Liverpool Klopp Episode 17: The Godfather

Soccer is a game. 22 people running around on the field. 44 feet trying to kick a ball.

Nonetheless, fans, players, and managers do take it pretty seriously - it is strictly business.

Here is an article compiling some of Coach Klopp's interesting remarks about the "beautiful game."

Some interesting ones:
"We have a bow and arrow. The problem is Bayern have a bazuka - but then Robin Hood was quite successful."
"It's like someone having to play the chess world championships after 72 hours of sleep deprivation."
"I'm proud of my first red card as coach. I approached the fourth official and said: 'How many mistakes are you allowed to make? If it's 15, you're allowed one more.'"

Anyway, Sunderland on the road in today's match. The Liverpool Echo writers offer their guesses on who will be in the starting XI. With so many players on the injury list, there really isn't that much flexibility in choosing a line up. Thus, I think the usual: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno, Coutinho, Henderson, Can, Lallana, Firmino, Benteke.

Likely used subs: Ibe, Lucas, Allen.

Klopp anticipates a physical contest against the desperation of the relegation likely Sunderland.

UPDATE: Sunderland 0 Liverpool 1! Wasn't near a TV nor the internet so only read the after-match reports. Sounds like it was taking care of business not particularly well played but played well enough for the win and collecting the desired 3 points. Bad news is that Henderson left the match with injury. Not clear how serious and long he will be out. On the good news, Benteke got yet another goal and could have gotten a second.

W4C Bible Study Training Part IV - Colossians 3:1-17

West Coast Chinese Christian Conference 2015 Small Group Bible Study Training Video, Part IV. This year's theme: Be Holy Because God is Holy.
Day 1 study 1 Peter 2:4-25
Day 2 study 1 Corinthians 6:1-20
Day 3 study Colossians 3:1-17.

Part IV contents:
Day 3 passage Colossians 3:1-17
Group dynamics
Applications
Final thoughts

W4C Bible Study Training Part III - 1 Corinthians 6:1-20

West Coast Chinese Christian Conference 2015 Small Group Bible Study Training Video, Part III. This year's theme: Be Holy Because God is Holy.
Day 1 study 1 Peter 2:4-25
Day 2 study 1 Corinthians 6:1-20
Day 3 study Colossians 3:1-17.

Please note, I found an error in the slide at 20:48 where "Prison Epistles (62-67)" appears. 1 Timothy and Titus was written in the period after Prison Epistles (61-62) but before 2 Timothy that was written during Paul's 2nd Imprisonment shortly before his death AD 66-67.

Part III content:
Textual analysis
Day 2 passage 1 Corinthians 6:1-20
Question writing

W4C Bible Study Training Part II - 1 Peter 2:4-25

West Coast Chinese Christian Conference 2015 Small Group Bible Study Training Video, Part II. This year's theme: Be Holy Because God is Holy.
Day 1 study 1 Peter 2:4-25
Day 2 study 1 Corinthians 6:1-20
Day 3 study Colossians 3:1-17.

Part II content:
Day 1 passage 1 Peter 2:4-25

W4C Bible Study Training Part I

West Coast Chinese Christian Conference 2015 Small Group Bible Study Training Video, Part I. This year's theme: Be Holy Because God is Holy.
Day 1 study 1 Peter 2:4-25
Day 2 study 1 Corinthians 6:1-20
Day 3 study Colossians 3:1-17.

Part I content:
Overview
Observation
Interpretation

Liverpool Klopp Episode 16: The Wrath of Khan

LFC is in trouble. Out gunned, out manned, and the momentum arrow facing the wrong direction. It is the soccer equivalent of the Kobayashi Maru Scenario for Klopp and the club facing the hottest side in the EPL, Leicester City.

For non-Trek fans, in the words of this Star Trek Wiki,

The Kobayashi Maru scenario was an infamous no-win scenario that was part of the curriculum for command-track cadets at Starfleet Academy in the 23rd century. It was primarily used to assess a cadet's discipline, character and command capabilities when facing an impossible situation, as there is no (legitimate) strategy that will result in a successful outcome.

Am guessing no one is picking Liverpool to get out of the Boxing Day match with three points perhaps some might pick them to get one point. (a draw). Will be interesting to see what the fans and pundits will view as a "passing" grade in terms of LFC team performance?

Although the tie to West Brom was viewed by many as a failure, it was a "success" in the sense that the team didn't give up. Right up to the last whistle they fought to get the equalizing goal and they ultimately got a lucky break and got it. A team that folded its cards would not have even had the chance. Thus, a success in my book would be that the fans have a reason to stay to the final whistle at Anfield on December 26. Teams at the top level don't talk about "moral victories;" however, LFC isn't there right now and so "moral victories" are meaningful to build upon and the club needs that right now.

Later in the film, with their backs against the wall, our heroes found a winning plan ...



Will be interesting to see what the Script Writers have for Boxing Day!

UPDATE: Injury reports ......
Leicester might be without goal scorer Vardy on Boxing Day as he is listed as "doubtful." On the Liverpool side, the list of injured players is rather long with only Mignolet, Lovren, and Sturridge listed as possibly returning by Boxing Day. As such, the following possible starting XI:

Goalie: Mignolet (if indeed he is ready to go) otherwise Bogdan
Defense: Clyne, Moreno, Sakho, Lovren (if indeed he is ready to go) otherwise Toure
Midfield: Coutinho, Henderson, Can, Lallana
Forward: Benteke, Origi
Likely used subs: Sturridge (if indeed he is ready to go), Lucas, Ibe, Firmino

UPDATE: LFC 1 LEI 0!
Saw most of the match (7AM start time here in PST). Great teamwork on defense. If I understood what the NBCSN analysts were saying, Klopp had instructed the two full backs and two of the midfielders to be alert and ready to track back to respond to Leicester City's vaunted counter-attacking speed. Meanwhile, LFC was able to hold possession and eventually broke through at the 63 minute mark with a nice pass from Firmino into the box which Benetke poked into the net.

On the down side, Origi picked up a hamstring injury and had to exit at the 38 minute mark. Don't know how serious it is.

In any case a BIG win for LFC. The race for the top 4 is open with no dominant clubs. The usual suspects like Man U and Chelsea have issues this year. Arsenal and Man City have had some dreadful outings.

LFC is now 8 (wins) - 5 (draws) - 3 (losses) in all competitions under Klopp.

Liverpool Klopp Episode 15: Ticket to Ride

As a Los Angelino, I follow UCLA, Dodgers, Kings, Lakers, and Galaxy. If you ask me about Los Angeles, I could tell you a little bit about the city's neighborhoods and tourist destinations.

As a fan of Liverpool, I can tell you nothing about the city. I only know that the Beatles are from there. So I had to check on Google with the search, "were the Beatles soccer fans?"

According to this item in the Guardian:

"Paul was (and maybe still is) definitely an Evertonian, as was his dad. He attended the 1968 FA Cup final - there is a photo of him outside Wembley. His brother Mike is a massive Red - and part of his band The Scaffold's promo film for Thank You Very Much was filmed in front of a packed Spion Kop at his behest (fellow band member Roger McGough, a Blue, refused to attend and is missing from the clip). George and John were not keen football fans, although George's son Dhani is a big Liverpool fan. But the biggest fan of all the Beatles' extended family is Neil Aspinall, the former Beatles road manager who attended Anfield regularly before the band left Liverpool for London and has attended games when possible ever since."

Here is an item over at the Liverpool Echo about Paul McCartney's feeling about the two soccer clubs:

He said: “My dad was born in Everton, so I’m an Evertonian. Yes, I’ll cheer Liverpool on too. People say you can’t support them both but I got a special dispensation from the Pope. But if it comes down to a derby match I would have to support Everton.” But wherever he plays around the world he says there’s always someone in the crowd wearing a Liverpool shirt or scarf. He said: “At first I thought they were Scousers who’d travelled to see the gig. I’d say ‘hey, where are you from?’ and they’d be from whatever country we were playing in. “The other night we played Moscow and we had it there. It gets me every time.”

So there you go.

Lots of road matches ahead:
@ Watford 12/20
Leicester 12/26
@ Sunderland 12/30
@ West Ham 1/2
@ Stoke 1/5 1st leg of League Cup
@ Exeter 1/8  FA Cup

Watford was one of three promoted clubs and they are doing the best of the three (Bournemouth and Norwich are the other two) thus this is by no means an automatic win for Liverpool. In fact Watford is higher in the table than LFC!

Klopp will need to make some changes in the lineup. Lovren is out with injury but Sakho maybe ready to return. But is he ready for a full 90 minutes? Would guess Toure would backstop Sakho. Though Mignolet took a lot of heat for the match against West Brom, don't imagine Bogdan will get the start at goal so no change there. The midfield trio of MilnerLucas-Henderson-Can looks about right. The open question is the three forwards. Coutinho is probably the only sure pick. But who will fill the other two spots? Klopp can choose from Benteke, Lallana, Firmino, Ibe, and Origi. How about Firmino and Ibe? Time to see if pairing the two Brazilians (Coutinho and Firmino) can yield some on field magic as it did against Man City. Would be good to give Ibe some prime time play to help him develop. We shall see!

UPDATE: Well that was a clunker. A great team plays at an A/A- level consistently and can bounce back from a early mistake with talent and mental toughness. Alas, LFC is not yet a great team. They have the talent to play A-/B+ level and for a stretch they did. But it appears the team is settling back B/B- level of play. Against Watford, they suffered a howler early putting them down 1-0. And soon after were down 2-0 and chasing the game. Credit Watford for capitalizing early. But these recent performances with LFC players that aren't all that different from the good run of form just a while ago was simply disappointing. In their defense, Mignolet was out with an injury and Bogdan, his stand-in got off to a bad start. Sakho was rusty from injury. Skrtel got at hurt and had to be subbed out at the 41 minute mark. Thus, three players in the defensive end were not in recently line-ups. LFC got possession but unfortunately weren't able to do much with it which has been a problem since the downward spiral at the end of the 2014-2015 season.

Coach Klopp is going to have to find some tactical moves and motivational ploys to get the team playing as a team again and with some belief. However, his line-up options are getting depleted with injuries. It is going to be a tall mountain to climb as the Boxing Day match up is against EPL leaders Leicester City!

Leicester is known as a fast paced attacking team. Thus, will Klopp try to match their speed? Unfortunately, LFC's speed players might not match up and the Reds might get run out of their home pitch! Maybe they will need to play a more possession based game and loop the ball into Benteke and/or Origi to get goals? Maybe the midfield might have to sit further back to address Leicester's attackers? On the other hand, LFC opted to run against Man City and beat them. Will be interesting to hear the pundits play arm-chair manager and then see what Klopp and his brain trust come up with for Saturday.

LFC is now 7-5-3 (all competitions) under Klopp.

GOP nomination race as of now .....

The race for the GOP nomination is quaking under the twin shocks of the Paris attacks and the San Bernardino shootings. The atmosphere of fear, understandable but overstated, has shaken up the race solidifying the Trump supporters who think the rest of the GOP isn't tough enough. Carson's support is dropping fast as he is perceived as too mild mannered for these "dangerous times." Cruz and Rubio are the two "mainstream" candidates who seem to have gained some ground while more "traditional" "mainstream" candidates like Jeb, Kasich, and Christie are still afloat but have divided that part of the GOP pie amongst themselves.

Trump has oscillated between 20 to 30% support depending on the poll and current events. There is a poll that has his numbers up to 40% but I'd like to see that result detected by another poll before I believe it. The current terrorism crisis has tipped his support up because people are angry and fearful and Trump is "speaking his mind."

Cruz and Rubio are about 15% in national polling (Cruz has scored higher in recent Iowa polls) meaning 30% of the GOP voters are looking for a younger articulate candidate. Add together the governors (Jeb, Kasich and Christie) they probably total 20% of the GOP voters who want someone with executive experience. Carson is at about 10% reflecting the GOP voters who don't trust the mainstream and think Trump is NUTS. There is probably about 10% that is undecided or very loyal to one of the other candidates in the field.

So in sum:
30% are mad as h@#$ and aren't going to take it anymore supporting Trump
10% don't like the Washington insiders and think Trump is nuts (Carson voters)
30% are looking for a younger face for the GOP (Cruz and Rubio)
20% are looking at governors with experience (Jeb, Katich and Christie)
10% are loyal to a low level candidate or undecided.

The key polling will be January after the holidays are over and the reality of actually casting votes in Iowa and New Hampshire begins to set in. I'm hoping Trump's 30% dips down to 20% and the GOP begins to look seriously at 2 of the 5 "mainstream" candidates. Carson will get 10% I think from sheer loyalty of his supporters.

Scenario #1 Worst Case
Trump holds at 30% Carson gets 10% The remaining 60% of the voters divide among 3 or more "mainstream" candidates leaving Trump still ahead.

Scenario #2 Best case
Trump dips to 20%
Carson gets 10%
The remaining 70% of the GOP begin to rally around 2 of the mainstream candidates such that Trump drops to 3rd place in the polling

Anyway, that is where I think things stand.

We shall see!

At the Movies: Peanuts Movie and the Martian

Loved both those films!

The Peanuts movie is nostalgic to a simpler time. How many movies are rated "G" these days? The characters are as comfortable as a well worn sofa for people of a certain age who grew up reading the comic strip and catching the occasions special film. The Charlie Brown Christmas has become iconic of the season here in the USA.

The update is in the technology of the animation (3D look even in non-3D projection) and some of the music. Overall though, the production team still kept it connected to the old style with its general look and feel and the heart warming story line.

Will this revive the franchise and thus more films?

I don't know what the financial figures are from the film and I do wonder if the new generation of film goers brought up on much more sophisticated animation and "darker" and "complicated" characters will welcome the earnest simplicity of the Peanuts gang. As for me, I enjoyed it.




The Martian is a wonderful adventure, survival, science-fiction/fact film!

Love that the "nerds" get to be on center-stage as the heroes of the story.

I had to check on google about whether one can really grow potatoes on Mars. Perhaps so according to this item!

The film does highlight how technically demanding going to Mars would be and how harsh an environment it is. Going to the moon in a decade was the challenge of the 60s and quite the feat. In fact, a feat that hasn't been repeated in over 40 years. I suspect going to Mars is going to be the challenge of the 21st century and without some significant technological breakthroughs not likely to happen in my lifetime.

In addition to the science of the film was some of the human dimensions of the story.

Commander Lewis' (Jessica Chastain) collection of disco music was probably used to be able to have the chance to play "I will survive" in the film. For some I'm sure it was a groaner but for others it was the right type of humor and connection to audience members who grew up following the NASA manned program (NASA has not directly launched people into space for a few years now and aren't likely to for a few more years). Though Matt Damon is clearly the star of the film with lots of screen time, I'd say most anyone would be happy to have Lewis in charge of any mission.

Some of the action in the film does remind me a bit of Gravity in terms of straining credibility but it is the movies so some suspension of belief is required. Nonetheless, it was a good attempt at trying to keep as much of the film grounded on plausible technology.

Liverpool Klopp Episode 14 - Patton

No one would ever mistake Gen. Patton for a warm and fuzzy hugging care bear.

Klopp has been described in those terms by many observers. The enthusiasm he shows on the sidelines make that pretty clear!

However, it is also pretty clear that Klopp has a drive to win and wants to instill that drive into his players.

LFC has gotten some nice wins but mixed in have been a couple of dreadful losses (to Palace and Newcastle) and in sports, the sting of the defeats seem to last longer than the exuberance of victories.

Liverpool returns to EPL play this Sunday against West Brom. Tony Pulis is sure to have the club ready to play hard nosed football against the Reds at Anfield. On the other side Klopp and his brain trust needs to figure out a starting XI.

The goalie plus back 4 picks itself. The question mark is the remaining six.

In the midfield, Klopp will need to choose from Milner, Lucas, Can, Henderson, and Allen. Since Henderson is still recovering from injury, I think you have to go with Milner/Lucas/Can with Henderson off the bench around the 75 minute mark.

The biggest question mark is the LFC front three. Select three from: Coutinho, Lallana, Ibe, Benteke, Firmino, and Origi.

Is it time to go with the Coutinho/Firmino line that did so well against Man City?

The problem is Coutinho is recovering from a hamstring injury and might not be ready to go full throttle for 60-90 minutes. Firmino hasn't done much since that game.

Can't call on the Origi/Sturridge line that demolished Southampton since Sturridge is on the injured list once again.

The Firmino/Ibe/Benteke line didn't generate many serious threats against Newcastle and the Firmino/Lallana/Origi line didn't score against Sion. In fairness though both LFC and Sion were really looking for a draw.

If there was a full week of rest between games, I'd go with Coutinho/Firmino plus one and run at West Brom. But since it is a short turn around and Coutinho is still regaining fitness from the hamstring injury, I'm thinking Klopp has no choice but to go back to Benteke as Origi is still probably too raw to be the solo point of attack in what is close to a must win game if LFC is to compete for the top four.

So who alongside with Benteke?

How about Ibe and Lallana?

Look for Coutinho to sub in around the 60 minute mark and Origi later on if offense is needed.

UPDATE: Coutinho and Henderson got the start! Only saw part of the 1st half. Great goal by Henderson. Unfortunately, West Brom equalized on a set piece and had a goal ruled off-side just before the half. LFC dominated possession but West Brom got 2 goals and LFC was scrambling to equalize which late sub Origi delivered. Thus, LFC salvaged a point in what was close to a must win game. And then there was a post-match controversy involving Klopp and the West Brom coaching staff and handshakes and the team lining up to salute the Kop. To read one view of the controversy see this item over at ESPNFC.com in both article form and in the roundtable of the TV panel. Meanwhile, a defense of the salute over in one analysis piece at the Liverpool Echo.

Time will tell if the salute controversy will turn into a motivational stroke of genius to engage the players and the fan base or an oddly discordant moment in what may yet turn out to be another middling season for LFC. Certainly, the team has shown potential with some great victories and this year's collection of teams in the EPL does not appear to have a dominant club that will lead wire-to-wire so LFC has an outside shot at the top 4. On the other hand, LFC still has gaps in its play and injury woes sapping their vitality. I'd say Klopp is trying to motivate using methods consistent to his personality. General Patton probably wouldn't do it that way but both have the drive to win and will use whatever methods they can to motivate those they lead.

LFC under Klopp: 7-5-2.

Liverpool Klopp Episode 13 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Europa League match against the Swiss club FC Sion today. USA TV coverage at FS1. Online at ESPN3.com (in Spanish) and don't know if there will be audio feed at LFC.com or TalkSports.com.

Solid XI with one youngster tabbed to be part of the back four. Also, Henderson is set to start. Will see if he can go a full 90. Origi up front. Coutinho is in the subs which is good news! Am sure Klopp will try to work him in for the last 20-30 minutes to work out the rust.

Since LFC has clinched a spot in the next round of Europa League, will see how strongly they press FC Sion and whether at some point they may pull back and play it safer to get a draw. Ideally, press early and get a goal and sit on the lead. We shall see!

Until the game and the post-match reports are in, go ahead and enjoy some 007 ski scenes filmed in Switzerland ....



Update: Not surprisingly a 0-0 draw which allows both clubs to advance to the next round.

Record:7-4-2.

Liverpool Klopp Episode 12 - Jaws

You can't get too high, you can't get too low. That is a classic sports adage.

I wasn't near a TV nor an internet connection so I had no idea how the recent EPL game went until reading the post-game reports.

A tale of two matches: Newcastle 2 LFC 0. Southampton 1 LFC 6.

Was LFC really 6x better than Southampton?

No.

In soccer, matches are often quite close but a goal or two as a result of a moment of offensive brilliance or a defensive miscue changes the match completely. Liverpool got the lead and Southampton had to chase the game and it snowballed against them.

Liverpool and Newcastle were evenly matched until Newcastle got a goal... an own goal off LFC defenseman Skrtel. After that, LFC had to chase the game and only surrendered the second goal in stoppage time.

Stat wise (you don't win games with stats!) LFC had the possessions (60/40), corner kicks (7/2) and shots (10/6). But you got to put it in the net and they didn't.

The starting XI had changes from the Southampton game (6 changes of which 5 were in midfield/forward) but that is to be expected as there are too many games right now and some rotation of players is needed for the big picture of a long campaign.

LFC's next match is against Sion in Europa league play and since LFC has clinched to the next round, am looking again to see wholesale changes in the Liverpool XI probably to include younger players to rest the A team members.

One wonders if Coach Klopp is telling the LFC brain trust, "We are going to need a few more players."

How much cash are they willing to splash in the next transfer window to make a move or two. Though the team has improved, they aren't ready for the top four. There are players with question marks: (1) it isn't clear Sturridge is ever going to be able to play consistently for them as he is out again with another injury and (2) continued doubts about Beneteke in the style of play LFC has going right now. The number of games to play in Europa League, League Cup, FA Cup and EPL is a strain on a team that has collected injuries. Don't see them being able to "press" and "out run" every team over the long haul. Will they have the players to employ a mixture of tactics to crack the top 4?

Sometimes they will need to scratch out one goal against a team that will park the bus. Other times they will have to respond to teams that will match their running/pressing game. And still other times, opponents will get physical and try to rough up LFC's speedy finesse players to throw them off the game.

LFC under Klopp: 7-3-2.

Liverpool Klopp Episode 11 - Titanic

Wednesday is Southampton vs. Liverpool in a League Cup quarter-final.

The Titanic reference in this case has nothing to do with on the field matters for either club or expectations for the match!

Rather it is to mention the historical fact that the Titanic set sail from Southampton on April 15, 1912 and the ship's port of registry was Liverpool.

Who is going to play... Klopp gave no hints other than some injury updates.

So how about this starting XI?
Mignolet Bogdan
Clyne, Lovren, Skrtel, Moreno
Milner, Can, Lucas
Lallana, Firmino, Ibe.

Likely utilized subs:
Benteke, Sturrridge, Henderson.

All the writers at Liverpool Echo seem to think Firmino needs a break, Coutinho will be ready and Benteke should take the front man spot. Apparently, Klopp has already said Bogdan will get the start in goal to give Mignolet a break.

Indeed, if Coutinho is fit, then plug him in for Ibe. Hamstring injuries are tricky things so it could be a game day decision unless he has clearly improved in the most recent training session. And if Firmino is to be rested then Benteke is the logical choice at the top because no one can see Sturridge  (fitness for full match) or Origi (talented but still raw for a big match) getting the start at this point.

UPDATE: Well Klopp has made a few interesting moves here with his starting XI!! Both Sturridge and Origi in there making me look clueless. Hopefully, on-the-field results will bear out Klopp's confidence in them. Heh, that is why they pay him the big bucks; suffice to say Klopp is a genius: Sturridge 2 goals and 3 goals for Origi!!!!

Confirmed #LFC team v @SouthamptonFC: Bogdan, Randall, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno, Can, Lucas, Allen, Lallana, Origi, Sturridge

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 2, 2015

And here is the bench, as I suspected, no Coutinho. Those hamstring injuries need to be well taken care of or they become nagging problems. As much as LFC would love to advance in the League Cup they are keeping the eye on the prize of a top 4 finish in the EPL.

Confirmed #LFC subs v @SouthamptonFC: Mignolet, Smith, Milner, Benteke, Firmino, Henderson, Ibe

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 2, 2015

UPDATE: Match is on in the USA through BeIn Sport TV and on radio via TalkSport.com where I've checked in periodically to see what is happening. The skinny: LFC surrendered a goal within the first minute but have bounced back to net three goals of which two came from Sturridge! Now, it is half-time and hopefully LFC is 45 minutes away from the League Cup Semi-Finals. Below a screen capture from UK Guardian's live blogging commentary.

LFC under Klopp: 7-3-1 (11 matches)

Last 11 matches of Brendan Rodgers:
3 wins. 6 draws (won the PK shootout with Carlisle). 2 losses.

Essentially the same players but what a difference in the results!

Liverpool Klopp Episode 10 - The Swarm

Another match came and went without me being able to catch it on TV (EPL matches can be seen at NBCSN and other NBC channels) or internet radio (EPL matches can be heard at TalkSport.com here in the USA).

A 1-0 win for LFC over Swansea!

Don't know if there is enough data yet, but it looks like Klopp likes to give Benteke more minutes in home games and has him come off the bench on the road.

It could be that at Anfield, the opponents play more conservative thus making it harder for Liverpool to get out into an open field running match. In those situations, scoring off a set piece (corner or free kick) might be more crucial and that is where Benteke could be a handful for the defender marking him. Also, there could be scenarios when the defense is packing it in and again, you like the option of lofting a ball into Benteke from the sides who can snag down the ball inside the box and overwhelm a defender with his strength and size permitting him a shot on goal or drawing a penalty.

On the road, Liverpool likes to get out and run and use their Gegenpressing style as much as possible and so Benteke is on the bench until the second half when the opponent might be tiring or LFC changes tactics to utilize Beneteke's skill set.

In any case, LFC wants to "swarm" people but if the defense is packing it in, they might not have that option. So it is really good to see that Benteke is available.

The other bit of good news for LFC fans is that Sturridge had an appearance. Will be interesting how Klopp utilizes these two players within the Gengenpressing which didn't include these two players in the Manchester City match. Given Benteke and Sturbridge history of injuries, I would imagine the Gengenpressing won't be on all the time when one or the other are in the game. I wonder if there will be situations when both are in the game?

LFC is on the road for a League Cup match with Southampton mid-week. We shall see what the line-up is and the tactical approach.

LFC under Klopp: 6-3-1