Friday, 17 May 2013

Rodgers looks back at lessons learnt and the challenge ahead....

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admits his first season in charge has been a learning curve he needed to fully comprehend the “monumental challenge” ahead of him.

The Reds boss has made numerous changes on and off the pitch and learned some valuable lessons since being appointed as Kenny Dalglish's successor last June.

That has led to an up-and-down campaign which will see the inconsistent Reds finish seventh irrespective of their result against QPR on Sunday at the conclusion of the Barclays Premier League season.

But while Rodgers accepts he possibly did not fully appreciate what was required when he took over he is already looking to next season with greater confidence.

"This has been a great learning curve for me this season. I probably needed it this year," he said.

"I've been in football a long time and I came here because of the challenge to get Liverpool back into the top four.

"It is a monumental challenge but it is the reason I came.

"I knew it was a big ask but it is not until you come in you really understand the total task of what needs to be achieved.

"This is a footballing institution, a worldwide football club, and you are not only managing the on-field stuff you are managing a community here and that is something I am very proud to do.

"I have needed this year to learn the real depths of this club, everything that needs to be done, and I think come the summer we will be in a much better place to put in a sustainable challenge at the top of the table.

"This season will have been a disappointing one for supporters in terms of trophies for them but they will have seen progress."

One of the harsher lessons Rodgers had to learn very quickly related to transfer activity.

As the clock ticked down towards the deadline in August he allowed Andy Carroll to go on loan to West Ham in the belief the club would tie up a deal for Clint Dempsey.

However, a disagreement over the fee, with owners Fenway Sports Group not keen to pay £6million for a then 29-year-old, saw the move collapse and the United States international instead head to Tottenham from Fulham.

With no suitable replacement lined up Rodgers went into the first half of the season with only one senior striker in Luis Suarez and, although the Uruguay international did his best to keep the side afloat, a lack of supplementary firepower meant the side suffered.

Changes to the recruitment team were made and January reinforcements in the form of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho and results improved.

Having strengthened his scouting network even further since then, Rodgers believes Liverpool are in much stronger position heading into this summer's window.

But he knows they have to be as they cannot afford to waste what limited budget - believed to be about £20million plus anything he raises from sales - he has.

"It is a different club in terms of that. There is a lot more cohesion within all departments at the club," he added.

"That process just started after the (summer) window and we saw the benefits of that over the course of January.

"The scouts are doing a terrific job: they are leaving no stone unturned in order to get us the players we need to improve.

"There are no bids in for anyone yet but there is a lot of work going on off the field.

"We don't have money to waste, we really have to make sure we are getting the right types of players in.

"If we can do that we can kick on again but the start point is much better."

The future of striker Carroll will be near the top of Rodgers' agenda as soon as the season has finished.

He has been recalled to the England squad on the back of some good performances at West Ham but the Reds boss has to make a decision on the big frontman.

"Under Big Sam (Allardyce) he has done very well. We will assess that at the end of the season and take it from there," he said.

"It has been good to see the bit of form he has had towards the end of the season.

"It is a bit similar to last season where he showed a bit of form for Liverpool late on.

"The idea was for Andy to go out and get games. He wanted to play and not be sat here playing second fiddle to anyone and I commend that."

Sourced From: The Independnet

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of lfcstats.co.uk.

Reina for Tello plus cash?, only if a suitable replacement is found first

Liverpool are prepared to sell goalkeeper Pepe Reina as part of an exchange deal that could see highly-rated forward Cristian Tello move to Anfield from Barcelona.

Barcelona want to bring Reina back to Catalonia for a fee of around £10m this summer, with the La Liga Champions regarded the Spaniard as a successor to Victor Valdes, who is expected to depart after publicly refusing to sign a new deal at the Nou Camp.

According to The Daily Mirror, any deal would see Spanish under-21 forward Tello move in the opposite direction.

The 21-year-old has struggled to hold down a first team place at Barca and could seek a move in the summer in order to get more first team football.

Tello has bagged seven goals in just 12 starts this season, and can play as both a central striker and winger, which will suit the versatile front-line that Brendan Rodgers is building on Merseyside.

If the deal were to be struck, Brad Jones would be the first choice goalkeeper at Anfield, and Rodgers must decide whether he wants to go with the Australian, or use the transfer money to bring in a long-term solution.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of lfcstats.co.uk.

Ngoo's Hearts experience has taught him to toughen up....

THE Scottish Premier League would toughen up most footballers. Nonetheless, when a hulking figure like Michael Ngoo says the SPL has taught him to play men’s football, it underlines the gluttonous nature of our top flight.

Ngoo stands 6ft 5ins tall, with shoulders like jumbo-jet wings and a loping stride that would do justice to a gazelle.

His toughest opponent? Jim Goodwin of St Mirren, who at 6ft carries nothing like the same physical presence as Ngoo. The 21-year-old returns to Liverpool next week when his five-month loan at Hearts concludes. He takes with him a wealth of experience, not to mention a few scars and bruises.

“It’s been a fantastic experience. There have been highs and lows, but I’ve learned a lot of things to take with me in my career,” the striker told the Evening News. “I’ve been taught how to play men’s football, a lot of physical work and I’ve worked with the gaffer. Mentally, I’ve learned how to prepare for games. I’m very thankful to Hearts for the opportunity and to the fans for being loyal to me.

“The football up here has helped me mature as a player, especially when we go a goal up. You learn about not being vulnerable to conceding, when to drop in behind the ball and when to press the ball. I’ve learned a lot of things from playing what I call men’s football. The SPL has a lot of good players and they can punish you if you switch off.”

One of those is the aforementioned St Mirren captain, who got the better of Ngoo in March in the Paisley club’s dramatic League Cup final victory. “Jim Goodwin was a tough opponent with his experience, I’d say he was the hardest guy I came up against. It was good playing against him,” said Ngoo.

Not surprisingly, the Englishman wants to sign off in style with a goal against Aberdeen. He has five to his name from 15 appearances for Hearts to date. Tomorrow’s trip to Pittodrie concludes a season most Tynecastle regulars would rather forget, even if Ngoo has learned a plethora of tricks and tips to add to his attributes.

“That’s at the back of my mind. I’m going to try everything to score a goal tomorrow,” he continued. “Getting to the League Cup final and walking out at Hampden was fantastic. That was the main highlight for me from my time here.”

Now he will return to Anfield with the aim of improving further during the final year of his contract. His performance level in Scotland was decent although not at the standard of a player ready to compete in England’s Premier League. That point is not lost on Ngoo.

“I’ll go back to Liverpool now and train. I’m young and I’m still improving. Playing first-team football at Hearts is a lot different than when I was playing for Southend (from whom he joined Liverpool in 2009). Southend is a big club and so is Hearts.

“I’ve been involved in the first team a lot here. I will come back to Edinburgh because I’ve enjoyed my time here. Everyone’s been grateful and decent with me.

“If I got the chance to come back and play in Scotland again I’d definitely consider it.”

He’s certainly built for it and one can only imagine what an imposing presence Ngoo will be when his lanky limbs fill out. As well as being tested physically in the SPL, he has also experienced the often unsettling nature of senior football due to Hearts’ off-the-field problems.

Concentrating on matters on the field of play has been one of his biggest challenges north of the Border. “I kind of block it out and focus on the football, even though it’s difficult,” he explained.

“Players don’t like to hear bad things happening to the team they’re playing for because it brings their spirits down. That’s why I tried to block things out and focus on the games to put in a performance for the fans.”

That mental strength was required last weekend in the Edinburgh derby, as Hibs fans taunted the striker during their 2-1 win at Tynecastle.

“I’m not really fazed about that. They’re just happy because they got a lucky win by scoring in the last minute. Personally, I think Hearts are a better team than them.”

As Ngoo prepares to appear for the final time as a Hearts player tomorrow, manager Gary Locke is already pursuing replacements for his forward line. He wants to recruit some experience ahead of the 2013/14 campaign, which will be his first full season in charge.

John Sutton has been Ngoo’s attacking partner for much of the last five months the pair developed a useful relationship together. Locke is hopeful that another two new faces will be in place for pre-season training and guarantee him more options up front.

Ngoo, though, leaves with a fair and balanced endorsement from his manager ringing in his ears.

“Michael came into the team and initially did very well,” recalled Locke, who was first-team coach when John McGlynn helped bring Ngoo to Tynecastle in late January.

“I think people forget he’s only 21 years of age. We’ve had a couple of indifferent performances from him but you will always get that with young kids. We’ve seen that all through the season here with the teenagers who have played in the first team. In some games we’ve been great, and in other games we haven’t.

“I’d say Michael’s contribution has been good and he’s been a fantastic lad to work with. He’s going back down to Liverpool in the summer and we wish him all the best.”

There aren’t many footballers with the unique attributes of Michael Ngoo, so he is unlikely to be forgotten in Gorgie. One thing is certain, he won’t forget Hearts.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of lfcstats.co.uk.

Sunday, 5 May 2013

Liverpool 0-0 Everton: Full Time Opta Stats

Everton 0-0 Liverpool
Barclay Premier League, Saturday 4th May 2013, Anfield, 15:00pm
Referee -  Michael Oliver  H-T - 0-0  Attendance - 44,991
Liverpool Everton

Team Line-Up's
Liverpool Everton
25. Pepe Reina 24. Tim Howard
02. Glen johnson 23. Seamus Coleman
05. Daniel Agger 15. Sylvain Distin
23. Jamie Carragher 06. Phil Jagielka
03. Jose Enrique 03. Leighton Baines
08. Steven Gerrard  21. Leon Osman
21. Lucas Leiva 04. Darron Gibson
14. Jordan Henderson  25. Marouane Fellini
10. Philippe Coutinho  11. Kevin Mirallas
15. Daniel Sturridge 22. Steven Pienaar
19. Stewart Downing   28. Victor Anichebe
Substitutes Substitutes
1. Brad Johnes 01. Jan Mucha
37. Martin Skrtel  02. Tony Hibbert
33. Jonjo Shelvey 05. Johnny Hetinga
29. Fabio Borini   08. Bryan Oviedo
11. Oussama Assaidi  07. Nikica Jelavic
16. Sebastian Coates 14. Steven Naismith
30. Fernando Suso 34. Shane Duffy
Substitutions
29. Fabio Borini for 14. Jordan Henderson 66'
07. Nikica Jelavic for 11. Kevin Mirallas 75'
37. Martin Skrtel for 19. Stewart Downing 78'
 
 
Goals
   
 
 
Yellow Cards
29. Fabio Borini 88' 28. Victor Anichebe 56'
21. Leon Osman 90' +
Red Cards
Managers
Brendan Rodgers David Moyes
Referee - Michael Oliver
Assistant Referee - D England, S Burt
Fourth Official - Martin Atkinson
Attendance - 44,991
LFC Player of the Match - Steven Gerrard

Match Stats
Possession Liverpool 55%
Everton 45%
Total Shots Liverpool 15
Everton 11
Shots on Target Liverpool 3
Everton 2
Offsides Liverpool 3
Everton 1
Total Passes Liverpool 448
Everton 363
Total Cosses Liverpool 19
Everton 22
Corners Liverpool 3
Everton 5
Tackles Liverpool 23
Everton 33
Fouls Liverpool 10
Everton 11
Yellow Cards Liverpool 1
Everton 2
Red Cards Liverpool 0
Everton 0

Liverpool 0-0 Everton: Half Time Opta Stats

Everton v Liverpool
Barclay Premier League, Saturday 4th May 2013, Anfield, 15:00pm
Referee -  Michael Oliver  H-T - 0-0  Attendance - 44,991
Liverpool Everton

Team Line-Up's
Liverpool Everton
25. Pepe Reina 24. Tim Howard
02. Glen johnson 23. Seamus Coleman
05. Daniel Agger 15. Sylvain Distin
23. Jamie Carragher 06. Phil Jagielka
03. Jose Enrique 03. Leighton Baines
08. Steven Gerrard 21. Leon Osman
21. Lucas Leiva 04. Darron Gibson
14. Jordan Henderson 25. Marouane Fellini
10. Philippe Coutinho 11. Kevin Mirallas
15. Daniel Sturridge 22. Steven Pienaar
19. Stewart Downing 28. Victor Anichebe
Substitutes Substitutes
1. Brad Johnes 01. Jan Mucha
37. Martin Skrtel 02. Tony Hibbert
33. Jonjo Shelvey 05. Johnny Hetinga
29. Fabio Borini 08. Bryan Oviedo
11. Oussama Assaidi 07. Nikica Jelavic
16. Sebastian Coates 14. Steven Naismith
30. Fernando Suso 34. Shane Duffy
Substitutions
 
 
 
 
 
Goals
   
 
 
Yellow Cards
   
Red Cards
Managers
Brendan Rodgers David Moyes
Referee - Michael Oliver
Assistant Referee - D England, S Burt
Fourth Official - Martin Atkinson
Attendance - 44,991
LFC Player of the Match -

Match Stats
Possession Liverpool 53%
Everton 47%
Total Shots Liverpool 5
Everton 6
Shots on Target Liverpool 0
Everton 1
Offsides Liverpool 1
Everton 0
Total Passes Liverpool 224
Everton 191
Total Cosses Liverpool 5
Everton 14
Corners Liverpool 1
Everton 3
Tackles Liverpool 14
Everton 12
Fouls Liverpool 6
Everton 5
Yellow Cards Liverpool 0
Everton 0
Red Cards Liverpool 0
Everton 0