By Jordan Carreno

Matchday 23 sees Liverpool play host to Crystal Palace at Anfield. Kick off is schedule for 10:00 AM EST on Saturday.

Liverpool v Crystal Palace — 01/19/2019 1500 GMT

This will be Liverpool’s only match in the next 2 weeks, which means it is our last chance to get our fix of the Reds before succumbing to the effects of a Liverpool-less FA Cup weekend. Hopefully Jurgen and the lads ensure it isn’t 2 weeks of stewing over a loss, but rather a fortnight of buzzing over the next chance to see our boys take the pitch. As always, all threeLFC Tampa Bay locations will be open, serving, and showing the match, so come on down and join us in cheering Liverpool on to 3 points. Now, let’s get into the talking points.

The Many Faces of Milner

With James Milner due to deputize at right back in place of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, it is the perfect time to look back on the Leeds United graduate’s Liverpool career and his performances so far this season. It was 4 years ago now that James Milner snubbed a new Manchester City contract in favor of signing for Liverpool with the promise of playing in the central midfield. Since then, James Milner’s Liverpool career has had more plot twists than an M. Night Shyamalan film.

In his first season with the club, Milner was named vice-captain, went through the transition of power from Rodgers to Klopp, and featured in a Europa League Final. In his second season, Milner would famously move over to left back, a year after being promised a place in center of the park, and would play his part in ensuring a return to the Champions League for Liverpool. Last season, James would play a vital role in the club’s run to the Champions League final whilst setting a new record for assists in the competition.

So far this season, James Milner has played an integral part in Liverpool currently leading the Premier League table and, come Saturday, will be right back to filling in where needed. It might be easy to forget, but Milner played a key part in allowing this Liverpool side to find its feet early on in the season. With Fabinho and Keita needing time to adapt, and with Jordan Henderson needing extended leave following a deep World Cup run in the summer, Milner was entrusted with captaining this Liverpool side in the early parts of the season.

James Milner — a jack of all trades and an unsung hero

Since then, he has held down his place in Klopp’s most trusted midfield trio which has been used in big games like PSG and Napoli at home. Sometimes he can be seen putting in a crunching tackle and sending the likes of Neymar into the stands. At other times he can be found popping up on the wing in attacking positions to whip in a cross, or filling in for one of our fullbacks as they’re flying forward.

James Milner, throughout his Liverpool career and even this season, has been a jack of all trades and Liverpool are a better side for it. On top of that, Milner is one of the few players in the squad to have been part of a title winning side and the only player in the Liverpool squad with a Premier League medal. Though right back isn’t his preferred or best position, Milner’s presence, experience, and tactical nous will go a long way in helping Liverpool get the job done on Saturday.

Reputation with Benefits

At the beginning of the season, I spent plenty of time talking about this Liverpool side needing to reshape the narratives associated with them. In order to become the team and club that Liverpool wants to be, the squad needed to erase the old narratives and replace them with new ones. Just over halfway through the season, this Liverpool side have done that and now might reap the benefits of doing so.

In the past, teams might have come to Anfield and fancied themselves to frustrate Liverpool and then get an opportunity to score one or two goals down the other end. The narrative around Liverpool was that they didn’t have the creativity or ability to break down defensive sides and they were far too easy to beat on the counter. Rightly or wrongly, this idea would have given confidence to visiting sides that there could be a chance to get something out of a game at Anfield.

Now, however, Anfield is a fortress and all of those narratives have been reshaped. This Liverpool side do know how to break down defensive teams and they have the patience to avoid frustration if it doesn’t happen early on. The Reds also now boast one of the best defenses in the history of the Premier League and a goalkeeper with a reputation of keeping almost everything out. Nowadays, teams will come to Anfield hoping to avoid embarrassment rather than fancying a chance at getting something out of the game.

We saw the benefits of this new reputation last weekend where, before a ball was even kicked, Brighton manager Chris Hughton basically admitted his side had very little chance of joy against Liverpool. Though other managers might not vocalize it in their press conferences, that feeling of dread when facing off against this Klopp probably exists in the psyche of most of the teams and managers in the League. Now, not only does the opposition need to be at their absolute best to get anything out of the game, but Liverpool also have to be way off their best.

Whereas in the past Crystal Palace might come to Anfield and set up in a slightly more progressive formation to try to cause Liverpool problems on the counter, Hodgson and his team will now likely come with an even bigger bus and even less intent to come forward and test Liverpool. With this new earned reputation, Liverpool can now force the hand of their opponents before a ball is even kicked, because when Liverpool take so much as a 1–0 lead, it is a far more devastating blow than before.

Ultimately, Liverpool must continue to do the work on the pitch and get the results that uphold this reputation. It does no good to sit back and assume that reputation alone will win the match. However, having that reputation goes a long way in quelling any pre-match belief and fight of the opposition.

Playing the Villains

From players to fans, we should all enjoy the role of villain now thrust upon Liverpool

If you haven’t been paying attention to the cesspool that is football social media, you might not know that supporters up and down the country and joining together in rooting against this Liverpool side. For some reason, the worst thing that could happen to the English game would be for Liverpool to win the Premier League title. Though it is annoying and cringe-worthy to watch supporters of clubs with no real rivalry with Liverpool join each other in hoping Liverpool collapse, we as supporters and the players on the pitch should embrace the role of villains.

Part of this hatred must come down to ego for some members of the footballing media. At the start of the season, Pep Guardiola and his City side were the darlings of the football world and the already crowned champions of England. Experts and pundits around the globe were salivating at the chance to heap praise on the “centurions” and couldn’t wait for the opportunity to definitively label this City side as the greatest team to walk the face of planet of Earth. That Liverpool still sit 4 points clear of City and, are in some aspects, out performing Pep’s side must surely have bruised a few egos of the so called experts.

We have already ruined the party by creating a competitive title race and we’ve made it even worse by being leaders at this point in the season. It can’t help that a lot of these pundits and commentators will have had their childhoods ruined by the dominating Liverpool sides of the 70’s and 80’s or that a few of them would have had their aspirations as players ruined by the same sides. Despite the fact that Liverpool have gone about their business in an admirable way, fighting back from the brink of bankruptcy to snapping at the heels of a club funded by billions made at the hands of slave labor, the Reds still find themselves disliked.

Though it would be nice to be afforded the same hyperbolic praise that was given to Pep Guardiola and his City side last season, we should all embrace the hatred and vitriol being thrown our way. We should take pleasure in Salah being called a diver while Kane is praised for his cleverness. We should thoroughly enjoy United fans stooping to the levels of cheering on their local rivals. We should all embrace this role of villain we’ve been handed.

Ultimately, it matters very little what other fans and the media think about this Liverpool side. The focus of the club and the squad is on themselves as it should be. However, knowing that Liverpool lifting the title would ruin so many days would make that feat, should it happen, that much sweeter.

Prediction

We are staying in the League table where David and I both managed to pick up 2 points for predicting a Liverpool win with a clean sheet against Brighton. David still leads the table with 29 points to my 28.

I would be willing to let go of all my previously held Hodgson hate if Roy could do us the favor of rolling over and playing dead come this Saturday. Crystal Palace are a solidly average Premier League side but, as we saw in their recent trip to the Etihad, are capable of causing problems on their day. With Milner coming in for Trent, the Eagles could well fancy Zaha’s pace down the left wing, but given the ruthlessness and stoutness of this Liverpool side I suspect Hodgson to go full dinosaur and park the biggest bus he can find.

On our side of things, I think Klopp will once again go with the 4–2–3–1. Fabinho moves up into the midfield with Matip dropping in to partner Virgil at the back. Henderson takes up the other central midfield position with the front 4 being the same from Brighton. Once again, it takes a while for us to break down Palace, but we eventually do and we see very little trouble at the back. 3–0.

David’s Prediction: I think Jordan has nailed the lineup as Gini Wijnauldum is unavailable for this one through injury. I’m not sure Palace park the bus, but I am equally unsure that it matters in the slightest. The Reds will have most of the ball, Palace will chase the game, create a few chances, but Alisson reminds them that these clean sheets are down to more than our newly solidified backline. Mo breaks them down at some point, practically walking one into the back of the net and Sadio Mane finally breaks out of a mini funk with a goal of his own. We repeat the scoreline from the first fixture against them this season at Selhurst Park in the end, winning 2–0.