Phil McNulty – The Empire of The Kop

Phil McNulty casts doubt over claim about ‘outstanding’ Liverpool player that would have excited fans

Farrell Keeling — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 14:38:56 +0000

Phil McNulty has questioned whether Virgil van Dijk has indeed returned back to the form he was showing ‘in his first few seasons at Liverpool’.

The chief football writer nonetheless offered some words of praise in response to the impressive start the Dutchman has made in the current campaign.

“Van Dijk is certainly a lot more like his former self this season and has taken to Liverpool’s captaincy exactly as you would expect a player of his quality and experience to do,” the BBC Sport columnist wrote in a fan Q&A. “I’m not sure he is back to the form he showed in his first few seasons at Liverpool but he is still an outstanding defender that pretty much [any] club in the world would be happy to have in their side.”

With only nine goals conceded in the English top-flight thus far, Jurgen Klopp’s men have the third-best defence in the league behind Tottenham (8), Arsenal (8) and Manchester City (7).

We can certainly appreciate that there was a time in which Virgil van Dijk was, by far and out, the best centre-half in world football.

Whilst a serious injury sustained at the hands of a grossly reckless Jordan Pickford challenge several seasons ago may have dampened his powers somewhat, one might feel inclined to argue, off the back of his recent performances, that he’s not far off the summit.

From a domestic point of view, we’re certainly struggling to think of any defenders who come close to Van Dijk at the peak of his powers!

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‘Reaction’ Liverpool signing won’t be happy with BBC pundit’s claim as Caicedo & Lavia point made – opinion

Farrell Keeling — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:31:54 +0000

Phil McNulty has suggested that Liverpool’s signing of Wataru Endo was merely a ‘reaction’ addition after the Reds failed to land either one of Moises Caicedo or Romeo Lavia.

The Japanese international has enjoyed limited minutes in the English top-flight, with Alexis Mac Allister favoured over him for the No.6 role against former club Brighton and Hove Albion.

“I am sure Klopp thought he was good enough otherwise he wouldn’t have signed him, but I think he was a reaction to missing out on Caicedo and Lavia,” the pundit wrote in a Q&A for BBC Sport. “He may come good in time, and it’s early days, but I do agree with the general consensus that Liverpool have not yet found a solution to their need for a high-quality midfielder to sit in front of the back four.”

The ex-Seagulls man struggled in his first return to the South Coast since departing the Amex Stadium back in the summer window for the greener pastures of Anfield.

It certainly raises questions as to why Endo wasn’t given the nod to come in and shield the backline – especially after Jurgen Klopp had hooked the 30-year-old at half-time, hinting at potential minutes in the league.

If there isn’t yet enough trust in our holding midfield signing to play in the big games, why on earth wasn’t he given the whole, or most, of the game against Royal Union Saint-Gilloise to build up his bank of minutes at Liverpool and help with that process?

We’re more than happy for signings to be bedded in in their own time, particularly when it comes to such challenging positions as the holding six, though it will surely be frustrating for the ex-Stuttgart skipper (reaction signing or no) to see such commentary given he’s hardly put a foot wrong when handed a chance.

Meanwhile, it seems we’re putting an inordinate amount of pressure on Mac Allister’s shoulders to conduct a role he’s not 100% comfortable with, as was evidenced by Brighton’s first goal of the game at the weekend.

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BBC Sport pundit troubled by what he saw from three Liverpool players during Real Madrid embarrassment

Farrell Keeling — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 20:45:29 +0000

It’s fair to say that Liverpool hardly covered themselves in glory with a second-half outing in the Champions League which saw Jurgen Klopp’s men ship three goals without reply.

The fact the hosts were attacking the Kop (or, rather, were supposed to be), didn’t better a troubling picture of a squad in sharp decline following the highs of a quadruple hunt last term.

Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Virgil van Dijk were consequently picked out by BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty as players far from their best on a night Real Madrid decimated their opposition.

“Fabinho – who was outpaced by 37-year-old Luka Modric for Real’s fifth goal – and Jordan Henderson are shadows of their former selves,” the chief football writer wrote.

“The same applied to Virgil van Dijk on Tuesday, although Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez also both had very uncomfortable nights as Real simply destroyed Liverpool in the second half.

“The Reds are light years away from the team that chased the quadruple last season and a miracle at the Bernabeu is surely beyond them.

“Klopp will have known this team required renewal even before Tuesday’s embarrassment. The manner in which they were humbled by Real will have simply crystallised those beliefs.”

There are already serious question marks over the futures of our No.3 and No.14 with there being a clear need for a revamp in the middle of the park.

Nothing has exposed this reality more than the emergence of Stefan Bajcetic – arguably our best player since the World Cup break, Mo Salah argued – who has looked a breath of fresh air in the midfield.

We’ll have to somehow make do with our current options until the summer, but Liverpool simply can’t be reserved in the market at the next available opportunity.

The mission statement is clear: bring in at least two new, young midfielders capable of meeting the demands of Klopp’s rock n’ roll football or face the prospect of a decline spiralling completely out of control.

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BBC chief football writer says Liverpool have rediscovered ‘magical’ weapon during 2-1 Spurs win

Farrell Keeling — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 15:52:55 +0000

Phil McNulty has declared that Mo Salah returned to his best form in the 2-1 win over Tottenham at the weekend.

The Egyptian fired Liverpool to victory with two goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to ensure the visitors cut the deficit to fourth spot in the Premier League down to seven points.

“But where there is Mohamed Salah, there is always hope,” the chief football writer wrote for BBC Sport.

“He is right back to his best after a slow start to the season, seemingly in a more restricted right-flank role, but he has been deadly in recent weeks.

“Salah’s two first-half goals showed his world class and put him seventh in the all-time list of Liverpool’s league scorers with 124 goals.

“Liverpool had been exploiting wide open spaces on the Spurs right flank from the kick-off and this was the route to Salah’s first goal, but the manner in which he controlled Darwin Nunez’s pass in an instant before flashing a left-footed finish past Hugo Lloris was magical.

“Salah’s second was a gift from Eric Dier’s misplaced header back to Lloris but he showed composure then perfect technique to loft a finish over the Frenchman, the ball almost moving in slow motion as it floated towards the back of the net.”

The former Roma man’s latest contributions in the English top-flight take his total tally for the season to 14 goals and 5 assists in 20 appearances (across all competitions).

It’s a return that should not be scoffed at and would certainly go some way to supporting McNulty’s assertion that we’re finally seeing a version of Salah not witnessed since the first-half of the 2021/22 campaign.

There’s no question that such a reality, if accurate, bodes extremely well for our fortunes on the pitch beyond the World Cup, provided our £34m signing can maintain such levels beyond the break.

With a full rest – Egypt won’t be participating in the World Cup – one would argue that there’s little reason why our ‘magical’ No.11 won’t hit the glorious highs of the prior term and help guide us back up the table.

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‘Nightmare’ ‘Anonymous’ – BBC Sport pundit slams two Liverpool stars who weren’t good enough at Arsenal

Farrell Keeling — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 12:24:00 +0000

Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat of Liverpool at the Emirates stadium didn’t turn out to be the new dawn Jurgen Klopp may have been expecting.

Phil McNulty certainly feels that a handful of players hardly covered themselves in glory with their performances in North London, singling out both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah.

“Liverpool are a shadow the team that chased four trophies last season and they have problems in all parts of the pitch,” the chief football writer wrote for BBC Sport.

“Trent Alexander-Arnold was given a nightmare by Gabriel Martinelli before he went off injured at half-time, while Virgil van Dijk’s poor form continued.

“There was also the rare sight of Mohamed Salah being substituted – but he was so poor, so anonymous, that he could not have uttered a word of complaint to manager Jurgen Klopp.”

Criticism of the No.66 may be a little harsh in part, especially for the opening goal from the Gunners as the right-back was left exposed by a lack of support from his teammates when defending against a quick transition from the hosts.

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A number of Liverpool’s key men have been unable to shrug off their poor form since the start of the campaign

That’s not to say that the Academy graduate enjoyed a game to remember before his early injury-enforced substitution.

What now for the right-back spot?

Calvin Ramsay will have to view the 24-year-old’s potentially prolonged absence from the first-team as an opportunity should a scan on his twisted ankle return some uncomfortable news for us.

Joe Gomez will likely slot in first before the young Scot is trusted to fill in for his fellow fullback.

Ultimately, of course, there’s no ignoring the fact that an Alexander-Arnold-less Liverpool would be a big blow for Klopp’s men, regardless of ongoing critique over his form at a domestic level.

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BBC’s chief football writer predicts where Liverpool and City will finish this season

Farrell Keeling — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 10:03:50 +0000

Phil McNulty has backed Manchester City to retain their Premier League title once again, predicting that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will fall short this term finishing second.

The Merseysiders came to within a point of league glory in the prior campaign in a season that came close to fulfilling fans’ hopes of a famous quadruple haul of silverware.

“Manchester City have been Premier League champions four of the past five seasons and I expect another straight fight with Liverpool to end with them on top again,” the Englishman wrote in his column for BBC Sport.

Still, it would be foolish to count the Merseysiders out of any fight for silverware with Bobby Firmino having confirmed the club’s ambitions remain high ahead of the start of the 2022/23 season.

“A truly outstanding season last time out ended with them missing out on the title on the final day, losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid but winning the FA Cup and League Cup, both on penalties against Chelsea,” McNulty continued. “Expect them to fight on all fronts again this term and challenge City all the way, securing at least one trophy.”

It’s unsurprising to a certain extent that Liverpool have once again been underrated in comparison to our domestic rivals once more.

To give credit where credit is due, we will be coming up against a force of nature in the Sky Blues who have since added a generational talent in the form of Erling Haaland to their ranks.

Still, whilst we can’t ignore the exit of Sadio Mane, it would be equally imprudent to not consider the potential impact the exit of Raheem Sterling might have on the Manchester-based outfit’s squad.

Ultimately, it should be remembered that some pundits last year couldn’t bring themselves to put Liverpool down for a top two finish – hopefully we can prove our detractors wrong and go a step further in the title race this time around.

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BBC pundit hails ‘world-class’ £34m Liverpool star as stats prove he’s one of Premier League’s best

Farrell Keeling — Wed, 11 May 2022 18:39:43 +0000

Phil McNulty drew attention to Sadio Mane’s remarkable, if somewhat overlooked, goal rate for Liverpool, hailing the contributions of a talent Jurgen Klopp labelled ‘world-class’.

The Senegalese international was on target once again for the Reds as an early 1-0 lead for Aston Villa was overturned courtesy of goals from Joel Matip and the No.10.

“Like Salah, Mane’s Liverpool contract ends after next season and if Salah’s deal is the major item on the agenda for Liverpool’s decision makers after Klopp’s new deal, then Mane should not be far behind,” BBC Sport‘s chief football writer wrote.

“He has played 266 games in all competitions since joining Liverpool from Southampton for £34m in June 2016, his goal at Villa bringing his tally to 119. He has scored 22 goals in 48 games in all competitions this season, with 15 goals in 33 league games.

“These are high-class statistics that prove Mane is a player of the highest quality. He is unselfish and can work right across the front-three attacking system Klopp prefers.”

The question now remains as to whether the 30-year-old has a future at Anfield beyond the current summer and, more importantly, beyond the expiry date of his contract in 2023.

Based on his current level of contributions following a well-advised shift to the middle of the front-three in light of Luis Diaz’s addition to the squad in the winter window, there are clear signs on offer to suggest that Mane is more than capable of keeping up such performances well into his 30s.

It will require quite the vote of confidence from our owners, FSG, to fork out lucrative deals for both top scorer Mo Salah and our ex-RB Salzburg ace.

Nonetheless, if Klopp’s confidence in the left-winger turned No.9 is unshakeable, particularly now that the ex-Borussia Dortmund tactician has committed his future to the club until the summer of 2026, it’s a decision we can ill-afford to get wrong.

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BBC pundit shares £33m Coutinho update Gerrard could be tempted by

Farrell Keeling — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 12:54:32 +0000

Aston Villa have been handed the option to take Philippe Coutinho off Barcelona’s hands for £33m come the end of the season.

This comes from BBC pundit, Phil McNulty, via a tweet, with it being noted that the clause in question attached to the loan deal taking him to the West Midlands is an option rather than an obligation.

Aston Villa have an option to buy Philippe Coutinho for £33m at the end of his loan period – but this is an option not an obligation.

— Phil McNulty (@philmcnulty) January 7, 2022

It’s a switch that reunites the Brazilian international with former Liverpool teammate and skipper Steven Gerrard who recently took over as head coach of the Villans from Dean Smith.

Considering the ginormous fee that persuaded us to part ways with the playmaker back in early 2018, the stated fee is by comparison a bargain for a player who has previously impressed in the English top-flight.

Given how his career has taken a nosedive in Spain, however, there will undoubtedly be question marks accompanying his return to the Premier League.

Should the move work out for all parties and Gerrard dig out the kind of form from his old teammate that persuaded the Blaugrana to go big for the midfielder during his Liverpool days, £33m could turn out to be a good piece of business for Aston Villa down the line.

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