By Jordan Carreno

Matchday 13 has Liverpool headed down to the suburbs of London to take on Watford at Vicarage Road. Kick off is scheduled for 10:00 AM EST on Saturday.

Watford v Liverpool — 11/24/2018 1500 GMT

Another abysmal international break has come and gone and now we find ourselves on the verge of entering the notorious festive period. Games will come quick and fast and, come the turn of the new year, we will have a much clearer picture of where it is these Reds will end up come the end of the season. The best way to take on this daunting run of games is with your fellow LFC Tampa Bay members as clench is always better experienced in groups. As always, all 3 LFC Tampa Bay locations will be open, serving, and showing the match. Now, to the talking points.

All Hands on Deck

At the end of last season there was a lot of speculating on the lack of depth in the Liverpool squad causing their shortcomings. Towards the end of the season we were down to the bare bones and there were very little, if any, options for rotating the starting 11. The summer transfer window was spent making sure the depth would be there when called upon.

We have already seen that extra depth pay off in the first 4 months of the season. We’ve managed to handle injuries to the likes of Dejan Lovren, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Naby Keita, and James Milner without suffering any ill-effects on the pitch. Liverpool were even able to work around a freak eye injury to Bobby Firmino without succumbing to his absence in the starting line-up.

All of this points to “mission accomplished” in regards to the goal of beefing up the squad in the summer. However, for the first time this season, Liverpool now have all their options available to them. With the always grueling run that is the festive period on the immediate horizon, this couldn’t have come at a better time. Keeping players fresh, despite the never ending stream of matches, will help in sustaining the Reds’ early title challenge.

Also, not only will having all hands on deck be necessary in managing fitness levels during the festive period, it will also force the players to play at their highest levels. When competition for places are at their highest, the players will be unable to rest on their laurels and take their spot in the starting line-up for granted.

With all his options available to him, it will be interesting to see which team Klopp decides to throw out in our first match against Watford and how he manages the rotation going forward. It is cliche, but this is exactly why you get the depth added to the squad in the summer. Now is the time to put it to the test.

Vicarage Road Re-evaluation

Last time at Vicarage Liverpool squandered three points — this time out is a chance to show their progress

This fixture last year was the season opener for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. In many ways the 3–3 match was symbolic of the type of performances that the Reds had been putting in and would put in for the first half of the season. It featured goals from all the members of the Liverpool front three and the type of comically conceded goals that would have been considered “typical Liverpool” at the time.

If you had forgotten, Liverpool twice went down a goal to the Hornets, conceding from a set piece and a goalmouth scramble. Both times the Reds clawed their way back before they went and grabbed themselves a lead. Then, right at the death, Liverpool conceded another comical, if not offside, goal from a set piece. It was infuriating and was something we had all grown too used to seeing.

Fast forward about a year and a half and the Reds are a much different prospect with a much different vibe around them. With the purchases of Alisson and Van Dijk, the Reds have tightened things up at the back and are now one of the most stout defenses in the Premier League. Long gone are the days of head scratching moments at the back and ridiculously conceded goals.

So, as the Reds prepare for this one, at a ground which has given Liverpool its fair share of grief in recent times, there is an opportunity to drive home the progress Liverpool have made since that 3–3 opening day draw. Once again, there is a chance for vengeful Klopp to make an appearance and for this squad to continue to push the old narratives about them into the distant past.

A Thanksgiving List

I am currently writing this on Thanksgiving morning, waiting for my extended family to descend upon my mom’s house and cause enough noise to annoy the whole neighborhood of Old Northeast. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving tradition, here are the things I’m Thankful for in regards to Liverpool.

Firstly, I’m thankful for FSG. I know that at times we’ve all bemoaned the work done by our ownership, but they’ve managed to turn around the sinking ship that was LFC under Hicks and Gillette and have laid the foundation for Liverpool to be where it is now. Under the stewardship of FSG, we made the decision to stay at Anfield, expanded the ground, moved away from bankruptcy, found our way back into the top 4, and are now legitimate challengers for silverware. They haven’t always gotten everything right, but they have always admitted when they were wrong and haven’t been afraid to change their strategies for the better.

I am thankful for Michael Edwards and Jurgen Klopp putting the Reds on the right path

Secondly, I’m thankful for Michael Edwards. What a man that Mr. Edwards is. He’s got Liverpool competing for the signatures of some of the biggest names in world football and he’s bending buyers over backwards. He dug up some gems in the form of Gini Wjinaldum and Andy Robertson from relegation sides and he told Barcelona to piss off in the form of a 100 million Euro premium added on to any player they try to sign from us in the next 2 transfer windows.

Next up, and quite predictably, I’m thankful for Jurgen Klopp. He was the man with the vision to get us out of mid table mediocrity and have us on the verge of real success. His personality fits perfectly with the ethos of Liverpool Football Club and there honestly isn’t another manager in world football I’d prefer over him. Jurgen is also very candid, honest, and entertaining when dealing with the media which is a breath of fresh air when compared to some of his compatriots.

And now some rapid fire ones. I’m thankful that United are dire. I’m thankful that Pep Guardiola fantasizes about our manager and team. I’m thankful that the Kopites have been churning out some boss chants in recent times. I’m thankful that LFC Tampa Bay continues to grow and flourish. And, last but not least, I’m thankful that some of you out there take the time to read my ramblings.

Prediction

We’re sticking to the domestic table for this one. Last match David and I both picked up 2 points for predicting a Liverpool win with a clean sheet. As things stand, David leads the table with 13 points to my 12.

I feel as if we are on the verge of a very impressive run from this Liverpool team. Despite our record breaking start in the league, we haven’t really had one of those lengthy run of matches where we do nothing but win. Now is the perfect time for Liverpool to finally hit top form and lay down a marker by stringing together wins in the league.

Vicarage Road has been a place where Liverpool have struggled in the past, but we haven’t taken a team this complete down to the outskirts of London in a while. Klopp will doubtlessly remind the lads how we squandered the game on opening day last season and I’m sure the lads will want to put things right.

I expect Watford to continue to play their brand of progressive football which should play right into Jurgen Klopp’s hands. With open space aplenty and a full squad available to Klopp, I expect to see the free-flowing football we grew accustomed to last season. We see a 4–2–3–1 with Shaq sliding into the attacking quartet and the Reds make easy work of Elton John’s Hornets. 4–0.

David’s Prediction: The Reds have done the business against the “lesser” sides this season and long may that continue. They’re also due for a stretch of properly sound form. That said Watford have looked far from a side consistently staving off relegation in recent years to start this season. They’ll put up a decent fight, but the Reds get the goals they need and a solid defensive performance once again. 2–0 to Liverpool.