told Sportsmail. "But I took it as a challenge and just tried to step it up in training and on the pitch whenever I had the chance.

"That paid off, and I'm glad I've continued to repay the manager's faith. Now what's important for me is to keep at it. We still have a lot of games to play.

"Jason has really been showing how much of a top quality goalkeeper he is. He kept 7 clean sheets in 8 games and that's not easy to do. But now that I've got back my place in the team I'm going to perform even better and hold on to it."

The former Middlesbrough goalkeeper has certainly given his goalkeeping competitor a run for his money. Despite a poor 2014/15 season on loan to Blackburn, Steele has seen a sharp increase in form since arriving at Liverpool in the summer of 2015.

Aside from his 7 clean sheets in 8 league games this season, he won a notable clean sheet for Liverpool back in February where they won 4-0 against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and was praised for his masterclass showing up against Zlatan Ibrahimovic.


Lastly, Mignolet has reaffirmed his desire to stay at Liverpool in the long term, amid rumors that foreign clubs like Roma are interested in offering him a way out of England.

"If the club, if the manager wants me out, I will go. But for me personally, I can't see myself playing anywhere else at the moment.

"Being a part of a title-winning team like this is something a lot of footballers can only dream about and I'm here living the dream, so of course I don't want to leave. Liverpool is a huge club and I'm honored to be playing here.

"I wouldn't switch Anfield for anywhere else."

Pompey: Yeah, the injuries are getting really frustrating, I've become somewhat used to them because they happen so frequently though... Thanks for reading!

Despite starting the month poorly with a 3-2 loss against title rivals Chelsea, Liverpool picked themselves back up and collected wins against Aston Villa, Blackburn, Swansea, and Watford. However, they only picked up a point against Southampton in a bore 0-0 draw, and have been knocked back to 2nd in the Premier League table, with Chelsea at the top based on goal difference alone.

Liverpool December Player of the Month

Mario Balotelli has won the Player of the Month award for the second time in a row after his huge impact on December's matches, scoring two against Watford and Aston Villa to send them packing, as well as hitting home the only goal of the Liverpool-Swansea game to secure three points for the home team.

Manager's Thoughts

We've done well this month, aside from our screw-ups against Chelsea and Southampton. Losing to Chelsea gave them the chance to catch up to us - they were originally three points behind, and that isn't something I'm happy about. Now we are going to have to work even harder next month, and pray that Chelsea slips up. On a brighter note, we are in the Semi Finals of the League Cup and hopefully this year we can go all the way.

Injury Report

Mamadou Sakho - 2 weeks (twisted knee)

---

Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli has been crowned with the title of the third best footballer in the world, placing as second runner-up to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the FIFA Ballon d'Or award.

The 26-year-old won 163 voting points but was still some way off of Messi's 207, and Ronaldo's 427.

However, it is good recognition of Balotelli's rise ever since arriving at Liverpool in 2014 with a bad reputation - in fact, he was described as "unmanageable" by former manager Jose Mourinho once. Despite this, Balotelli has blossomed at Anfield after a rocky start and is a pivotal part of the club.


The Italian initially struggled in the presence of the incredible Daniel Sturridge, who played in his exact same position and seemingly scored goals without even trying.

But Brendan Rodgers made the decision to begin playing him on the right wing, and two years later, Balotelli has made that position his own with 31 goals in 65 league games.

In 2016, he scored 25 goals in all competitions, earning himself a nomination for the Ballon d'Or along with fellow teammates Sturridge and Raheem Sterling, and eventually, a third-place finish.

He was also named in the FIFA World XI along with Sturridge up front, who easily walked into the team with his 42 goals scored throughout the year, while Sterling also represented Liverpool with a place on the bench.


For Balotelli, it has been a remarkable rise to the top and Rodgers will hope that the forward, who has been in the form of his life in recent months, can continue impressing for Liverpool.

"To be in the top three for the Ballon d'Or is an honor, but I'm happy that the work I'm putting in on the pitch is paying off," an excited Balotelli said, speaking to Liverpoolfc.com after the FIFA awards night.

"Being considered equal to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are both legends in the game, is a great feeling.

"But next time, instead of third, I want to win it. I want to be the best player in the world."

amazing progress! really nice update too Glenn, keep it up!

GLENN!!!!!!!!! I didn't notice you'd started a new story because it's been so long! Obviously with your writing ability I had to read it from start to finish and as usual it is brilliant! Loving the detail and the level you've taken Liverpool to. Great to win the title in consecutive years and to also bag the domestic cups along the way but now it's time to conquer Europe!

Big money for Alaba but we all know he's one of the best LBs in the game. Definitely think Rodgers has found the formula for Baloltelli...just a shame he's a mug in real life! Surprised you went for Zivkovic over other players out there but hopefully he comes good. Agreed with all your sales so far as well except Can haha it's a shame he didn't get to develop with Liverpool as I think he will be brilliant in real life and has already had some very good performances but obviously Romero is the better player.

Good to see you back!

TaT/InfraRed: Thanks!

Krups: Holy shit, Krupesh, it's good to see (or in this case talk) to you again. Hearing from you is always awesome, thank you for the feedback. Great to know you read this story from start to finish <3

---

Winter is upon us all but for Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers, what they will be looking out for is the January transfer window. This month, the Reds boss faces a daunting task, with clubs like Real Madrid keeping a close eye on the massive pool of talent at Anfield.

Firstly, Rodgers is not expected to do any major transfer business this month - but he has been sending scouts to watch emerging West Ham talent Ryan Joseph. The highly-rated 16-year-old hails from the Hammers' youth academy, plays at right-back, and is an important player for the Under-18s team.

Joseph also made his senior team debut, ironically, against Liverpool, breaking a West Ham club record as the youngest player to appear for them in a Premier League game, and made a huge impression on Rodgers.

The Northern Irish manager is also looking to boost his side's limited options in defensive midfield, and could look to launch an audacious bid for Xabi Alonso.

Arriving at Liverpool in 2004, Alonso played 143 Premier League games before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009, and is adored by the Kop.

Although currently regarded as an important member of the Bayern Munich team, the 35-year-old is also understood to be unhappy at the Allianz Arena and has apparently fallen out with manager Pep Guardiola.

Bayern will not block a move and Guardiola will allow Alonso to leave, but his wage demands could prove a stumbling block for Liverpool. The Spaniard earns about £190k per week at Bayern.


Mario Balotelli's placing in the FIFA Ballon d'Or has perhaps added to his popularity among Europe's top clubs, with Real Madrid leading the chase for the Liverpool forward.

Aside from Real, Borussia Dortmund are interested in taking the officially third best player in the world to the Bundesliga, while Tottenham want the Italian to stay in the Premier League and switch sides to play at White Hart Lane, though the last option is probably the most unlikely one.

Balotelli is understood to be most keen on a move to Real Madrid, but is willing to wait until the summer before making a decision.

If he does decide to leave, Liverpool will not be held to ransom as Balotelli's £135k a week contract does not end until 2020.


Bayern Munich's interest in midfielder Lucas Romero has persisted since the summer, but his amount of suitors has only increased this month, with Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain among them.

The Argentina international has performed well for Liverpool this season and Rodgers is determined to keep him in England, but Romero could be tempted to leave after just two and a half seasons at Anfield to seek further glory in France.

If that happens, Liverpool will demand at least £45-50 million for his services.

Despite signing a new contract in the summer, Raheem Sterling is being pursued by both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Since establishing himself as a key player, Sterling has never looked back and has played a major part in the Merseyside club's recent title wins.

But Barca and Real want to tempt the winger to pack his bags for Spain and La Liga, where he will be joined by similar talent like former teammate Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale.


Real seem bent on poaching as many Liverpool players as they can, with Serbian winger Lazar Markovic also on their list.

The Serb, who has made 80 league appearances since Rodgers brought him in three years ago, has been an extremely consistent presence in the Liverpool side, and despite not standing out like Sterling, Sturridge and Balotelli, is undoubtedly one of the team's most important men.

Markovic, who is also wanted by Dortmund, could exit but Liverpool would request a fee much, much higher than the £20 million they paid for him in 2014.


Back to Ligue 1, there are rumors circulating that Monaco want to persuade former PSG captain Mamadou Sakho to return to his native France and play for them.

But a transfer is unlikely to go through as Sakho has made clear to his agent that he does not want to leave Liverpool.

With an upcoming Champions League First Round tie against Inter Milan in February, Rodgers does not intend to weaken his playing squad, and it remains to be seen if any of this speculation will come true.

A lot of potential to-ing and fro-ing there man! Alonso would be a big signing, and it'd be great to see him back in a Liverpool shirt!

InfraRed: Yeah, Alonso would be cool, idk about his wages though