The Liverpool Reaction: an American LFC Podcast (Salim Sacre)

Liverpool win in Bergamo, Italy but lose the over the two legs 3-1 to Atalanta. On Sunday the Reds take all 3 points in a 3-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Incredible free kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold, another very good goal from Ryan Gravenberch, and a clinical finish from Diogo Jota sealed the victory. Salim and Coach Ralph also preview the Everton match at Goodison Park. 

Salim and Coach Ralph talk about a lot of things today.  The transrer window closed on Friday 8/30. Liverpool brought in 2 transfers and transferred out 3 players but also loaned out 11 players mostly from the academy. 

This year the Champions league will be one big table and Liverpool have 4 home games vs. Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Bologna. Their 4 away fixtures are vs. PSV Eindhoven, AC Milan, Girona, and RB Leipzig. 

Salim and Coach Ralph are very encouraged by the 3-0 win at Old Trafford vs. their bitter rival Manchester United. They discuss the game and look forward to Nottingham Forrest as well as their trip to the San Siro to play AC MIlan. 

Salim and Coach Ralph take a closer look at the history of Liverpool's managers. From Bill Shankly to Jurgen Klopp and everyone in between, we look at the win percentage and the amount of trophies they won. These managers won a lot of trophies so this one is a little longer than usual.  

Arne Slot's Liverpool put in a very good performance to beat Brentford 2-0. A lightning fast counter attack finished by Luis Diaz in the 13th minute started the scoring and Mo Salah killed the game off in the 70th minute assisted by Luis Diaz. Liverpool have 6 points from 2 games and face a fierce rival in Manchester United next. Also there is some transfer activity news that Salim and Coach Ralph discuss.  Join our fantasy premier league mini league at https://fantasy.premierleague.com and the league code is chpx42. 

Liverpool beat Sparta Prague 6-1 in the second leg and 11-2 in aggregate to reach the quarterfinals of the Europa league.  In a very competitive match vs Manchester United, Liverpool bowed out of the FA cup with a 4-3 defeat to the evil empire. 

Coach Ralph and Salim talk about Liverpool susataining back to back losses at Anfield.  In the Europa League tie, Atalanta came to Liverpool and got a gritty 3-0 win. Can Liverpool make another legendary comeback against an Italian team or should they now just prioritize the Premier league? Crystal Palace got the only goal of the game and beat Liverpool 1-0 dropping the Reds to 3rd and 2 points behind Manchester City for 1st place.  Although many chances were created, the team just couldn't stick it in the back of the net. What will the season look like with the next 4 matches being away from home? 

Real Madrid win the 2024 Champions League final over Borussia Dortmund.  Salim and Coach Ralph talk about Liverpool's 10 appearances in Champions league finals.  From 1977 to 2022, they discuss the 6 wins along with the 4 losses. Coach talks about being at the old Wembly stadium when King Kenny Dalglish scored to beat Club Brugge. Salim talks about Istanbul in depth and how he missed the live broadcast to golf and then watched the instant classic replay. 

Liverpool follow up their dominant performance against Real Madrid with another great performance vs Manchester City.  Cody Gakpo got the scoring started early and Mo Salah finished it the game converting on his penalty kick. This game could have had a much bigger scoreline with Virgil and Mo Salah missing mulitiple opportunities to put the game away much earlier. However, a well deserved 2-0 win means Liverpool are 9 points clear of Arsenal and Chelsea as well as 11 points clear from Manchester City.  Salim and Coach discuss how Liverpool dominated all over the pitch and individually, everybody played really well. 

Liverpool defeat Wolves 2-0 but the real show was after the game as the club says goodbye to their charismatic manager.  It was a very emotional sendoff as Anfield was singing his songs and started clapping with about 10 minutes left in the game. We are going to miss his fiery competitiveness, the way he hugs his players, and his honesty which gained our trusts and turned all of us from doubters to believers. We love you Jurgen!

Liverpool win 3 games out of 3 wrapping up their preseason tour. With a lot of 1st team "big guns" coming back this week there are more questions than answers. Did anyone play their way on to the team? Who is going on loan or being sold altogether? What is Slot thinking about implementing his style of play?  A lot of these questions will be revealed when Liverpool take on Ipswich Town.

While Coach Ralph is doing some traveling, Salim and his guest Jeff go over some Liverpool Transfers and if the team is good as is.  They also go over some realistic transfer targets and some "money no object" transfers. Is Sepp van den Berg the answer to having a 5th central defender? Is Youssouf Fofana the answer to add to our defensive midfielders or is Stefan Bajcetic and Wataru Endo enough? Do we splash the cash for Victor Osimhen or will Darwin Nunez conversion rate in front of goal take a leap forward?

Liverpool draw against Manchester City 1-1 but clearly played better.  With a 4 goal advantage against Sparta Prague, Liverpool can rotate their squad for the 2nd leg of the tie. FA cup match vs Manchester United on the horizon. 

Liverpool beat Sheffield United in a game that was very competitive. It took a rocket to the top corner from Alexis Mac Allister and a 90th minute header to finish Sheffield off. The game vs Manchester United was an odd game. Liverpool dominated but 2 excellent goals from United gave them the lead deep in to the 2nd half. Liverpool tied the game up on a PK from Mo Salah and the game ended 2-2.  Although the team didn't lose a game this week, the tie vs. Manchester United felt like a loss as we are no longer top of the league and with 7 games left it's going to take some luck to win the Premier League. 

Liverpool locked in 3rd place played well but so did Aston Villa. Liverpool led at halftime 2-1 but the score line didn't reflect how fortunate they were. Early in the 2nd half they went up 3-1 and but substitute Jhon Duran came on and scored 2 goals in 3 minutes and the game ended 3-3. This was Jurgen Klopp's last away fixture and Coach Ralph and Salim are excited for his last game at Anfield vs. Wolves.  The stadium will be rocking as we say goodbye to a coach who turned doubters in to believers. 

Liverpool were back to their winning ways and a good performance was a welcoming sight in a 4-2 victory. In their previous game earlier in the season Tottenham beat Liverpool 2-1 but not without controversy.  This game was circled for many Liverpool fans as there were a few questonable decisions by the referee that went against the Reds. Salah, Elliott, and Gakpo deliver big performances to beat Tottenham in the revenge game. A very satisfying result for Liverpool fans. 

Liverpool won the Caraboa Cup!  Liverpool FC have now won this competition 10 times and this one was iconic.  With eleven 1st team players out, Liverpool persevered with 5 academy players with limited experience. Salim and Coach Ralph react to the game, talk tactics, and select their man of the match.  Let's hope that this is the 1st of 4 this year in Jurgen Klopp's final year as our manager.  We all love him and would love to send him off with as many trophies as possible. 

Liverpool won a scrappy game with Brighton, 2-1.  Goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah completed the comeback after Danny Welbeck scored in the 2nd minute to put Brighton ahead. With the Arsenal and Manchester City match ending in a tie, 0-0, Liverpool are at the top of the table with a 2 point lead on Arsenal and a 3 point lead on City. Coach Ralph and Salim marvel about the genius of Alexis Mac Allister and his vision and passing ability. We discuss the phantom yellow cards given to Mac Allister and Van Dijk and how fouls inside the box differ from fouls outside the box (they shouldn't).  5 wins and 1 loss in the month of March was good, Liverpool have 8 matches in April including the Europa league quarter final tie vs Atalanta. 

Today's podcast features special guest Matt McDonald. Matt recounts stories of the 1st European cup win vs. Borrusia Mochengladbach, some of his favorite all time players (outside of  Stevie G.), and his thoughts on Slot ball. Coach points out an interesting point on the upcoming 5 games in 14 days. Will we see Chiesa vs Nottingham Forest? 

Liverpool go 2 for 2 with a league cup win vs West Ham and a scrappy league win vs Woves.  Salim and Coach Ralph discuss both matches and take a look at a busy October fixture list. They wrap up their conversation with the podcast's fantasy soccer mini league. Join the mini league with code chpx42. 

This episode conists of coach and I reviewing some of the top transfers. We discuss how Liverpool handled their transfer policies in the past and how they go about it in the modern era. From Ian Rush and Ray Clemence to Philippe Coutinho and Mo Salah, Coach and Salim put a twist on what tranfers are important in Liverpool's history.  Take a second and subscribe and follow the show, that way you know when the latest podcast is up. Thank you for listening.

Salim and Coach discuss the Champions League encounter with RB Leipzig and the draw with Arsenal. Up next Brighton twice (one in the league cup), then Bayer Leverkusen followed by another big game vs. Aston Villa. Thankfully all these games will be at Anfield (minus the League cup game). Salim takes the top spot in fantasy mini league. Please join our fantasy soccer mini league by going to the premier league website and our code league is chpx42.

Liverpool make it 2 wins out of 2 games this week.  Following Jayden Danns brace in an FA Cup win vs Southampton, Darwin Nunez scores a 99th minute header to take Liverpool to 63 points and keep their spot at the top of the EPL table. 

Liverpool is a club with a great history and today we talk about Coach Ralph's experiences in the 60's with the club.  Coach Ralph is from Great Crosby, England a little bit North of Liverpool.  He recounts his experiences going to Anfield with his father to watch Liverpool play in the 60's. We talk about Gerry and the pacemakers song "You'll never walk alone" which was somehow adopted by LFC as an anthem. We discuss how Bill Shankly brought Liverpool back to the 1st division and instilled a winning DNA in the club and some of Coach's favorite players from that era like Ian St. John and Roger Hunt. 

Salim and Coach Ralph discuss the tough run of games Liverpool will embark on. They dive a bit deeper and look at Liverpool's next 7 opponents and some of their strengths and weaknesses. This is an exciting time to see what this team is made of, how Arne Slot responds to these challenges, and if some of the good individual performances we have seen so far (ex. Ryan Gravenberch) are up to the task against tougher opposition.

Also, please join our Fantasy soccer mini league at premierleague.com. The league code is chpx42.  

Salim and Coach Ralph discuss some of Liverpool's goals this past season.  From Mac Allister to Elliott, there were a lot of great goals in the 2023-2024 season to choose from.  You will hear their favorites. They also discuss how Liverpool players are doing in the European Championship. 

Liverpool beats Southampton in a cagey affair and put on a dominant performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Salim and Coach Ralph go over the 2 games and then look ahead at the giant matchup vs. Manchester City. 

Salim and Coach discuss Liverpool beating AC Milan at the San Siro 3-1 to start their Champions league campaign.

Liverpool then defeat Bournemouth 3-0 in the league highlighted by a brace by Luis Diaz in 2 minutes followed by an absolute beauiful goal by Darwn Nunez. Salim and Coach talk about Luis Diaz's scorching form and is Darwin Nunez going to claim his spot over Diogo Jota?

Finally join our fantasy premier league mini-league with the code chpx42. 

A rare instance when you face the same team twice in 3 days occured. Salim and Coach Ralph discuss Liverpool's victories vs. Brighton in the league cup and the league. Is Curtis Jones making a good case to start in place of Dominik Szoboszlai? Cody Gakpo finding some form has earned the trust of the team and the fans.

Liverpool get 3 points on the board beatingh Ipswich Town at Portman Road 2-1. It was a tale of 2 halfs as Liverpool struggled to get a grip on the game in the 1st half. In the 2nd half Liverpool were dominant and got Goals from Diogo Jota and Mo Salah in a 5 minute span to put the game to bed.  Salim and Coach Ralph talk go over the game and talk about the player performances. Go Reds!

Liverpool are on fire!! Join Salim and Coach Ralph as they discuss the Reds and how they are dismantling teams. They are currently 7 points and I'm not sure any Liverpool fans would have been able to predict this type of success under a manager (head coach) new to the premier league.  

Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 while Manchester City loses to Brighton and Arsenal and Chelsea tie.  Liverpool are now 5 points clear and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Arne Slot has the squad are playing very good and have Liverpool fans dreaming of a title. Salim and Coach Ralph discuss how Liverpool dissected Aston Villa and how Christmas is the real check point and to see where we are after the festive period of games.

Our Analysis of the Champions league victory can be found on our youtube page, https://www.youtube.com/@tlrlfcpodcast.

Liverpool played out a 3-3 draw with Newcastle.  It was a fiesty affair between the 2 teams. Newcastle had a very good 1st half but Liverpool made some adjustments in the 2nd half and looked to be taking all 3 points but a late goal from Newcastle meant that the teams will share the spoils. How does Mo Salah continue to be massive for Liverpool? He is involved in everything goal.  He had 2 goals and an assist in this match but is always in the mix.  He is a Liverpool legend and an Pemier League Legend. 

This week's episode features Timucin Uras from American Scousers.  American Scousers is a Youtube channel with many contributors, including Salim, talking about all things Liverpool. We discuss how and when he became a Liverpool fan and some of his players as well as his favorite matches.  We are going live on Youtube every week. If you want to watch/listen to our content before the podcast comes out go to www.youtube.com/@tlrlfcpodcast. 

Salim and Coach Ralph discuss both finals from the weekend, Euro 2024 and the Copa America. They then disuss how Liverpool players faired in both competitions. Cody Gakpo was a bright spot as was Alexis Mac Allister.  Subscribe and follow to support this podcast!

Liverpool have 6 points on the board in the Champions league new league phase after defeating Bologna at Anfield. Liverpool weren't done there, as they win in an odd game vs. Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The tougher fixtures are right around the corner after the October international break. Salim and Coach Ralph are crossing their fingers hoping that all Liverpool players come back healthy from their respective home countries games. The next 10 games could be the most pivotal stretch of the season as Liverpool play Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton twice, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Southampton, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.

Salim and Coach also discuss Fantasy soccer. Coach played his wildcard. How did he do?  If you would like to join our mini league through the premier league website, the code is chpx42. 

Salim and Coach Ralph talk about Liverpool's 2-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield. Goals by Mo Salah and Curtis Jones were enough to keep Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. This is game 1 of a very difficult fixture list that lasts until Christmas. They cover some interesting tactics from Arne Slot and the impact of Curtis Jones. They also talk about the inconsistencies of the refs and VAR. They next go over the next 2 games and how the Diogo Jota injury impacts the squad. Finally, they talk about their fantasy soccer teams. If you would like to join our mini league go to premierleague.com and enter the code CHPX42.

Liverpool beat West Ham 5-0 with all 5 goals scored by different players.  With this victory, Liverpool are 8 points clear at the top of the table and a game in hand. Salim and Coach Ralph talk about the drubbing but also look forward to Manchester United and Tottenham (league cup semi-finals). They also discuss the contract situations of Mo Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold as the transfer window opens tomorrow as well as the opportunity for all 3 players to negotiate pre contracts outside of England.  January has 8 games on the schedule as well as all the story lines of 3 of our best players. 

Salim and Coach Ralph welcome their 1st guest, Jeff Autenrieth.  Jeff and Salim have been friends for 30 years and both played for Coach in 1997 and 1998. The podcast revolves around how Jeff became a Liverpool fan and some of his favorite goals and moments. They also relive some of their old playing days under Coach's tutelage. 

Liverpool and Arne Slot faced their 1st setback on Saturday suffering a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. Did we learn anything watching this game and most importantly what did Arne Slot learn? The low block has given Liverpool fits even under Jurgen Klopp. What is the key to break a low block down? Next few games will show what kind of reaction the Liverpool squad will show. We are now on to the Champions league game vs. AC Milan at the San Siro in Italy followed by the weekend game vs. Bournemouth at Anfield.  If I told you at the beginning of the season that Slotball would start the seaon with 3 wins and 1 loss, would you take it?

Salim and Coach Ralph discuss the end of pre-season and are excited about the upcoming season which starts Saturday against Ipswich Town. They also talk about a favorable scheduled to start the season. Will the Martin Zubimendi deal go through?

Also we have launched our fantasy league. Join us by signing up or logging in if you are an existing player at https://fantasy.premierleague.com and our league code is chpx42. 

Go Reds!

Salim and Coach Ralph discuss Liverpool's best ALL-TIME players. Salim tackles the Premier League era while Coach Ralph tackles everything before 1992. We talk about Steven Gerrard, Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, Luis Suarez, Stevie Nichol, Ray Clemence, Michael Owen, and many more. Then Coach Ralph does all time top 11 from both of our lists. This club is full of history with a magical stadium, legendary players, and amazing fans. 

Salim and Coach Ralph go through the Liverpool's season. They break down the game in thirds and go over player performance and some stats to dive a bit deeper.  Both agreed the season was a success from the standpoint that this was supposed to be a transition year and are excited for the future of Liverpool Football Club.

Jurgen Klopp provided Liverpool an amazing 9 years.  Salim and Coach Ralph go over their top 10 games under the legendary and charismatic leader.  From Barcelona in the Champions league, to Chelsea in the EFL cup, to demolishing Manchester United in the league there is a long list of games that are worthy of being in the top 10. 

Liverpool's title chances are all but over. Everton bullied our Reds and got a well deserved 2-0 victory. It's tough for Liverpool supporters to say that but it is true. West Ham had many talking points with Salah and Klopp arguing on the touchline and a very strange decision by Anthony Taylor as something else went against us and ended as a 2-2 tie. Arne Slot is all but appointed as new manager and it will be sad to see Klopp go but hoping Slot can take this team to the next level. Let's hope the team finishes strong to send Klopp out on a winning note.