Is the current Liverpool side stronger than the 2019/2020 vintage that won the League?

 As a Liverpool fan I think that it is. Here is my rationale.

In defense Liverpool have replaced the inconsistent Dejan Lovren with Ibrahima Konaté who looks to be a world class defender in the making. There is also dedicated coverage for Andy Robertson in the form of the ever reliable Kostas Tsimikas.

Adam Lallana has left to go to Brighton and in his place the Reds have the brilliant Thiago Alcântara. However the biggest plus has been the way the offense has been greatly strengthened by the acquisition of the exciting duo of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. In addition Curtis Jones, Takumi Minamino and Harvey Elliott are better players than they were two years ago.

My tribute to Jimmy Greaves (RIP)

My Answer on Quora.

Jimmy Greaves was a phenomenal talent and a natural goalscorer if ever there was one. Although he largely played before my time I have seen enough footage and reliably dissected his numbers to realize that he ranks with Bobby Charlton, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker and perhaps Harry Kane as one of the greatest English forwards.

Jimmy Greaves in a Tottenham kit source: Tottenham Hotspur website

In terms of an innate sense for goal I would place him alongside an uninjured Michael Owen. He was a predator par excellence with a strong pace and an explosive acceleration. ‘Greavsie’ rarely fluffed his lines and was clinical in his finishing on goal.

The Londoner played for a host of different clubs in a career that lasted from 1957–1980 however the bulk of his time was spent at Chelsea (his youth club) where he notched 132 goals in 169 appearances and Tottenham Hotspur, scoring a phenomenal 266 goals ls in 321 appearances. He also represented West Ham United and had a brief stint with AC Milan in Serie A.

To this day he remains the highest goalscorer in English top flight league football with 457 goals, winning the league’s golden boot on six occasions.

Greavsie playing for England source: Sky Sports

Greaves played 57 times for England and scored 44 goals including a record six hat-tricks. In terms of overall goal scoring for his country this places him fourth on the all-time list behind Wayne Rooney (53), Charlton (49) and Lineker (48).

However Greaves’ goals per game ratio (0.771) is better than his chief rivals - Rooney (0.441), Charlton (0.462) Lineker (0.600), Owen (0.580), Kane (0.640) and Shearer (0.476).

Although he did not feature in England’s famed 4–2 World Cup final win in 1966, as a result of injury (else he was virtually certain to start), he did pick up a World Cup winners medal to add to the two FA cup wins and European Cup Winners cup trophies all won during his spell at Spurs. He also won a Serie A title with AC Milan during his unhappy stay at the Italian club.

After retirement Greaves served as a pundit and was co-host along with Ian St John of the popular Saint and Greavsie show that lasted from 1985–1992 and until his death remained a colorful figure on the English football scene with a great sense of humor and witty commentary.

Unfortunately, like the other great football legend of the time, George Best, Greaves struggled with alcoholism which resulted in a four year absence from the game during the tail end of his career.

However such struggles cannot detract from his achievements on the field. He was an immense player whose prolific numbers guarantee him a voice in the debate around England’s GOAT. Opinions will differ but he will surely gain the vote of many an old time football enthusiast. He deserves it.

Rest in Peace Good Sir and thanks so much for your contribution to the game.

Which country hosted the first World Cup?

(My answer on Quora)

It was Uruguay in 1930. The South Americans were awarded the privilege of hosting as it was the centenary of the nation’s independence.

They would pay back FIFA’s generosity by becoming the first ever World Cup Champions defeating Argentina 4–2 in the final. The tournament was somewhat bizarre in that the US (not a traditional football nation) came 3rd.

Only 13 teams competed in Uruguay 1930 and the field included a relatively large South American contingent (7 teams) and a small number of European participants (4 nations).

The groups were somewhat lopsided. Three of the four contained three teams. Group A had four countries. All games were played in Montevideo.

Guillermo Stábile, the brilliant Argentine won the tournament Golden Boot with 8 goals in 5 games.

Liverpool can turn it around...somewhat.

There are a number of fixes that Liverpool can do to get their season back on track. Whether Klopp is considering these or similar one's is not yet clear.

1. Move to a genuine central defense pairing - Kabak/Phillips would be the first choice. Ben Davies or Rhys Williams can be rotated into the team as is necessary but you need to have central defenders playing in this specialized role. While Fabinho and Henderson have done relatively well their presence here is not a long term solution and by their very absence in midfield, have indirectly handicapped Liverpool. I realize that on the surface this new defense looks to be a patch on last year’s options but we will never know their full potential until they are properly used. You work with what you have.

2. Make better use of Kostas Tsimikas and Neco Williams as stand-ins for AR and TAA respectively. The latter look exhausted at times and the backups may be necessary.

3. Move Fabinho and Henderson into midfield and use Curtis Jones in a greater role in the middle of the park as well. Gini W. needs a rest. Focusing the attack through Thiago looks to be a losing proposition over the full ninety minutes. Oxlade- Chaimberlain can play in this role as can Jones (or Keita if he is ever fit) and if necessary one can drop Firmino further back and have Salah swap into his place. Jota can fill the Firmino role on his return.

4. Continue using Shaqiri off the bench. I suspect as well that Thiago will be more effective as a second half substitute.

5. Focus less on possession. Better to augment the Red's counter attack skills. This worked well against both Spurs and West Ham United. Drop the backward buildup in the face of strong press teams such as City.

6. Consider dropping Alisson if he has lost his head (although I suspect this was a one off).

 

Have Liverpool ever parked the bus in a football match?

 Liverpool rarely park the bus but I remember one European tie where they did for two games in a row. It was the 2000/2001 Uefa Cup (forerunner to the Europa League) and Liverpool were drawn in the semi-finals against a very powerful Barcelona who were arguably one of the best teams on the continent.

Robbie Fowler and Gerard Houllier with the UEFA Cup. Source: Trendsmap.

In those days there weren’t so many Champions League placers reserved for the European elite which meant that the UEFA cup had more top quality teams involved in its competition.

The Reds had already knocked out Roma (who won the Serie A that year) and Porto from the competition but Barcelona looked like a different prospect especially after they had blown out their opponents AEK Athens 6–0 on aggregate in the previous round.

Gerard Houllier (who past away last year.. Rest In Peace… Good Sir) was Liverpool’s manager and he wasn’t taking any chances especially against a Barcelona that included De Boer, Puyol, Petit, Rivaldo, Overmars, Guardiola (yes Pep), and Kluiverts. They also had a young Xavi on the bench as well as Dani. This team had at its core key players from the 98 Dutch National team.

Liverpool were over matched but Houllier played it shrewdly over both fixtures. He frustrated the Catalans 0–0 at the Nou Camp and then repeated the performance at Anfield where Liverpool won 1–0 courtesy of a Gary McAllister penalty. Job done. It wasn’t pretty but the Reds were now in the final of the UEFA Cup.

Scottish legend Gary McAllister - Enjoyed a swan song with Liverpool in 2000/2001 source: Transfermarkt (no typo)

Ironically the final turned out to be a real barn burner. Liverpool defeated another Spanish club, Alaves, 5–4 to secure the silverware with a sudden-death overtime goal to secure their third UEFA Cup title and the first since 1976.

2000/2001 was actually a great season in LFC history. They won both the FA Cup and League Cup as well to complete a unique treble.

Liverpool's Latest Lost

Premier League champions Liverpool were beaten 7-2 away at Aston Villa on Sunday....Here are my thoughts.

A mammoth thrashing can be a blessing in disguise. For one it highlights the big problems for all too see. Liverpool have been dodging the problem of the high press for some time. Allison's brilliance in goal, Mane's back tracking and Henderson's break up play were all weapons that could be used to safeguard against the pitfall of the high line. None of them were available against Villa on Sunday and Liverpool paid the price.

I have always felt the high press to be a risky way of playing. It gets results, which is why Klopp uses it, but when it fails it fails big time. Klopp needs to rethink his strategy. Possession isn't everything. There is a time to throttle back on such an approach and focus on the basics. It doesn't mean that Klopp can't have the methodology in his tool bag but variation in style is necessary. The Villa game seems to have emphasized this.

Who are the top 11 German footballers of All Time?

(My answer on Quora)

11… I will go with ten and then provide a few others to pick the 11th from. Top Tens are tricky but I love creating them especially when there is so much material to choose from. The challenge though is that you are invariably forced to leave out players with amazing quality.

In terms of national squads (not necessarily league strength) Germany - and I include West Germany of the Cold War Era - has had more success than any other European nation. Four World Cups and Three European Championships. This combined haul puts them ahead of nearest rivals Italy, France and Spain.

So here is my Top Ten

But before I begin I have to admit that I have a bias towards players from 1970 onwards. Older generation fans of Helmut Haller, Fritz Walter and Helmut Rahn would likely object to this list.

Franz Beckenbauer - One of the game;s greatest ever. source: Quotes on: Franz Beckenbauer

1. Franz Beckenbauer - Before Francesco Baresi, Laurent Blanc and Virgil van Dijk there was Der Kaiser. He literally created the role of the sweeper and was the forerunner of the modern defender. Beckenbauer ranks in the Top Ten of all credible GOAT lists and won every honour at both club and national level. Later on he managed the West German squad to World Cup victory in 1990. Main Club: Bayern Munich
2. Gerhard "Gerd" Müller - Nicknamed Der Bomber. Müller stands out today as the Bubdesliga’s most prolific scoring machine.398 goals for his club Bayern Munich in 453 games, His goal ratio for West Germany was even more impressive, 68 in 62 games. He was king of the six-yard strike and was clinical in his finishing. Not bad for a player who was only 5 ft 9 in tall. Main Club: Bayern Munich
3. Lothar Matthäus - Matthäus started his career with Borussia Moenchengladbach but had two key spells with Bayern Munich. He was a leader on and off the pitch and could play both midfield and sweeper. On the national level he represented his country an incredible 150 times captaining West Germany’s 1990 World Cup Winning team and playing in five World Cups (1982–1998). At age 38, in 1999, he was voted Germany’s player of the year. Main Clubs: Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayern Munich
4. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge - KHR or Kallie as he was known was another Great German striker who was the mainstay of the West German attack in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He could dribble and shoot, scoring 162 goals for Bayern Munich in 310 games. He later played in Italy for Inter Milan. Nationally Rummenigge netted 45 times in 95 games. Main Clubs: Bayern Munich and Inter Milan (short spell).
5. Jürgen Klinsmann - Klinsmann had spells with several clubs scoring 232 goals in five different leagues (total games 514). He was the quintessential poaching striker who scored 48 goals for Germany in 107 games. English fans remember him well for the dynamism he added to the Tottenham Hotspurs attack in the mid 1990s. Main Clubs: VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, As Monaco, Tottenham and Bayern Munich. (Picture below -Klinsmann in action..source Jürgen Klinsmann set for new Hertha Berlin role | DW | 08.11.2019)

6. Klaus Fischer - Fischer was an exciting striker known for his bicycle kick. He played for several cllubs although his best years were with FC Schalke 04 a team that he would later manage. In terms of goals he scored 268 in 535 games at club levels plus 32 goals in 45 games for West Germany. Only Gerd Müller has scored more goals in the Bundesliga. Main Clubs: FC Schalke 04 + FC Koln.

7. Oliver Kahn - It is tough choosing Germany’s best goalkeeper. I almost flipped a coin between Oliver Kahn and Manuel Neuer. However Kahn was a rock between the post. He was awarded the title of the Bundesliga’s top goalkeeper seven times, took the European goalkeeping award four times and was on two occasions a third place finisher for the Ballon D’Or. He helped a mediocre German National teams play beyond themselves earning 86 national caps to add to his 429 appearances for Bayern Munich. Main Clubs: Karlsruher SC and Bayern Munich.

8. Miroslav Klose - As it stands Klose holds the record for most goals scored in the World Cup. His 16 goals outs him ahead of Ronaldo (15), Müller (13), Just Fontaine (13) and Pele (12). He played for several German clubs plus Lazio in Italy with the most time spent at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. On the national level Klose scored a mammoth 71 goals for Germany in 137 games. His league stats stand at 213 goals scored in 529 games. Main Clubs: 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and Lazio

9. Uwe Seeler - Seeler was a legend with SV Hamburger. He featured in 476 games for them scoring 406 goals. Most of these goals were scored in the pre-Budesliga era when Hamburger played in the old Oberliga Nord. On the international level he supplied West Germany with 43 goals in 77 games earning his country the runners-up spot in the 1966 World Cup. Main Club: SV Hamburger

10. Manfred Kaltz - Kaltz was the quintessential right back who foreshadowed the modern day position with his crossing ability. He is credited with popularizing the banana kick and played 594 at the senior level scoring 77 goals. Kalttz, who was somewhat of a penalty expert represented West Germany on 69 occasions scoring 8 times. Main Club: Hamburger SV.

Gerd Müller in action against the Dutch. source: Gerd Müller - my hero | DW | 07.10.2015

So there is my list…Who are the notable exceptions?

Well here would be my choices.

11–20 (not in any order): Manuel Neuer, Matthias Sammer, Helmut Rahn, Rudi Völler, Ulrich "Uli" Hoeneß, Thomas Müller, Fritz Walter, Wolfgang Overath and Sepp Maier.

21–30 (not in any order) Bastian Schweinsteger, Oliver Bierhoff, Jupp Heynckes, Andreas Brehme, Mats Hummels, Helmut Haller, Paul Breitner, Philip Lam, Michael Ballack and Harald Schumacher.

Have I missed a few? Probably but that is all part of the fun of these lists.

Sources:

5 greatest German goalkeepers of all time

20 Greatest Bundesliga Midfielders of All Time

The Greatest German Football Players Every Geek Will Recognize

Bundesliga | official website (Player stat)

ndividual Wikipedia page for each top Ten Player.

https://www.amazon.com/Tor-German-Football-Ulrich-Hesse-Lichtenberger/dp/095401345X

Should Pep Guardiola be dismissed from Manchester City as some have suggested?

No.  This is a wrong headed and ignores the reality of the game. There are no guarantees. The fans should be grateful with what they have.

I am a die-hard Liverpool fan who has followed the Reds since my elementary school days in the late 70s. I have witnessed my fair share of managerial greats and a far bigger litany of failures. I rejoiced with Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish and now Jurgen Klopp and looked on with envy at Alex Ferguson, José Mourinho (in his early EPL days not now at all) and Arsene Wenger. They were all incredible managers.

Pep Guardiola is a great manager as well. There is no two ways about it. His City side as much as it hurts me to say this - especially in light of the 2018/19 season - play attacking football of the highest standard and from a neutral perspective, must be a joy to watch.

Per Guardiola source: talksport

They make full use of the pitch, dominate possession and apply relentless pressure. It is no surprise that they regularly carve up teams with 3–0 and 4–0 scorelines having delivered over 300 EPL goals in the last three seasons. They are a powerhouse and have been so for most of Pep’s tenure.

Pep Guardiola boasts a winning percentage of 72.1% at City which is not too dissimilar to his record at Barcelona (72.47%) and Bayern Munich (75.16%). For comparison, even Alex Ferguson who is widely touted as the greatest manager in EPL history only managed a figure of 59.7% José Mourinho’s career average is 64.1%.

Pep has delivered silverware wherever he managed. His success at Barcelona and Bayern speak for themselves. At City he has adorned the trophy room with two EPL titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups. He is the only manager in English history to win the Domestic treble (League, FA Cup and League Cup in one season). This was accomplished in 2018/19. The City team of 2017/2018 still holds the record for the most league points ever won by an English team (albeit by only one over Liverpool’s 2019/20 vintage…damn you Burnley).

Now it is true that City have spent money in a way that has put most teams to shame (not to mention drunken sailors) but it still takes a great manager to weld together such high quality players into a formidable force. Football is a team sport and egos need to be kept in check. Guardiola has managed that. His predecessors Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini struggled in this regard even though each had some degree of success on the field.

Players like Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and Phil Fodden have blossomed under Guardiola. The same is true of Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte.

Kevin De Bruyne…Probably the best Player in the League at this point in time

Source: Manchester City FC website

The chief knock against Pep is that he has only managed teams who are at or near the top of their respective leagues to begin with. He has never, so it goes, had to manage a Mainz as Jurgen Klopp once did or an Everton as Carlo Ancelotti is doing now. This is a legitimate criticism but it is partly unfair to Pep as we have no counter evidence to suggest one way or the other. The best that we can do is speculate.

Last season was a tough one for City. Jurgen Klopp’s masterclass in the EPL was most evident. The Reds burst out of the gates early and managed win after win to build up a formidable lead that they were never in danger of relinquishing. This was not a case of Guardiola’s failure but of Liverpool’s excellence (Number 19…woohoo).

In fact City’s league performance this season was actually very solid. They won 26 matches, outscored Liverpool in the goal department and finished with 81 points. This tally of games won and points achieved was actually better than Manchester United’s 98/99 treble Winning team that won 22 games in finishing as champions with 79 points.

Granted there was a drop off of 17 points for City from the previous season but a great deal of that can be explained by defensive deficiencies that Club are looking to address (they have started to do so with the Nathan Ake acquisition). The Vincent Kompany departure was a great loss.

Which brings us to the Lyon game?

People forget that the Champions League is a beast of a tournament to win especially if you don’t have the benefit of peak CR7 and Messi in your team. In the knockout stages you are up against the elite of the elite and margins are slim. There are no pushover matchups. Teams often play beyond themselves as Spurs did in beating City in 2019. Sometimes you just run into an attacking juggernaut as was the case when City faced Liverpool in 2018.

Picture source: The Rahnuma Daily

In one off or even Home and Leg ties teams often match up poorly with one another. Small moments can change games.

City should have beaten Lyon over the weekend. Guardiola had out managed Zidane’s Real Madrid over both legs of the previous round tie and I can see why City fans are frustrated. They should have brushed Lyon aside.

However the games are not played on paper. Lyon took their chances and buried them. City didn’t. Both Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus missed golden opportunities and in the Champions League in particular one cannot afford to let that happen. Poor finishing can be costly.

However one game does not make or break a manager, If City had converted their chances they would have likely won and the same fans that are calling for the head of the Catalan would be cheering him as a saviour.

While all of this makes for some fun Anti-City memes (of which I am guilty myself of enjoying) the Lyon result should not be taken as a guiding case to stir up voices for Guardiola’s dismissal.

On the other hand as a Liverpool fan maybe I shouldn’t interrupt my enemy when they are trying to destroy themselves.

Winning Percentage Sources:

Pep Guardiola - Wikipedia

Alex Ferguson - Wikipedia

José Mourinho - Wikipedia

Why do football countries like Hungary go into decline while others such as Brazil or Germany don't?

(Asked on Quora). My answer.

Hungary was very fortunate to have enjoyed not one but two spells of Golden Generation Football (the 1938 and 1954 teams). Once in a while a small nation produces a rarefied core of 11 players that challenge with the big boys.

The 1954 Hungarian World Cup team. source: talkSport

The Czechs showed this in 1962 and 1976 (when they won the European Championship) as did the Bulgarians in 1994 and the Croats in each of 1998 and 2018. I would add Uruguay and this current Belgium squad to the mix as well.

However with smaller nations there often isn’t enough size momentum to carry the country through the lean years between these golden periods.

On the other hand large football nations with a strong league system and therefore a more vast cohort of players to draw from, can afford to putter around between World Cups with less brilliant squads. They can survive with respectable results until the next Golden generation.

Brazil for example have won five World Cups having competed in all the tournaments since its inception in 1930. In the Pre-war years they sat in the shadow of Italy (who won in 1934 and 1938) but were nevertheless still present on the Greatest stage.

In 1950 they lost at home in the final to Uruguay (one of the biggest upsets in the game) but were mediocre in 1954. However the embers were burning . They were still on the scene and this infused the Garrincha/Pele golden age team that won the title in 1958 and 1962.

Garrincha - The Dark Horse candidate for the Greatest of All-Time source Goal.com

The same is true of West German/German football. The West Germans surprisingly won in 1954, strung along as ‘present’ in 1958 and 1962, before emerging as a power in 1966. Their Golden Age team was the arguably the Premier force in World football in the 70s and early 80s The West Germans won two European Championships (1972, 1980) and a World Cup in 1974. They were runners-up in the European Championship of 1976 and the World Cup of 1982.

Fortunately for West Germany a second Golden Age team emerged soon afterwards that allowed them to claim their third World Cup in 1990. Then they receded into the background with World Cup quarter-final losses in 1994 and 1998 (despite their 1996 win in the European Championship which in retrospect was somewhat of a false dawn).

Germany were abysmal in Euro 2000 when they uncharacteristically failed to emerge from the Group stage and only managed to work their way to the World Cup final in 2002 courtesy of a string of big name upsets elsewhere, that cleared the road for them. This same team was even walloped 5–1 at home by England only months earlier.

However it was the drive of being a large and consistently competitive football country that was pushing them through until the next Golden generation. TIt started to emerged in 2006, played in the shadow of the Great Spanish team, before realizing its potential with a win in World Cup 2014.

Germany celebrating their 2014 World Cup Final Final win source: time Magazine

Returning to Hungary.

I am glad that you brought this up. The Mighty Magyars, as the 1954 team is affectionately referred to, is arguably, alongside the Dutch of 1974 and the Brazilians of 1982, the best team not to have won the World Cup.

In the run up to the tournament final that the Hungarians eventually lost 3-2 to the come-from-behind West Germans the Hungarians performed brilliantly. They defeated South Korea 9-0, West Germany 8-3 (they met at the group level), Brazil 4-2 and then knocked off defending Champions Uruguay 4-2. Three very big scalps.

This was an incredible unit that included Ferenc Puskás , who is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all-time. Puskás netted 84 times in 85 appearances for Hungary (he later on played four times for the Spanish National team..three of which were in World cup 1962). Puskás emerged as a Real Madrid legend scoring 156 goals in 180 appearances for Los Blancos .

Ferenc Puskás source: The Guardian

Sándor Kocsis was another Hungarian superstar of the same age vintage. Like Puskás he ended his career in Spain. Although Kocsis was a Barcelona legend.

Sándor Kocsis in action against the Old Enemy the USSR. source: These Football Times

Both Puskás and Kocsis left Hungary following the brutal Soviet crackdown on the Hungarian revolution of 1956. This was a tremendous loss that prematurely ended an incredible team. Who can blame them? Freedom matters more than football.

However its long tern impact on Hungarian football persisted for some time. The country failed to emerge from the group stage in 1958, was knocked out in the Quarter-finals in each of 1962 and 1966 and for the tournaments 1978-1986 saw its run in the finals eclipsed at the first group hurdle. 1986 was the last World final tournament that Hungary qualified for.

So like so many smaller countries they await a Golden generation. In the mean time they simply don’’t have enough sustaining muscle to weather what looks to be a long time in obscurity. I wish them well.

Source:

Sándor Kocsis - Wikipedia

https://www.transfermarkt.us/ferenc-puskas

1954 FIFA World Cup Switzerland ™ - FIFA.com