Rodgers' Reds: Class is Permanent

Liverpool made a flying start to the season, claiming their first Community Shield win since 2006, and also crushed their first two Premier League opponents of the season, Swansea and Blackburn. They however lost out in the UEFA Super Cup to Zenit after the Russians scored a late winner in extra time.

Liverpool August Player of the Month

Mario Balotelli has been carrying Liverpool with his goals this month and is making a fantastic start to the new season with 5 goals in 4 appearances. The winger is a great nuisance on the pitch for opposition teams, contributing in the Community Shield win over Chelsea and also scoring the only goal for his side in the loss to Zenit. A brace in his first league game against Swansea followed, before yet another goal against Blackburn Rovers. Simply fantastic.

Injury Report

Nathaniel Clyne - 3 weeks (pulled hamstring)

Clyne will be ruled out for 3 weeks after suffering a pulled hamstring against Zenit, and Ryan Joseph will now be required to step up to fill in the void left at right-back.

Manager's Thoughts

A good month, is what I would have liked to say, but losing the Super Cup to Zenit is stopping me from doing so. Still, we have to focus on what's important and for now that's the league. We're doing well in that aspect, with six points, eight goals, and zero goals conceded from our first two games. I couldn't have asked for better, although it's just going to get harder from here.

Despite spending big again this summer, Liverpool still raked in profits after selling £78 million worth of players. Longstanding first-choice keeper Simon Mignolet left for Milan, being replaced by Jeronimo Rulli, while Mamadou Sakho also departed on a whim after a dispute with Brendan Rodgers.

After a busy summer where Brendan Rodgers overhauled his Liverpool squad once again, the team is complete and ready to challenge for achievements on the scale of their quintuple from last season.

Strong start, and Sakho did the same thing to me in my save. Won the PL and the Capital One Cup but he wanted to move to Real :S

2015-05-17 22:16#213151 Pauker : Strong start, and Sakho did the same thing to me in my save. Won the PL and the Capital One Cup but he wanted to move to Real :S

Actually, he got unhappy that I fined him for his red card against Zenit, then Juve & PSG wanted him and he told me to let him move to Juve or PSG. What a cunt

Did some good business there, your coffers are well stacked

2015-05-18 21:08#213201 Titus07 : Did some good business there, your coffers are well stacked

They are indeed!

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This season, Liverpool will be looking to break history and enter the prestigious list of clubs who have won the European Cup three years in a row, a feat that only three clubs have managed to accomplish - Real Madrid, Ajax, and Bayern. The 2017/18 European champions have been drawn into Group B, and face a tough battle against Fiorentina of Italy and Atletico Madrid of Spain.


Fiorentina fans have experienced disappointment for awhile now after three consecutive bottom half finishes in the Serie A, but wowed an international audience last season by finishing at a commendable 3rd place. Armed with an overachieving Fiorentina side looking to challenge for even more than what they have accomplished, new manager Devis Mangia will be aiming to defy the odds further and push for European glory, going one step further than 1957 when the club conceded the European Cup to Real Madrid.


33-year-old Valero has seen it all with Fiorentina, having been a devoted servant to the club through their ups-and-downs since signing with them in 2012. The veteran playmaker was given the captain's armband this summer and is an important component of the Fiorentina machine, with his influence from the center of the pitch being the factor that makes his team tick. His brilliance last year saw him clinch the Viola's Fans' Player of the Year award and Valero has to channel that form into dragging his side as far as they can go in this season's Champions League.


Atletico missed out on European football last season after an extremely disappointing 10th-placed finish in 2016/17, but are back in the continent's biggest competition after securing 4th place. However, their dealings in the summer transfer window could return to haunt them, with the Spaniards losing their Mr Reliable, vice-captain Koke, to Paris Saint-Germain in a mega-money deal, while also sanctioning the sale of last season's top goalscorer Mario Mandzukic to Roma. Despite still having some good players in their squad, it remains to be seen if Atleti can repeat their Champions League victories of 1974 and 2014.


Correa joined Atletico in 2014 from hometown club San Lorenzo, and has enjoyed a sharp rise to the top of the footballing world since then. The attacking midfielder received his big break in 2016/17, scoring 15 goals in 34 appearances, and also won himself the European Golden Boy award. Correa has gone on from strength to strength, even lifting the World Cup with Argentina this summer, and is now the backbone of Atletico following the departure of Koke. His performances have alerted various clubs around Europe interested in poaching him from the Rojiblancos, but they have to first learn how to play against him and his tendency to leave opposition defenders trailing in his wake.


Trabzonspor have been grouped with Liverpool again this season, and is expected to finish in last place once again. The Turks lost all of their 6 group games last year against Liverpool, Roma, and Celtic, and this time it is not likely to be any different. Still, it doesn't hurt to try, and Trabzonspor might very well be able to take a surprise win off any of the aforementioned three clubs, something that could blow the group wide open.


The goalkeeper known as the Butterfly, Kıvrak, captains Trabzonspor and is a favorite among the fans for his ability to keep out goal-hungry opponents. He will be given the all-important task of keeping goal against the likes of Liverpool's lethal duo Richairo Zivkovic and Mario Balotelli, but if anyone can provide a challenge for the two esteemed goalscorers, Kıvrak is the man.

Damn, Fiore and Atleti, two of one of the most liked teams in their countries! I back LFC either way, let them fight for 2nd place

Liverpool are still going strong in the Premier League and have risen to the top of the pile in a swift fashion despite a disappointing goalless draw against Manchester City. They also managed to pass an early League Cup test, beating Chelsea in the Third Round. However, the Reds' first Champions League game of the season ended in an unfortunate 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool September Player of the Month

Liverpool's new number 9 is scoring goals left, right and center. Richairo Zivkovic is working his way up to the status of fan favorite with his amazing finishing ability, and netted against Chelsea in the League Cup to knock out his side's rivals. The young Dutchman also bagged a brace to sink Sunderland, but a highlight of the month has to be his masterclass against Arsenal where he scored an awe-inspiring 4 goals in a 5-1 win. Zivkovic is currently topping the Premier League goal charts with 7 goals in 6 games, and has emerged as a strong early contender for the Golden Boot.

Manager's Thoughts

We're doing well in the Premier League and to beat Chelsea in the cup was fantastic. The Atletico game may have resulted in a loss for us but we're certainly going to bounce back from that. The team has been playing quality football and Zivkovic is unstoppable, the lad has been firing them all in and long may his form continue. Onward to October!

Shame to lose to Atletico, but some brilliant results to Arsenal and Chelsea in the league and cup. I love your writing, it is really detailed!

Damn, Richairo!

2015-05-21 23:04#213455 LLMCrumble : Shame to lose to Atletico, but some brilliant results to Arsenal and Chelsea in the league and cup. I love your writing, it is really detailed!

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words!

2015-05-22 04:15#213487 Pauker : Damn, Richairo!

"Damn, Richairo!" is right... forget Luis Suarez or Fernando Torres, this legend is better than any of them

It has been an eventful month for Liverpool, as they fought their way from bottom to the top of their Champions League group after taking wins from Fiorentina and Trabzonspor. However, they also registered their first league loss of the season in a 2-0 upset by Aston Villa.

Liverpool October Player of the Month

Mario Balotelli is the man for Liverpool this month after scoring some important goals, with his brace against Ipswich helping his side to a place in the Capital One Cup Quarter Finals. He also scored another two goals away to Brentford as well as putting in a Man of the Match performance against Fulham where he ran over the Londoners' defence without breaking a sweat.

Injury Report

Jeronimo Rulli - 3 weeks (pulled hamstring)
Jordan Henderson - 9 days (gashed leg)

Rulli, who has been doing a fantastic job so far in his debut Liverpool season, sat on the sidelines for awhile this month after pulling his hamstring against Fiorentina, leaving it up to second-choice goalkeeper Jason Steele to step up. Vice-captain Jordan Henderson also missed one game after being rested due to a gashed leg.

Manager's Thoughts

We have been looking unstoppable lately but the loss to Villa proves that this Liverpool team isn't as invulnerable as many people think. If we're going to keep up our assault on the Premier League title we're going to have to stop thinking our team is the best in the league thus getting complacent as a result. Thankfully, the other teams screwed up as much as we did, so we're still at the top of the table. Despite dropping three easy points to Villa, the season is still in good shape for us and I firmly believe a repeat of last season's quintuple is very possible with our current form and consistency.

Bet the Villa loss hurt, but you have to keep going and you have. Your side looks to be a very strong team and I can see you going the whole season without losing soon!