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The Week in Search Terms: Klopp for the Kop

People find their way to the Liverpool Offside using all kinds of search terms. Some of those terms can seem strange, unusual, or just in need of an answer. Here are a few of them.

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liverpool ratings fifa 16

Liverpool’s ratings in FIFA 16 remained the same on launch as had been reported in the weeks leading up to the game’s release, which meant Philippe Coutinho was the club’s best player with an 84 rating and room to grow. While things were a bit less positive for England cover star Jordan Henderson—he could only manage a 79 rating to start the game—they did rate Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho the club’s best centre halves. So that’s a plus for authenticity. Also a plus for authenticity: James Milner’s neck, or lack thereof.

loverpool fc

Just give me a second to slip into something more comfortable.

brendan rodgers taxi driver

Despite his worsening prospects at Liverpool, one imagines Rodgers will remain in football in some capacity—perhaps managing a lower-level Premier League side or following David Moyes to La Liga, or even taking on a short-term job in punditry—if he’s replaced at Anfield. He also seems unlikely to shave his head into a mohawk and attempt to assassinate a politician, though it’s within the realm of possibility that he spends his evenings looking in the mirror and demanding answers from his reflection.

liverpool fans reaction to the 3-1 loss to man u

It fucking sucked.

hilarious facebook and twitter statuses

Not ours, probably, but we’re still sticking with Jordan Henderson Appreciation Society. Because duh.

will coutinho go to barcelona

Right now it doesn't seem likely. He may be Liverpool’s best player, but as things stand, he hasn't yet developed into the kind of player who would offer Barcelona a clear upgrade. Particularly coming off their transfer ban next year, one imagines the Catalan club will be looking to make a statement signing as they begin the search for Andres Iniesta’s long-term replacement.

With a good enough season, it’s easy to imagine that replacement being Coutinho, but he’s not currently in the same class of player as Luis Suarez was when they bought him from Liverpool. Right now, a player like Eden Hazard would be a far more splashy attack-minded signing for Barcelona than Coutinho, while they’ve been heavily linked to Juventus’ rising superstar Paul Pogba. Coutinho may be an option, but he’s far from a lock to be a target for them when everything’s said and done.

brendan rodgers fired?

Just double checked and turns out he’s still the Liverpool manager.

klopp for the kop

Does have a ring to it, though.

danger zone

In football, there are at least two areas—with some overlap—people could be talking about when they mention a danger zone. In statistics, it has become shorthand for the area where the most dangerous shots are taken from, making it a rather self-explanatory concept. Is the shot being taken from an area on the pitch where there’s a higher chance of it leading to a goal? Then you’re probably in the danger zone, an area radiating out towards the edge of the penalty area from the edges of the goal.

The other football danger zone comes from coaching, where the pitch is divided into 18 sectors, three across and six along its length. In the defensive end of the pitch, zone one starts things off at the corner flag on the left side, zone two is in front of your goal, and zone three is on the right. At the far end, you get zones 16, 17, and 18, and while zone 17 is therefore in front of the opponent's goal and comprises the bulk of the opposition penalty area, it isn’t the danger zone.

Instead, that’s Zone 14, the area in the centre of the pitch that abuts the penalty area where, statistically, most dangerous shooting chances are created. Good attacking teams will typically seek to work the ball into pockets of space centrally in the attacking third rather than bypassing it wide or with long balls. In defence, that the most dangerous chances are created in Zone 14 leads to the idea that it’s better to stack your primarily defensive players—as a result centre halves and holding midfielders—while releasing the fullbacks to focus on attack.

Also. You know. Danger zone.

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