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Ahead of Sunday's game against Liverpool at
Anfield, we spoke again with Reds' fan Kirsty who runs the excellent blog
The Liver Bird.
She gives us her views on the
game, Jurgen Klopp, Brendan Rodgers, and more. You can also find Kirsty
on Twitter @LFCKirstyLFC.
We have to
start with the sacking of Brendan Rodgers back in October, what were your
thoughts at the time? Was it a decision the majority of fans agreed with?
I thought he had to go, he’d
lost his way and became very stubborn in my opinion. He began experimenting with
the line up and playing players out of position and what made things worse was
that when we performed poorly he’d stand in a post match interview and act like
everything was fine.
It’s a well known joke online
now but it’s no exaggeration, if we showed “good character” then for him that
was fine. After taking us agonisingly close to a Premier League title (very much
helped by the likes of Luis Suarez) I just think the pressure got to him. From
what I could tell from social media, the majority of fans definitely agreed it
was time for him to go.
I'd imagine
his replacement Jurgen Klopp was welcomed by almost all of the Anfield faithful?
As soon as Brendan Rodgers left
there were only two names being talked about; Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti.
Most fans wanted Jurgen and some like myself would have been happy with either.
Since his arrival at the club I’ve been absolutely chuffed with Klopp, he’s
really taken to Liverpool and the fans and he’s very charming. He’s had an immediate impact on the
team and it’s clear the players are enjoying working with him, it’s an exciting
time to be a Liverpool
fan at the moment.
How do you
view Liverpool's season so far? Better or worse than expected?
It’s hard to judge really
because of the fact we’ve had two managers. If we still had Rodgers at the helm
I wouldn’t have been expecting a very good result so now under Jurgen we’re
definitely doing better than I would have predicted at the start of the season.
Still by no means perfect but there is a glimmer of hope that we may be able to
finish in the top four, especially if we can do well over the Christmas period
and forget about that horrible loss to Newcastle!
Having
qualified for the last 32, how high up on the list of priorities is the Europa
League now for Liverpool?
For a lot of fans I don’t think
they even want to be in the competition, many see it as a nuisance but I’ve
always firmly believed that in order to be a great team you need to be able to
handle everything that’s thrown at you, even if that means Thursday nights on BT
Sport. Jurgen Klopp is clearly taking the competition seriously and with the
knowledge that winning it now automatically puts you into the Champions League I
would imagine it is very high on our priorities list, or at least it should be
in my opinion!
Daniel
Sturridge looks set to be missing for a number of weeks after suffering yet
another injury, how much of a blow is the absence of the England striker likely
to be?
A big one in my opinion. I just
feel so gutted for Sturridge because just as you think he might be back on track
he goes and gets injured again. His goals against Southampton in the League Cup
showed once again what quality he has and for me the Reds will miss him. We do
have the likes of Christian Benteke up front who is no stranger to scoring goals
but with the way Liverpool have been playing lately Benteke has been poorly
supported both through a dreary supply line and through being forced to play up
front alone. It will be interesting to see whether Jurgen Klopp goes for a
different set up to combat this knowing Daniel Sturridge is unavailable.
Who's caught
the eye for the Reds so far this season?
I would probably have to say
Alberto Moreno. I’ve kept a close eye on him since he signed for us because I’ve
always had a soft spot for defenders and wanted to see how he progressed. When
he first arrived he was very sloppy, making silly mistakes and giving away
possession but he’s improved so much recently and even more so under the
guidance of Jurgen Klopp. He’s improved defensively and has also offered
excitement in his ability to push forward and create attacks, I really like him
and he’s definitely caught my eye in most matches so far this season.
Anyone been
particularly disappointing?
Honestly, since Jurgen has taken
over, I can’t really say I’ve been that disappointed in anyone (I’m sure that
will change!)
Prediction for
Liverpool's season?
I’m really hoping that we can
get into the top four but realistically I can see us finishing just outside.
Prediction: 5th.
Prediction for
Albion's season?
Tony Pulis knows what he’s doing
and there are several teams worse off than the Baggies at the moment, namely
Chelsea haha! But seriously I think you will probably finish around 13th - 15th.
Premier League
champs?
It would be just lovely to see
Leicester do it wouldn’t it but I don’t think it’s going to happen. My
prediction before the season started was Manchester City and I’m sticking to it,
they are experienced and I feel they have the consistency to take it. Arsenal
always seem to falter and for me Manchester United are going to come unstuck
because they haven’t being playing very well despite sitting in 3rd.
Relegated?
I never ever get this right but
I definitely think Aston Villa are in trouble big time. Newcastle as well
despite beating us last week look very poor in my opinion however they may
change managers before the end of the season. Then I’d probably have to choose
Bournemouth, Sunderland will struggle but they always somehow seem to avoid the
drop and Big Sam strikes me as someone who will keep them out of danger.
Thoughts on and prediction for
Sunday's game? How are Liverpool likely to line up?
I’m worried that we’re at home,
which is a weird thing to say. We’ve been awesome away from Anfield but have
struggled somewhat at home so it could be an interesting game. I’d probably go
for a 2-1 Liverpool win as I can see you finding the back of the net, probably
through a set piece.
It’s hard to predict the line-up
because it will depend slightly on how Klopp fields the team for FC Sion tonight
and also injuries. If Coutinho is available I think he will go for Lallana,
Firmino and Coutinho without a recognised striker however if Coutinho is not fit
in time I’d predict Benteke alone up front. It will be the usual back four of
Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren and Moreno and probably a midfield consisting of Lucas and
Emre Can.
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