Eddie Gibbs

🟥 Iraola's Liverpool Revival Faces Biggest Test Yet

Victory would provide an enormous psychological lift before Arsenal visit next weekend. I fancy Liverpool to compete fiercely, although midfield deficiencies mean I cannot quite convince myself they will keep Brighton out. 🔺 Predicted Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1):

Alisson; Araújo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Barcola; Isak 🔺 Score Prediction: Liverpool 2-2 Brighton

🟥 Iraola's Liverpool Revival Faces Biggest Test Yet

Iraola deserves credit, too. His willingness to make difficult decisions and reward performances has brought fresh energy to a squad that desperately needed it.

Brighton will expose any defensive carelessness. I suspect both sides will score, and Liverpool's attacking quality will ensure a compelling afternoon.

🟥 Iraola's Liverpool Revival Faces Biggest Test Yet

Yet Tuesday's extraordinary victory over Villarreal offered encouragement. There were passages of football possessing genuine authority, moments when Liverpool's attacking movement and collective intensity suggested the beginnings of something substantial.

Florian Wirtz is growing in influence, Alexander Isak is finding goals, and young Rio Ngumoha has surely earned another opportunity. I would start him. His confidence must be soaring, and talent of that nature deserves encouragement.

🟥 Iraola's Liverpool Revival Faces Biggest Test Yet

Brighton arrive at Anfield in formidable condition, third in the Premier League and playing with the confidence of a side that fears nobody. Four consecutive league victories, 15 goals scored and none conceded. Those figures demand respect.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are still searching for their first home league victory of the season. Three draws from three matches at Anfield represent a deeply unsatisfactory return for a club whose greatest achievements have so often been forged through the intimidation of visiting opponents.

🟥 Iraola's Liverpool Revival Faces Biggest Test Yet

There is a peculiar sense of anticipation surrounding Liverpool at present. The football remains imperfect, the vulnerabilities painfully familiar, yet something is stirring beneath the surface. Andoni Iraola's side are beginning to offer glimpses of a future worth believing in.

🟥 Emlyn Hughes: A Legacy Liverpool Must Bring Home James Pearce’s article in The Athletic this morning, revealing that Emlyn Hughes’ extraordinary collection of medals, shirts and memorabilia is going to auction, stirred something in me.

With the collection expected to fetch over £500,000, I believe Liverpool FC should purchase it in its entirety and give it pride of place in the Anfield museum. Every generation of Liverpool players walks in the footsteps of giants like Emlyn Hughes.

Our club should ensure those footsteps are never forgotten. Would you like to see #LFC buy the entire collection?

Listen to Shankly and Paisley speak about him. Hear the admiration of his teammates. Watch his interviews, that wonderful humour, warmth and commanding presence. Here was a man you would willingly follow into battle and beyond.

Four league titles, two European Cups, 665 appearances. Liverpool's first captain to lift European football's greatest prize. He was taken at just 57. Far, far too young. His family understandably want these treasures shared with the world. What better place than Anfield?

My first introduction to Emlyn was as a captain on A Question of Sport* It was only later, watching the John Motson narrated History of Liverpool FC in the 1980s, that I began to appreciate the magnitude of the man.

Watch the old footage. That boundless, box-to-box energy, the skill, the infectious enthusiasm, the sheer determination. There was something of the Steven Gerrard that a later generation would come to worship.

Emlyn, affectionately nicknamed 'Crazy Horse' by The Kop, left Liverpool when I was three years old. I have no memories of watching him play. Yet he sits alongside Kevin Keegan as the only two players in my all-time Liverpool top ten whom I never saw live.

🆕 My Friday football column is out now! - Bruno Fernandes is a brilliant footballer, but he's never been captain material for me. - Would I take Trent Alexander-Arnold back at #LFC? Absolutely not. Plus, my #PremierLeague predictions and a few personal ramblings.

itwasalwaysfootball.comGibbs' Game: Bruno's Betrayal, Trent's Regrets and No Way BackManchester United's leadership crisis, why Liverpool must move on from Trent Alexander-Arnold, and my Premier League predictions for Gameweek 8.

🙏 If you enjoy my writing, please consider subscribing (it's FREE). Your support genuinely means a lot. www.itwasalwaysfootball.com/p/gibbs-gam...

‼️ Liverpool's right-back situation is becoming a serious problem, and I believe January recruitment is now essential. But who should Julian Ward target?

I've taken a closer look at a 21-year-old whose underlying numbers are hugely impressive and who could be the perfect fit for Iraola's system. 📊 My latest deep dive looks at why Ismaelo Ganiou (RC Lens) could be #LFC's smartest move in January.

itwasalwaysliverpool.comLiverpool's Right-Back Solution? The Numbers Behind Ismaelo GaniouWith Frimpong injured and Iraola searching for answers, the Lens defender's remarkable defensive and progressive passing numbers suggest Liverpool may have found their ideal January target.

www.itwasalwaysliverpool.com/p/liverpool... 🙏 If you enjoy my analysis, please consider subscribing (it's FREE) to support my independent work. Every subscription is genuinely appreciated!

⚽ Rotation, Risks and Another European Win? #LFC 🆚 Villarreal | #ChampionsLeague Preview

I expect patience to be tested, but Liverpool should possess enough quality to prevail. 🔺 My predicted Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Gomez, Araújo, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Nyoni; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Barcola; Isak. 🔺 Score prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Villarreal

Would you rotate more heavily, Mamardashvili, Koumas perhaps, or is this the right balance?

⚽ Rotation, Risks and Another European Win? #LFC 🆚 Villarreal | #ChampionsLeague Preview

Gravenberch returns alongside Nyoni, giving Mac Allister some much-needed rest. Further forward, I'd trust Ngumoha's youthful exuberance and Barcola's attacking threat, with Wirtz providing the imagination behind Isak.

The Swede's presence gives Liverpool a genuine focal point, and his movement could be crucial in unsettling Villarreal's compact defensive structure. Liverpool have won their opening two Champions League fixtures. A third victory would strengthen their position considerably.

⚽ Rotation, Risks and Another European Win? #LFC 🆚 Villarreal | #ChampionsLeague Preview

For Andoni Iraola, selection presents a delicate balancing act. Szoboszlai and Frimpong are unavailable, while Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal await in a demanding sequence of fixtures. Rotation is essential, but Liverpool must retain sufficient authority to control proceedings.

I'd keep Alisson in goal, bring Gomez in at right-back and reward Tsimikas for his LASK performance. Araújo partners Van Dijk, allowing Jacquet a deserved breather.

⚽ Rotation, Risks and Another European Win? #LFC 🆚 Villarreal | #ChampionsLeague Preview

The Spaniards arrive with a reputation for tactical discipline and intelligent organisation. Their narrow midfield shape will demand quick passing, movement and imagination from Liverpool, qualities that have too often appeared in fleeting passages this season.

Georges Mikautadze particularly concerns me. His movement, technical ability and instinct for linking attacks make him a dangerous opponent. Alberto Moleiro offers further creativity, while Alex Freeman is a fascinating talent at right-back.

⚽ Rotation, Risks and Another European Win? #LFC 🆚 Villarreal | #ChampionsLeague Preview

Anfield under the Champions League lights carries its own peculiar authority, but Liverpool will need considerably more than atmosphere to overcome a Villarreal side whose league position disguises their quality.

🇩🇪 Florian Wirtz: Nine Chances, One Assist and a War of Opinions Apparently, I committed a grave offence in my assessment of Liverpool's victory at Brentford. I neglected to mention Florian Wirtz.

He's a wonderfully gifted 23-year-old adapting to a demanding league and an evolving Liverpool side. There will be brilliance, frustration and performances somewhere between. Football deserves better than statistical theatre and tribal outrage.

And perhaps, occasionally, we might even discuss Liverpool without conducting another referendum on Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz played well. His involvement was encouraging, his movement intelligent, and his contribution to Victor Muñoz's equaliser was important. I enjoyed watching him. But when supporters insist his teammates squandered a succession of glorious opportunities, I have one question. Which ones?

The bigger issue is how thoroughly preconceived opinions now dominate Liverpool's discourse. Those convinced Wirtz will fail find fault everywhere. Those determined to vindicate his price tag treat measured praise as personal hostility. Both camps are doing him a disservice.

Apparently, simply playing well is no longer sufficient. Saturday illustrated football's increasingly absurd relationship with statistics. Nine chances created. A Liverpool Premier League record. Cue the celebrations.

Except those nine chances produced just 0.19 xA (expected assists). Several involved routine passes followed by speculative efforts from distance. One apparently resulted from the ball ricocheting off Wirtz's shoulder. Extraordinary creativity? Let's exercise some perspective.

I foolishly assumed celebrating three points, praising outstanding individual performances and questioning Liverpool's attacking cohesion constituted a reasonable quick-fire post-match reaction. Evidently, I was mistaken.