Youngsters Take the Chance to Impress on Tour

A vast number of academy and reserve players were given the chance to impress new boss Brendan Rodgers during Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the US. Every single one of these youngsters saw game time in at least one of the friendlies; scheduled against Toronto in their hometown, Roma in Boston, and Tottenham Hotspur in Baltimore. The likes of 16-year-old Jordan Ibe and 17-year-old Ryan McLaughlin earned their first starts for the club in the games against Toronto and Roma respectively.

A number of senior players were also involved to guide the starlets through the experience, with old heads Jamie Carragher, Joe Cole, Martin Skrtel and Alberto Aquilani just a few of many senior players filling the squad. There is no doubt that their presence helped the younger players to get acclimatized to their new surroundings and a new standard of football.

The positive note from the tour is that pretty much every youngster impressed during their time on the pitch. However, naturally a few will stand out from the rest and five players stuck out and impressed more than others. The following five players can hope to push for a regular spot in the match squad this coming season.

Liverpool 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur – Match Review

The big names were back as Liverpool closed their tour of the US with a friendly against fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham. The game was held at the home of the Baltimore Ravens in the M & T Bank Stadium. Liverpool fans were excited to see the likes of Steven Gerrard, Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing back in the squad as well as new signing Fabio Borini.

Despite the stadium being used to hosting the American take on football, it was two Champions League qualification hopefuls taking part on Saturday. Both sides struggled to get going in the sweltering heat, and the slow pitch did the tempo of the game no favors. It is therefore not surprising that the game was littered with misplaced passes and lacked any quality chances. The 0-0 result was a fair reflection on the game, with Tottenham shading the first half and Liverpool having the better of the second half. 

Dan Smith vs. Exeter U-18's

Here is a little match compilation of new academy signing Dan Smith who joined Liverpool from Crewe Alexandra a few months ago.

He performed exceptionally well in a recent 8-1 demolition of Exeter. Composed on the ball with an eye for goal, he already looks a good pick-up for Liverpool.

America’s Football Knowledge Exposed at Fenway Park

I approached the home of the Boston Red Sox at around 6:10 p.m. and people were flooding into the stadium from every angle. The T – Boston’s underground system – was packed to the point where it was difficult to breathe when standing. Fans donning Liverpool shirts could be seen even before entering the city limits. It almost felt like a real European game.

Only it wasn’t. As my 3 friends and I searched for the entrance to our standing area, it was remarkable how many random football shirts were on show in and around the stadium. I spotted Porto, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Aston Villa, Barcelona, and – this one takes the cake – even two or three Everton shirts. A few fans were also wearing international shirts, with Argentina, Mexico, England and understandably the United States well represented. 

Liverpool 1-2 Roma – Match Review

Liverpool continued their pre-season preparations as they met AS Roma on Wednesday night at Fenway Park in Boston. After a first half littered with misplaced passes and scuffed chances from both sides, the game picked up in pace and quality in the second half. Michael Bradley opened the scoring in the 63^rd minute, before Alessandro Florenzi extended the lead seven minutes later. Charlie Adam fired in a consolation goal for the Reds with ten minutes remaining but ultimately Roma ran out deserved winners.

The first half began in unspectacular fashion, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut chances. Pablo Osvaldo spurned a great chance when played clean through on goal after an error from Jay Spearing with Peter Gulacsi diving to his right to deny the Italian striker – the first of a number of impressive saves from the Hungarian stopper.

Joe Allen Could be Integral to the Rodgers Revolution

Swansea midfielder Joe Allen has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in recent weeks, with it seemingly only being a matter of time until he links up with former manager Brendan Rodgers on Merseyside.

According to reports, Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins is looking for £15mil for one of their most prized assets, with Liverpool not looking to spend anything above £10mil on the talented midfielder. A compromise is expected to be made, with new Swansea manager Michael Laudrup admitting that he will not force the 22-year-old Welshman to stay at the Liberty Stadium.

Liverpool 1-1 Toronto - Match Review

Today marked the opening game of Liverpool's pre-season campaign with a fixture against MLS outfit Toronto FC. After a drab first half of few chances, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers made 11 changes to his line-up at half time and the pace picked up in the second half.

Toronto took the lead in the 58^th minute through Quincy Amarikwa after substitute keeper Peter Gulacsi could only parry Sergio Camargo’s effort. It took only 11 minutes for Liverpool to hit back, with Adam Morgan tapping into an empty net after great work from fellow youngster Raheem Sterling. Both sides had openings and half-chances before the final whistle, but ultimately the spoils were shared.

Is Brendan Rodgers Following the Liverpool way?

After a lengthy and extremely public search for a new manager following the sacking of Kenny Dalglish in May, Brendan Rodgers was finally unveiled as Liverpool’s new boss on June 1. He was given immediate support from principal owner John W. Henry, as well as Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, with whom he worked with at Chelsea from 2004 to 2007.

Rodgers hit the ground running as Liverpool boss, immediately endearing himself to Liverpool fans across the world with his charisma and fantastic showing of respect for Liverpool and knowledge of its history.

The Andy Carroll Conundrum

With it looking increasingly likely that Andy Carroll will be moved on this summer, fan reaction has been widely split on if this is a bold statement of intent from Rodgers, or his first big mistake.

It's no secret that Carroll has struggled to settle on Merseyside after his big money move from Newcastle on transfer deadline day in January 2011. Brought in as a panic purchase after Fernando Torres decided to jump ship, it was never going to be an easy task living up to immediate expectations, especially after arriving at Anfield with an injury.

Introduction

Hi everyone,

My name is Patrik and I am 20 years old. I was born in Sweden, raised in England and am currently a college student in America.

I have been a fanatical Liverpool fan for as long as I can remember and I love sharing my thoughts on games, incidents, transfers and just about anything concerning Liverpool.

This is my first Blog attempt so I hope it goes well. I hope you enjoy my insights and please share this Blog with anyone you think might appreciate it!