The Kopite View

Liverpool Set To Sign Can

Reports suggest that Liverpool are set to sign Emre Can from Bayern Leverkusen after activating a £9.75 million release clause in his contract. Brendan Rodgers has been chasing the Germany Under-21 international for a while and has been over to personally check on the player’s progress.

The 20-year-old is an energetic box-to-box player and Rodgers believes he would be a valuable addition to his squad. Inter Milan were also keen on Can but he prefers a move to the Premiership.

Liverpool are hoping to seal a deal with the player this week as Rodgers continues to improve his squad for another assault on the Premier League title.

The player’s agent also instigated the loan deal in 2012 for Nuri Sahin, so he is no stranger to working with Liverpool.

Can is described as one of the most versatile young players in the Bundesliga and after having spent most of his career in the youth set-up at Bayern Munich, the player was tipped for the top from an early age.

After moving to Leverkusen, Can’s career has flourished and his versatility sees him play in either an attacking or defending central midfield role and also deployed as a centre-back and a left-back.

Can has represented Germany at every level from Under 15 to Under 21 level and he has drawn comparison to Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Rodgers has certainly done his homework on Can and if he is as good as the great Bayern Munich midfielder then Liverpool will be making a brilliant signing.

Pedro Would Be A Massive Signing For Reds

Liverpool are set to make an offer for Barcelona winger Pedro as Brendan Rodgers aims to bolster his squad ahead of next season’s Champions League campaign. Rodgers has spoken of his desire to complete some transfers before next month’s World Cup but he may have to wait until after the competition if he is to sign Pedro because he is in Spain’s preliminary 30-man squad.

Rodgers has been alerted to Pedro’s availability after newly-appointed Barcelona manager Luis Enrique suggested at a recent press conference that there could be wholesale changes at the club regarding the players who are on the periphery of the team, and Pedro falls into this category.

Enrique said:

“We will reinforce the team in the best way possible, to be as competitive as possible. There is a market there – teams ask a lot of money for players. You must manage it all. We will reinforce, maybe in all lines of the team, to have the best players for the club and for me.”

Pedro’s future at Barcelona looks uncertain with Enrique’s arrival and Liverpool could look an attractive prospect for the 26-year-old winger, especially with the Reds in next season’s Champions League.

It would be a major coup for Liverpool and Rodgers if they were to strike a deal for Pedro because he is a very talented player and the type of attacking players that Rodgers likes.

He will be difficult to get but maybe with the constant rumours regarding Daniel Agger’s future maybe a deal can be done.

Good News For Liverpool If Gerrard Quits England

It is believed England captain Steven Gerrard is set to retire from international football after this summer’s World Cup. The Liverpool captain leads Roy Hodgson’s squad into the tournament and recognises that to play on for the next two years – having just extended his contract to 2016 – he won’t be able to continue at international level.

The World Cup would be a tremendous way to finish his international career and Gerrard realises that to prolong his career something will have to be sacrificed and it must be international football.

The Liverpool captain might have been able to prolong his international career a little longer if like last season, his club weren’t involved in European competition, but Liverpool’s involvement means extra games and with father time is catching up on Gerrard and he can’t do what he did 10 years ago.

Brendan Rodgers has been instrumental in giving Gerrard a new lease of life by creating a new role in the team for him in a deeper midfield role which sees him influence games in a sort of ‘quarterback’ role with his brilliant range of passes.

Rodgers sees Gerrard’s new role in the team as a position that can see him prolong his career and if he does retire from international duty then it will be great news for Liverpool because their captain still has a lot to offer and that Premiership title to win.

Henderson Has Been A Big Loss

It’s amazing to think that not so long ago Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson was deemed not good enough and a waste of money but the turnaround in the England international’s fortunes has been as amazing as the change of opinion of the Liverpool supporters.

Henderson’s value to Liverpool’s midfield has been highlighted by his absence in the last two games as Brendan Rodgers selected Lucas as his replacement. The Brazilian played in a right-sided midfield role in a 4-4-2 diamond formation, but he couldn’t offer what Henderson can.

That particular midfield role requires pace, energy, creativity and an end product which Henderson provides, but Lucas couldn’t and this made Liverpool’s midfield less effective, especially in Sunday’s loss to Chelsea.

While Henderson’s career has blossomed, Lucas’ has suffered a setback, both players have had tough starts to their Anfield careers before impressing the Kop but Lucas has had some bad injuries that have curtailed his progress and now he looks a yard slower than he used to and although he’s primarily used as a defensive midfielder, the Brazilian may struggle to feature in Liverpool’s midfield with Gerrard playing a deeper midfield role.

Henderson will miss the Crystal Palace game on Monday night but I’m sure he’ll return to start against Newcastle in the final game of the season in place of Lucas.

Liverpool Won’t Panic

Liverpool’s next game in their title challenge is an away game to West Ham and the pressure is on after Manchester City beat Southampton 4-1 to move to within a point of Brendan Rodgers’ men and Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Stoke put Mourinho’s men back on top of the league.

This weekend’s results haven’t gone as well as last weeks as Liverpool took full advantage of their title challengers’ slip-ups when they beat Tottenham 4-0 last Sunday. But like last weekend Liverpool are playing a day later and this week the feeling is one of pressure with City and Chelsea both winning.

Unlike the supporters I don’t think Brendan Rodgers will feel the pressure because he is just enjoying the experience of the race in a relaxed manner that is rubbing off on his players. West Ham will provide another tough test for Liverpool especially with former Reds’ striker Andy Carroll desperate to prove a point to his former boss but although Rodgers respects his opponents he wants them to worry about his team more than he does about them.

It’s anybody’s guess where the title will go this season but if Liverpool can overcome West Ham it will set them up nicely for next week’s crunch clash at Anfield against Manchester City with the Anfield faithful’s belief growing ever stronger.

Liverpool’s Twelfth Man Could Be Key In Title Run-In

Liverpool’s are still rated as outsiders to win this season’s Premiership title with Manchester City and Chelsea rated ahead of them by the nation’s bookmakers. But Liverpool’s impressive form now has them rated as title contenders but with this new ‘tag’ comes a new pressure that the Reds are not familiar with.

Brendan Rodgers has Liverpool playing with an exciting brand of football that has lit up the Premiership with goals galore spearheaded by deadly duo Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, but with only seven games to go and in the thick of the title race will the pressure tell on Liverpool’s free-flowing football ?

Wednesday night’s win over Sunderland was a game that the Reds were expected to win but for long periods in the first half the relegation threatened strugglers frustrated Rodgers’ men and you could sense the supporters frustration as the half wore on, Gerrard and Sturridge’s goals relieved the pressure for a while but the last 15 minutes were very nervy after Sunderland pulled a goal back.

The crowd got anxious but although you could feel the anxiety in the crowd they also lifted Liverpool over the finishing line as they chanted and sang to lift their favourites because they knew they were under severe pressure by a stubborn Sunderland side.

I feel the Liverpool supporters will play a big part over the next seven games and their influence could be an important factor in the Reds’ title chances. The reception before the Sunderland match was unbelievable as supporters lined the streets with flags waving and singing as the Liverpool bus drove into Anfield and this support is unrivalled and when these supporters sense glory they can create an atmosphere which is like having an extra man on the park and right now Liverpool supporters sense glory.

Will their be glory round the fields of Anfield Road ?

Gerrard Is A Man On A Mission

Liverpool are right in the mix of a Premiership title battle in one of the most competitive title races in years with Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and the surprise package of the season, Brendan Rodgers’ team fighting for English football’s top prize.

Rodger’s men look like going the distance which has surprised many people, especially after being toppled from the top of the league at Christmas after suffering away defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea in the space of a week.

But Liverpool have shown their title credentials with a tremendous run of form that has seen them win their last seven league games.

There has been a collection of factors that has contributed to Liverpool’s impressive form, like Brendan Rodgers management style, the goal scoring exploits of Suarez and Sturridge, but in recent weeks, Steven Gerrard has been inspirational.

It seems ludicrous to think back to the start of the season when some supporters were calling for the Liverpool captain to be dropped and saying he was past his best, but along with a clever move by Rodgers who switched Gerrard to a deeper midfield role, and the England captain’s desire, Gerrard has been inspirational in recent weeks similar to his younger days in a Red shirt.

But Gerrard looks as if he’s on a personal conquest to achieve a lifelong ambition which he feels he can finally get by winning the Premiership this season. In recent weeks he has scored so many important goals and he came to the rescue again last night against a stubborn Sunderland team.

It’s not just Gerrard’s goals, it’s his determination to drive his team on, that clash against United’s Fellaini where he left the Belgian in a heap with a bloodied face showed how much he wants this title and in the games that remain Gerrard will take some stopping because he can smell the Premiership trophy.