A selection of Liverpool Football Club-related stories and titbits you may have missed over the past seven days…
Liverpool FC have announced that all ticket prices for the 2018/19 season will be frozen. The decision, which applies to all season tickets and general admission tickets, means that prices will have been frozen for three successive seasons.
The arrival of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton has been met positively by a host of Liverpool players, both present and former. Amongst them is fellow defender Joe Gomez, who told Liverpoolfc.com: “Personally, for me, it’s someone else I can learn from. He is an experienced defender with a lot of quality. It’s another person for me to develop and learn from, the same as I have with Joel, Dejan, Raggy and so on. It’s nice to have someone else to try to help you develop. And for the team it is another massive signing.”
Amongst the many positives from Monday’s 2-1 win at Burnley was the return of Adam Lallana, who made his first start of 2017/18 following a pre-season thigh injury. Discussing his absence with the official site, the midfielder remarked: “I feel that I have learned so much from being out. I have come back strong. I had a couple of little setbacks along the way with a minor blister and then a tight muscle but that’s what happens. Maybe it is credit to the manager over the last few games, just holding me back. I was able to get some good training sessions in but I’m back now. I have lasted a game after being out for four or five months so that shows I am in good shape.”
Unlikely match winner Ragnar Klavan has described the victory as ‘massive’ for the club as they look to consolidate their place in the top four. “It was a crazy game in the end,” commented the Estonian international to Liverpoolfc.com. “That we took those three points with us is massive. I said it already when I came here that we have such a great team. Today we showed it again, that we have a great team and we keep on going. Of course, it’s never easy here at Burnley. If you take also that the last game was only two days ago, some changes as well but everyone is ready and everyone stepped up and in the end three points.”
First team development coach Pepijn Lijnders has left his role with Liverpool FC to become the head coach of Dutch club NEC Nijmegen, with immediate effect. Lijnders joined the Reds in 2014, initially taking charge of the U16s at the Academy, and became a key member of Jürgen Klopp’s backroom staff following the German’s arrival in late 2015.
Stats compiled following the turn of the year show Liverpool played a total of 54 competitive matches during 2017 (40 league, three FA Cup, three League Cup, eight in Europe). The Merseysiders won 26, scored 111 times, notched three goals or more in a single game on 20 occasions and picked up 69 yellow cards.
Reds duo Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah have both made the BBC‘s Premier League team of 2017. The full X1, based on the submissions of 115,000 people, is (4-4-2): David de Gea (Manchester United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcos Alonso (Chelsea), Coutinho, Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), David Silva (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Salah, Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur).
The opening of the January Transfer Window has unsurprisingly signalled new speculation around the future of Coutinho. The Brazilian, who came close to joining Barcelona in the summer, is reportedly still wanted by the Catalans and their boss, Ernesto Valverde, told a pre-match press conference in Spain on Wednesday: “Coutinho plays for another team and he is a great player for that team. If he plays for Barca in the future or not, I don’t know. I like the players I have in my team and if another one comes in the future, I’m sure he has to be a very good player, too.”
FIFA have launched an investigation into the racial abuse suffered by Liverpool Academy striker Rhian Brewster. The 17-year-old England youth international recently revealed that he had been targeted five times by opponents while playing for both club and country. Following Brewster’s revelations, the Football Association complained to both FIFA and UEFA, and FIFA now say they are ‘analysing and gathering evidence’.
The U18s’ FA Youth Cup fourth round clash with Arsenal will be played at Anfield on Saturday January 20 with kick-off set for 3pm GMT. The U18 Premier League clash with Newcastle United originally scheduled for the same date will now take place on Saturday March 31.
Both the U18s and U23s play their first matches of 2018 this weekend with the former facing Blackburn Rovers away at 11am GMT on Saturday (U18 Premier League) and the latter Arsenal at home at 1pm GMT on Sunday (Premier League 2).
Natasha Harding has left Liverpool Ladies to join Reading FC Women after turning down a new contract. The Wales vice-captain has been a regular since joining from Manchester City Women in 2016.
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For me VVD is not the best defender out there for the money but his commanding presence should be enough to help organise a back four. Will be interesting to see who lines up next to him. The spine of the side Is starting to look very strong and with Keita being added I feel GK is the next position that should be addressed. I do not think that the loss of Coutinho will be as big as people make out, we still scored a lot of goals without him. Liking the look of Ox in the team and think he is adapting to Klopps ways of working. Henderson I think will be a player that will need to pick up His game on return from injury otherwise I can see him moving on.