#this was origially drawn while i was at work

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 60 Review

What does it mean for an abridged series to go even further beyond?

Part I

I started this review series in 2015 because I loved Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, and I needed there to be writing out there that explained why I loved it so much.

It’s a funny thing, re-reading all of my old writing about it. Part of the nature of a weekly review series is that you tend to zoom in on the particulars, as that’s where the meatiest criticism lies. Going over the specifics of the story’s structure, how details in the show add to a greater whole, it’s all part of the process of finding out why something in a show works, or sometimes, doesn’t work.

It’s in those details though, that you come to a greater whole. By recounting the specific ways in which a story is threaded together, week after week, episode after episode, you start to bring forward recurring ideas, and piece together aspects that continually make a show work, and contribute to the greater whole. And when you’re critiquing a masterpiece, a show so lovingly crafted that every single detail lines up perfectly for its conclusion, you eventually are able to tie those thoughts together into what is hopefully a masterful conclusion of your own.

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is the best possible version of Dragon Ball Z.

This might be the most contentious statement I’ve ever made about this show. It’s a statement I know for a fact the creators disagree with. But it’s a statement I believe wholeheartedly, and I even would go so far as to say that Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is closer to the spirit of the original Dragon Ball than Toriyama managed to pull off himself.

The original Dragon Ball manga is a masterpiece of its own. Akira Toriyama did a phenomenal job weaving together hilarious gags with thrilling martial arts action and compelling character growth, all while centering one of the most lovable, fun, and pure-hearted protagonists to ever be written. There’s a reason that it spawned an entire genre of imitators, and that’s because its blend of action, comedy, and growth were all executed masterfully.

I don’t think that Dragon Ball Z ever manages to capture that magic the way the original does. That’s not to say that Dragon Ball Z is a bad show, but by the time Raditz enters the story, the manga and show both change into something much more akin to a melodramatic soap opera. There’s so much waxing from the characters about how powerful these foes they’re facing are, and there’s very little levity sprinkled throughout these long, drawn-out fights, as the circumstances feel too dire for the characters to make jokes and be silly.

Silly humor was core to Dragon Ball’s charm though. The very first fight in the first World Tournament Arc is a gag about how Krillin is able to beat a martial artist who has never bathed and uses stench as a weapon, because he doesn’t have a nose to smell him with. The best side character in this series goes from being an angry, murderous criminal to being a cheerful, innocent sprite every time she sneezes, and she always sneezes at the worst possible moments for everyone. Hell, the entire Red Ribbon Army Arc is a joke about how Goku completely obliterates a major threat to the world on a whim, because none of them are martial artists, and not a real challenge as a result!

The very magic of Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is that it takes this melodramatic source material and finds the space within it to make jokes again. The Saiyans are a world-dooming threat, but Nappa is hilarious, and I will forever quote everything he said. Freeza is a genocidal tyrant who has taken the galaxy by force, but even when the world around him is unable to laugh, his spoiled, petulant attitude is funny as hell, and full of delightful dark humor. Even the darkest timeline of Trunks’ future is filled with jokes, whether that be the genuinely despicable ramblings of TJ and the Wombat, or a 50-year-old Bulma making a pass at Gohan, perfectly fitting her original boy-crazy characterization.

And phenomenally, Dragon Ball Z: Abridged manages to do everything I just mentioned without sacrificing an ounce of drama. Goku’s battle against Freeza is desperate, and his Spirit Bomb failing rips the ground out from under you. Future Trunks’ battle against the Cyborgs is tense, and his first transformation into a Super Saiyan is gut-wrenching. Even in the first season, before they fully found their feet, Team Four Star managed to make the battle between Goku and Vegeta every bit as tense as it needed to be, while still incorporating a constant stream of jokes.

So where does that leave us with Episode 60?

Part II

What, exactly, is the purpose of an abridged series?

I think it’s fair to say that an abridged series is, at its core, an adaptation of a work of art from one medium to another. This is a statement I’ve made before in these reviews, but I don’t think I’ve ever elaborated on it. It feels rather obvious to me that an abridged series be treated as any other adaptation might, because at the end of the day, that’s what artists like Team Four Star, LittleKuriboh, and Something Witty Entertainment are doing. They are adapting a work from the medium of televised anime to the medium of a comedy YouTube short, and making the same kinds of adaptational decisions in creating these series as a production team turning a book into a movie.

You can see this question of adaptation present itself as far back as some of the earliest abridged series, like Avatar: The Abridged Series. Most of that show intentionally leans into the weakest aspects of Katara’s character, emphasizing her feminity, thirst for cute boys, and quick temper far more than the original show ever did. Yet, in its last episode, Katara undergoes a significant transformation in the face of Paku’s sexism, and is completely reimagined with a new voice actress as she goes on a rant about the sexist ways she’s been written, and her refusals to stand for it anymore. The last episode of this abridged series ever made goes out of its way to critique both itself and its source material in its last episode, and it begs the question of how far an abridged series adaptation can go.

Sword Art Online: Abridged famously goes even further in its critique of its source material. Almost every character is completely rewritten to serve as both a more accurate representation of online culture, and a deconstruction of their original persona, with Kirito in particular standing out as a fantastic depiction of the kind of loneliness and self-isolation that comes with being a try-hard edgelord. It takes an entire season of the show for Kirito to learn to truly connect with other people, and that growth is made all the more satisfying by showing genuinely difficult it is for him to maintain anything resembling a positive friendship with anyone because of those edgelord tendencies.

These shows both have very different purposes, in large part due to the evolving understanding of what an abridged series is capable of between their creations, but they both raise a fairly similar question: what happens when you give everyone with a video editor and internet connection the ability to re-tell someone else’s story?1

The answer here is something I think is quite beautiful. The abridged series thrives outside of the realm of copyright locked down by rent-seeking ideas landlords, and allows individuals, groups, and communities to reimagine their favorite stories. Sometimes, what they imagine is as simple as few extra jokes, or a simple rant about the sexist way a character is written, and sometimes, what they imagine is a completely new version of the story that actually raises interesting questions and showcases compelling characters.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the abridged series found its roots in the copyright-less utopia of early YouTube, when anyone had the freedom to take something they loved or hated, and transform it into something completely different. The rise of Content ID has long since taken away this pure, unadulterated freedom from us, and I truly feel that the internet is worse off for it.

When it comes to Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, the show we are watching is the result of a bunch of people who love Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z more than anything else, asking what they can do to make the show funnier, smarter, and more meaningful. Team Four Star found their footing as writers when they began to focus on the comedy that came from character interaction, as we watched these huge personalities clash, and for every funny joke they were able to draw out of that foundation, they managed to draw even more pathos and catharsis for these characters.

Which is to say, Team Four Star took the idea of an abridged series, and went even further beyond.

Part III

Episode 60 of Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is a massive episode that provides a satisfying resolution to the whole series, and nearly every storyline running within it. It also highlights the relationship between its characters fantastically, placing most of the story’s emotional weight on the fractured dynamic between Gohan and his chronically absent father, Goku.

The entire first part of the episode is focused on the tension between who Gohan fundamentally is, and the man his father expects him to be. Goku has, in a stroke of fighting genius (the only genius he is capable of), perfectly planned out this encounter between Perfect Cell and Gohan. He’s manipulated Cell into hosting a tournament for the fate of the world, and placed his son in the perfect position to take down Cell and ascend to power greater than anyone has ever seen. And it’s all ruined because, as Piccolo perfectly points out, Gohan hates fighting.

The subtext of emotional strain between Goku and Gohan has been running throughout the entire series, but it’s finally brought to the forefront of the text in this moment. We see Gohan wrack himself emotionally and Cell wrack him physically, as he and Cell both try to force himself to fill the role his father has placed him in. Even as Cell violently births his own progeny to wreck Goku and his companions, in a last ditch effort to stir a fire within Gohan, Goku’s son cannot bring himself to be the warrior his father believes him to be.

Android 16’s speech and subsequent death changes all of that for Gohan. In a moment set to a breathtaking cover of Unmei no Hi, Gohan internalizes the lesson passed onto him by Android 16, who thoroughly eviscerated the liberal pacifism Gohan has been trying to embody. And Gohan gets angry. So angry that his power skyrockets, and he becomes a Super Duper Saiyan.

Super Duper Saiyan Gohan is fucking terrifying.

Throughout Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, we’ve come to know Gohan as an incredibly intelligent, exuberant, compassionate bookworm. Even though he doesn’t want his entire life to revolve around education and books, he still revels in knowledge and the opportunity to learn, and some of his cutest moments are when he is allowed to be truly childlike, like when he eagerly investigated Cell’s time travel pod for clues.

Every single ounce of compassion and love for life Gohan had before transforming into a Super Duper Saiyan is replaced with rage. Rage at Cell for destroying Android 16, a beautiful soul who did nothing wrong. Rage at Goku for thrusting him into this fight unprepared, and taking away the only hope he felt by throwing Cell a Senzu. And rage, most of all, at the world, for being so fucked up that he was forced into this situation to begin with.

Gohan’s rage is cold though. There is no righteous fury like Goku, no petulant tantrum like Vegeta, no sorrowful torment like Trunks. This Gohan slowly defines the word “filicide” for Cell as he effortlessly commits it, wiping out all of Cell’s children so quickly even Freeza, the most murderous being we’ve met in this universe, would be impressed.

That very rage drives all of Gohan’s decisions, as he lords his power over Cell and takes every opportunity to torment him. He blows away all of Cell’s limbs with a Kamehameha, and then guts him with his fist so hard that he throws up Android 18, and loses his Perfect form. It’s this blindness by rage that leads to Gohan’s greatest mistake, of not finishing off Cell, who tries to blow himself and the planet up in order to gain some kind of victory.

What’s perfect about this moment though is that while Gohan feels entirely responsible for his mistake, Goku knows better. He recognizes the responsibility he bears for Gohan’s bloodlust, and knows that the only way to make it right is to remove Cell from the equation altogether, teleporting the two of them to King Kai’s planet in bold move to save the earth.

Goku’s decision to sacrifice himself also recalibrates Gohan’s perspective, guiding him away from the rage that filled him before, so that when Cell returns, and murders Vegeta’s baby boy, Gohan doesn’t hesitate to put himself in harms way to protect Vegeta from a deadly blow. It costs him an arm, but his commitment to protecting others, even when it’s stupid, and even when it gets himself hurt, is true to the Gohan we’ve come to know and love. All that’s left for Gohan to do is face off against Cell, one Kamehameha against another, and draw on the strength and fighting spirit of his father to deliver the final blow.

Goku and Gohan aren’t the only two characters whose relationship is deepened in this episode. Vegeta’s enraged cry of “MY BABY BOY!” when Cell kills Trunks shows just how much Vegeta has come to love his own son, despite the airs he puts on to the contrary. Piccolo’s love for Gohan is also expressed incredibly here as he lectures Goku for not paying attention to the needs and wants of his son, who just wanted to receive love and affection from his father.

In fact, the love that these characters have for each other, and the ways they express it, is a theme that runs deep in this episode. Trunks love for all these folks around him is shown as he dutifully delivers them all Senzu Beans, quietly making silly puns to each of them. Krillin’s love for Android 18 is displayed wonderfully, whether through him gaining the strength to stand up to Vegeta because she’s resting in his arms, or through him wishing her and her brother free of the bombs implanted in them. Even Yamcha and Tenshinhan are given a moment of brotherly love, as they express for the first time in words how much they both mean to each other.

That very love is also what drives Goku to refuse to be resurrected at the end of the episode, despite Cell having been defeated. He genuinely loves Gohan, Goten, Chi Chi, and all of his friends, and knows that the best way to show his love, for once, is actually to be away from them, and spend time in heaven with King Kai. He’s not afraid of the great change this will be, both for him, and the people he loves, and is willing to embrace the afterlife if it means safety for his loved ones.

Goku’s speech about embracing change and not being a part of his loved ones’ life anymore is also very easy to read as a coda to Dragon Ball Z: Abridged itself. He, and all the rest of these characters, are saying good-bye to us, the audience that has followed them on their journey for years, and they are all embracing the truth that it is beautiful to let this show end on its own happy terms. It’s ironic that, at the time, Team Four Star announced that they would be trying to continue this series, but it’s clear they grew to see the wisdom in Goku’s words too.

A similar message can be found in Cell’s final moments, as he gives us a beautiful rendition of Frank Sinatra’s My Way. Team Four Star, just like this villain, has spent nearly a decade re-telling the three sagas of Dragon Ball Z they loved the most, and at every turn, they chose to do it their way. Sometimes, in the early days, that meant reference-based humor that aged like milk, but more often than not, it meant leaning into their strengths as comedic writers, taking creative liberties with the source material, and working to elevate the text of Dragon Ball Z to something even better than the original show.

I don’t know what to call that other than Perfect.

Epilogue

The journey that I’ve been on with Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, both as a viewer and critic, has been an incredible one. It has meant more to me than just about any other show I’ve ever watched, and stands up there with some of the most impactful art that I’ve experienced. It’s a show I’ve watched when I was suicidally depressed to find some sort of levity, a show I found enough depth in to meticulously critique every episode, and a show I’ve gotten even my shounen-indifferent partner to get extremely hype about, as I showed them the entire show in the lead-up to its fantastic finale.

What Team Four Star managed to create in Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is something genuinely special. It’s a show that makes me laugh harder than just about anything. It’s a show that’s made me cry more times than I can count too, as I was tearing up multiple times while re-watching the finale for this review. It’s even a show that I get to cringe at sometimes, when I think of the early seasons, but that cringing makes it all the more impressive how much Team Four Star improved as storytellers, and elevated their craft to tell their version of Dragon Ball Z better than anyone else could.

I love Dragon Ball Z: Abridged. I will always love Dragon Ball Z: Abridged. And even though it’s over, I know it will always be there for me, waiting for me to tag along with Goku, Krillin, Vegeta, and Gohan, as they power up and save the world.

Rating: 5/5

If you like my writing, consider supporting my continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.

Stray Observations

1This question, you might notice, is exactly the same question raised by the existence of fan-fiction, and this is because abridged series are, at their core, no different from any other form of fan-fiction. An abridged series does, by its nature, require more work and expertise than a piece of prose on Archive of Our Own, but all it achieves, in the end, is a greater level of accessibility, like the difference between a written article and a video essay.

I genuinely adore that in this episode, when Piccolo goes to yell at Gohan to dodge, he’s already dodging Cell perfectly. What a great ending to a running gag.

Yamcha’s every line in this episode is great too. He just wants to be included, whether that’s in Team Three Star, or Cell’s plans for tournament entertainment, and I love him for that.

Super Duper Saiyan is also, just, fucking brilliant. Like, what a great way to use Goku’s silliness to get around the awkwardness of these forms being called Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3. Vegeta calling the next form Super-Dee-Duper Saiyan just sells the joke even further. If the show had continued for another season, I genuinely would have loved the comedy of these characters shouting about being “Super-Duper Saiyan” or “Super-Dee-Duper Saiyan,” and would love to see a mock-up of Goku’s “even further beyond” speech with these terms in Team Four Star’s style.

Krillin Owned Count: 0. And as a huge fan of Krillin, yeah, this makes me real fuckin’ happy J

Also holy shit, did Krillin cum 39 times??? That’s super impressive for a cis dude, mad props.

[androgynousbug]

I guess August was a good month for art last year! This one was fulfilling two prompts i got: squid and armadillo. usually my solution to prompts is... to make a shirt out of it. and once again, i have created outfits... that i want irl.

[aboutanancientenquiry]

Herodotus, Sesostris, and the Egyptian tradition

” NOTES ON HERODOTUS’ SESOSTRIS (HDT. II 102-110)*

Vasileios Liotsakis

If one wishes to grasp the character of Egyptian propaganda against the Persian rulers of the country from 525 BC, when the Persians occupied Egypt, on the basis of only one story, one could do no better than to read the legend of Sesostris (HdtII 102-110). By using this legend the now humbled royal priests of Egypt create a mighty ruler who surpasses all the Persian monarchs in every respect, thus salvaging some of Egypt’s lost pride in the splendor of her old Empire1. If Darius was a great conqueror, Sesostris, according to the tradition, was greater still. He cam-paigned against peoples in the Red Sea, Scythia and Thrace (II 102-106), and was the only pharaoh who managed to rule Ethiopia (II 110, 1). Thus, as the Egyptians informed Herodotus, the priest of Hephaestus did not give permission to Darius to erect an effigy of himself in front of Sesostris’ statue, and for the same reason Darius himself accepted such an insult, silently admitting his inferiority (II 110, 2-3).  Moreover, if Persian rulers could display sizeable monuments and constructions, such as bridges or canals, through which they controlled the forces of nature, the Egyptians could proudly point to the huge monuments of Sesostris and his family and to such institutions as an irrigation system, roads and equitable division of land (II 108-110). Last, but not least, if the Persian kings were in a position to exercise their power in the solution of internal political problems, Sesostris was quite ca-pable of dealing easily with internal threats as well, such as his brother’s conspiracy (II 107-108, 1).

Of course, the real Sesostris did not actually accomplish everything the priests attributed to him. For example, he never made an expedition to the Red Sea2, although this was not a problem for the Egyptian priests. Such was Sesostris’ antiquity, that the priests were in a position to assert whatever they like, in order to belittle Darius’ efforts to expand his empire in the area3. Furthermore, it is not certain whether the conspiracy involving Sesostris’ brother was fact or fiction4. The Egyptians attributed such feats to their emblematic hero and probably did so by amalgamating the achievements of several pharaohs. While it is generally agreed that “King Sesostris” stems from the name “Senusret”, of the kings of the 12th dynasty, especially Senusret III, some have suggested that this persona also includes elements of other kings, such as RamesesII or Amenemhet III5. Whatever the exact  combination of elements drawn from other pharaohs to create the legend, one is justified in suspecting that Herodotus’ Sesostris is a fictional combination of more than one king.

In this paper, rather than pursuing the old question of Sesostris’ identity6, I will combine the results of previous scholars’ work with new findings, in the hope of reaching some conclusions regarding the origins and the significance of three part sof Sesostris’ tale in Herodotus’ narrative: a) the reason for the king’s failure in the Red Sea (II 102, 2), b) the presence and the anonymity of the king’s wife (II 107, 2),and c) the punishment of Sesostris’ brother (II 108, 1) in the conspiracy episode. Given the general unreliability of this information and our difficulty in identifying which pharaohs it actually refers to, in order to examine items a), b) and c) I will pass them through multiple filters, namely ancient Egyptian literature, Herodotus’own narrative strategies, other historical sources and archaeological finds. In the last part of my paper I will focus on the possibly laudatory character of the conspiracy episode.”

“To recapitulate: As was said at the beginning of this paper, the complexity of the circumstances under which the Sesostris legend was composed and the abundance of its possible sources (Egyptian tradition, religion, literature, Greek rationalism, plethora of kings etc.) hinder any efforts to clarify the origin of its specific elements. In addition to all these factors, one should certainly add Herodotus’ inability to understand every single ideological implication of such stories. Nevertheless, despite all this, a closer examination of the relationship of the legend to Egyptian tradition can help us understand that Sesostris’ narrative is more Egyptian than has been thought so far. Moreover, it can help us incorporate even apparently irrelevant parts of the legend, such as the conspiracy episode, within the propagandistic logic and intentions of this account.

 Abstract : Although Herodotus’ narrative on Sesostris’ legend (Hdt.II 102-110) has been well-examined, there are certain elements of this legend that call for further discussion. Specifically, the reasons of Sesostris’ failure at the Red Sea and the presence of his wife int he conspiracy episode are believed to be of non-Egyptian origins, but a closer examination of them through the filters of ancient Egyptian literature, Herodotus’ own narrative strategies, other historical sources and archaeological finds may prove the opposite. Moreover, the same filters can help us learn more about the punishment of Sesostris’ brother and reveal the laudatory character of the conspiracy episode as a whole.”

Opening paragraphs, conclusion, and abstract of the paper of Vasileios Liotsakis “Notes on Herodotus’ Sesostris (Hdt. II 102-110)”, Maia 66, 2014, 500-517

Source with the entirety of the paper: https://www.academia.edu/11802141/_Notes_on_Herodotus_Sesostris_Hdt._II_102-110_Maia_66_2014_500-517

Vasileios Liotsakis,  University of the Peloponnese, Department of Philology, Assistant Professor.

I remind here that Herodotus’ narrative of the Sesostris legend belongs to the pre-Saite period of the Egyptian history, about which he says that he just reports what he has heard from the Egyptian priests, expressing implicitely some dissatisfaction with these accounts (Herodotus is on the contrary and justifiably more confident about the veracity of the reports he collected on the Saite period). It seems however that Herodotus here and elsewhere records genuine Egyptian traditions of the fifth century BCE and, therefore, this part of his Book II on Egypt, even if historically largely inaccurate, is an important testimony about how the Egyptians of the period of the Persian domination of Egypt saw the remote past of their country.

[thisdaynews]

Man Utd 1-1 Liverpool: Adam Lallana saves Reds' unbeaten start

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/man-utd-1-1-liverpool-adam-lallana-saves-reds-unbeaten-start/

Man Utd 1-1 Liverpool: Adam Lallana saves Reds' unbeaten start

Adam Lallana’s equaliser was his first Premier League goal since May 2017

Adam Lallana’s late equaliser rescued a point for Liverpool at Old Trafford as Manchester United ended the leaders’ flawless start to the Premier League season.

Liverpool were in search of their 18th successive league win to equal Manchester City’s top-flight record set between August and December 2017 but had to settle for a point after a scrappy encounter.

Marcus Rashford’s hotly-contested first-half goal, allowed after a video assistant referee check for a foul by Victor Lindelof on Divock Origi, looked to be condemning Liverpool to their first league loss since they went down at Manchester City in January.

Rashford finished neatly from Daniel James’ cross in the 36th minute but Liverpool, who saw a first-half strike from Sadio Mane ruled out by VAR for handball, struck back when substitute Lallana arrived unmarked at the far post to score from Andy Robertson’s cross five minutes from time.

The draw means Liverpool’s advantage at the top of the table has been cut to six points.

Analysis – how Solskjaer found a way to stop Liverpool

Klopp: Man Utd always set up to defend against us

Was Liverpool’s run always destined to end at Man Utd?

Discover how you rated the players

Liverpool grateful for a point

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Man Utd 1-1 Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp takes issue with tackle on Divock Origi

Liverpool’s relentless start to the season ended here at Old Trafford, an arena where they always struggle to produce their best.

They have failed to win on their past six visits to Manchester United, comprising three losses and three draws, meaning manager Jurgen Klopp is still searching for his first win here with Liverpool.

Robbed of the injured Mohamed Salah, Liverpool started with Origi on the left and rarely displayed the intensity and attacking verve that has become their trademark in a strangely subdued performance. They had 68% of the ball but barely created any clear-cut opportunities in a match that swiftly became a war of attrition.

Liverpool, however, are sustained by a fierce determination even when not in top gear and Lallana was on the mark after a lengthy spell of possession to score his first league goal for over two years.

Klopp’s side even threatened to snatch victory, but substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s shot flashed inches wide.

Klopp was furious about the decision to award Rashford’s goal but he must also accept that this was a below-par Liverpool performance and in the end they and their fans, who taunted their United counterparts with inflatable Champions League trophies and the number “6”, were grateful for a draw that means they still have a healthy advantage at the Premier League summit.

United show character and fight

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Danny Murphy believes Man Utd’s performance against Liverpool is something to ‘build on’

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be bitterly disappointed they could not hang on for five more minutes for what would have been a hugely satisfying landmark win.

He will, however, be delighted with the fight, spirit and organisation shown by his side, especially as the five-man defensive system United had been working on this week was disrupted minutes before kick-off when Axel Tuanzebe was injured in the warm-up and replaced by Marcos Rojo.

They subdued Liverpool until they switched off carelessly late on when Rojo went missing and Ashley Young failed to spot the danger from Lallana in behind him.

Overall, however, this was a huge improvement simply in terms of resilience and character.

Goalscorer Rashford worked tirelessly while Scott McTominay continues to mature in midfield, and the Stretford End showed their appreciation at the final whistle.

This is a mediocre Manchester United side but there was no shortage of effort and they deserved a point that Solskjaer will hope provides a platform for a rise up the table.

Man of the match – Marcus Rashford

Some 35% of Marcus Rashford’s Premier League goals have come against ‘big six’ sides (11/31)

‘A step in the right direction’ – what they said

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer:“It’s important to get results. That’s the only way to grow confidence. A win would have been great but a draw is a step in the right direction.

“As a manager you want results now – you can’t lose four, five or six games on the bounce. We’re looking to win games as soon as possible.”

On the lack of a free-kick to Liverpool in the build-up to Rashford’s goal:“It’s maybe a slight touch but it’s not a clear and obvious error. It’s still a man’s game with tackles allowed, and the second one [Sadio Mane’s disallowed goal] was a handball. Today we were on the right end of the VAR decisions.”

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Man Utd 1-1 Liverpool: Solskjaer praises referee Atkinson

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp:“The result is OK. It’s not what we wanted but we have to be happy given how the game developed. The first half I didn’t like because we gave United the chance to do what they want to do – to put us under pressure and be aggressive. They were not better than we were but they did what they wanted to do.

“They scored a goal which shows all the problems with VAR. Mr Atkinson let the game run I’m sure because there is VAR. For me it was a clear foul. It’s a general problem. VAR looks and says ‘you decided like this’. But it was a foul. Then we scored a goal that was disallowed. Pretty much everything went against us but we still didn’t lose so that is OK.

“We were in charge 100% towards the end. We wanted a different result but to do that you have to play better.”

Match stats – Klopp’s struggles against Solskjaer

Liverpool failed to win for the first time in 18 Premier League games, since a goalless draw with Everton in March.

No side has dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League this season than Manchester United (8, level with Aston Villa).

United registered their second lowest possession figure (32.1%) in a Premier League home match since 2003-04, second only to 32.06% against Liverpool in March 2018.

Five of the past seven Premier League meetings between United and Liverpool have ended level (one win each) – just four of the previous 36 between the sides had been drawn.

English players scored for both Manchester United and Liverpool in a Premier League meeting for the first time since November 2001 (David Beckham and Michael Owen).

Since the start of last season, Liverpool have scored 28 Premier League goals in the final 15 minutes of games, more than any other side.

Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the only manager Jurgen Klopp has faced more than once in the Premier League and failed to beat (P2 D2).

35% of Marcus Rashford’s 31 Premier League goals for Manchester United have come against ‘big six’ opponents (11/31).

Liverpool’s Adam Lallana netted his first goal in 29 Premier League appearances, since scoring against Middlesbrough in May 2017.

Since the start of 2017-18, Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson has registered 19 assists in the Premier League, more than any other defender.

What’s next?

Liverpool visit Genk in the Champions League on Wednesday, with United at Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League on Thursday.

Next Sunday in the Premier League, Liverpool host Tottenham with United at Norwich City.

Read More

[fmlfpl]

Lineup Lamentations - GW1

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s for the week!

WAHT THE HELL GAMEWEEK ONE IS HERE RELFANVLAISFBOVUB lkaeb!!!!!!

---

WALSH

GK:

Pope (SOU)

Pope gets the nod.

My body is ready for Hart in the GW1 sheet since there aren't many more weekends where a baseball cap is going to do bits in the land that lays so close to the sun moon and stars that is England. That said, Pope is fit and Pope is good. I am not thrilled with the fixtures early doors but I am going to go back to the Dyche GK well which has always proven to be point machines in the last few seasons.

I will remain faithful that Dyche is not a psychopath idiot and will play the better player here from the off. We'll see how that goes. 

DEF:

Robertson & Alexander-Arnold (NOR)

Robbo and Trent are my weapons of choice from the Livp backline. I found the .5 to bump VVD to Trent simply because I want to go with the high upside play. I can see sticking VVD in after the first WC for the long term stability but at the moment it seems like rolling the fullbacks is more fun and more sex.

Maitland-Niles (new)

As shouted on the pod, double barreled savage with a girl's first name Ashley Maitland-Niles survives the final cull. I have no confidence in Arsenal defense but given his attacking threat I feel like he's a good 5m pick. Couple of good fixtures to start and until Bellend returns from his fashionista vacation it looks like AMN has a stranglehold on the spot. Get the fuck in Ash.

Söyüncü (WOL)

Last friend is the umlaut machine Caglar Soyuncu. Guestjason put his xUMLAUT per 90 at approximately infinity to one so I need to back the boy. Binning slabhead and purchasing no one else means there is a 4.5 route into a defense that should not have a 4.5 option in it. Even though Brodge is attack attack attack...I expect them to be able to boss games to the point that they keep double digit cleans this season. The opening set of fixtures isn't tremendous, but he rotates well with my friends and so here we are. Wolves have multiple games and many thousands of miles to travel every week that I don't think it is that insane to think Leic boss this game. We'll see.

MID:

Salah (NOR)

Mo is in. Not much to say there so I won't bother.

Pérez (WOL)

Ayoze is stuck in my fucking lover. Could be one of those "season keeper" types that I read about in storybooks and fairy tales...

Martial (CHE)

In the 7.5m spot I made a late call on backing Tony M the glove merchant.

While I still like Lukash (Moura) as a little short term punt I just came to the realization while driving home from work today that if United are okay with binning Rom to fuck land without reinvesting it only means that they feel good with what they have going in attack. Tony is semi-oop and could just be a rocket. United are still good with good players even if their manager is a wee hobbit fuckface who doesn't really have the credentials to hold his job.

I think in spite of him it could be a bumper year for Tony and I'm happy to start here and see how it goes. Goals have to come from somewhere and it might just be here.

Robinson (bou)

Finally, much like my blurb - if you can even call it that - on Mo...same sentiments are echoed with Callum "the countymaker" Robinson. Best mid in the game, easiest pick of my life.

FWD:

Kane (AVL) & Aubameyang (new)

Kane and Aubz are up top and ready to fuck. Couple of good guys who I like and seem like pretty safe picks. They aren't nearly as good as CalRob but they'll do. As mentioned on the pod if one goes pear shaped it's either an easyish swap to Kun or an easy double swap to Raz...tbd.

BENCH:

GK: Woodman (ARS)

Frederick Woodman get the fuck in there. Side game of fantasy championship team is in full flow with this boy. Realistically he won't drop in price and he makes me laugh. What more from a 4m gk could one ask for? I don't know.

DEF: Montoya (wat)

Montoya also survives the cull despite my best efforts otherwise. He's got some good opening fixtures and while I am not disillusioning myself that Brighton defense is good, he is an OOP wingback and cheap as chips. The American Express Card Arena is still a tough place for teams to go play and with his attacking intent seems a good rotating option for home games at the off.

MID: Wilshere (MCI)

Jack! Jack is love, Jack is life. Get. The. Fuck. In.

FWD: Wickham (EVE)

I fucking love Wickham and I genuinely think he is much better than Benteke. I don't think it's insane to think that he gets the nod over Benteke somewhere around GW7 when Benteke is on 1 goal off 8.4xG. Come to me Connor.

CAP:

Salah (NOR)

I'm joining the herd and rolling with Mo. He looked like an electric factory in the last preseason game and Norwich are fucking bad.

---

ALON

GK:

Ederson (whu)

Ended up following my logic and a lot of my picks from the last pod.

I still get that warm fuzzy feeling from a premium keeper and with Pope’s bad fixtures to start (and coming off injury) and City’s backline a complete toss-up it feels ok to me to have the only actual 100% nailed guy in Pep’s bald head...

DEF:

van Dijk & Gomez (NOR)

I maintain that Gomez is first choice and it’s his spot to lose.

Walsh’s points about premium defenders and where the actual value lies hit me and I think getting a potentially nailed on 5.5 piece of Liverpool defense is too tasty to turn down... It’s not that sweaty hot passionate sex of a Trent & Robbo double up fogging up your car windows but it’s kinda safe and kinda great. Maybe for me safe is good in GW1 because usually every transfer I’m drawn towards during the season is very unsafe if that makes any sense...

Digne (cry)

Easy and phenomenal pick... I’m still worried about the middle of the pitch without Gueye but at least they bought some replacements unlike some other teams.

The attacking returns should fly and Iwobi and Kean make the team better and I’m just excited about the business that Everton is getting done in this moment.

Maitland-Niles (new)

Hell fuckin’ yeah. Ashley is in there and rotates extremely well with the aforementioned by Walsh backgammon playing coffee drinking umlaut machine on my bench.

Arsenal made their team better this summer and Luiz is instantly their best CB and a massive upgrade. I don’t think they can possibly be as unorganized and wobbly as last season under Emery and especially so when Tierney eventually gets in there... Come on AMN.

MID:

Salah (NOR)

Duh easy, the best attacker in the league and in the game.

Sterling (whu)

Also duh easy the second best player in the game and on the best team.

Pérez (WOL)

Alsoooooo duh easy the trendiest pick in a long time in the FPL community. Seems like the towers simply underpriced him and moving him to MID made no sense. He’s in pretty much every team I see on our Slack and elsewhere too. Great pick.

Richarlison (cry)

After all these weeks of tinkering thousands of different teams in and out and all over the place I ended up back on Rich.

*Shrugs*

He’s a real good guy, I’ve always liked him and I’ve owned him a lot of his Prem career.

The fixtures are obviously absurd and now they have a guy who can pass the ball in Iwobi which should make the whole attack function better and they have a guy who can score goals in Kean which also should make everything better... Up against Joel Ward for GW1 just feels fantastic. Let’s go Richy!!!

FWD:

Wilson (SHU)

Simple and good and safe pick. When he’s fit he’s just a really good player.

Also with the huge captain GW2 dilemma I’m looking at Wilson... It’s away so not ideal but it’s away Villa soooo yeah. I’m interested.

Not really sure why Callum’s not rumored to be transferred all over the place every summer (maybe because of the injuries) but he’s just very good. I love the first two fixtures for him and then I’ll probably get rid. Maybe to <3 Haller <3...

Deulofeu (BHA)

You can imagine my delight when Gerry was passed fit and ready to fuck...

I really think he’s by far the best 6.5 or under forward to start with when you combine his qualities and Watford’s fixtures.

The first four are great and that combination of fixtures and quality doesn’t exist at this price bracket... He’ll probably become Jota or some 6.0 emerges and he becomes that when his fixtures turn but for now I feel great about this spot. Flat track bully Gerard Deulofeu.

BENCH:

GK: Woodman (ARS)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? I cannot say it better then Walsh has already said it so I’m copy and pasting from above, “Realistically he won't drop in price and he makes me laugh. What more from a 4m GK could one ask for? I don't know.”

DEF: Söyüncü (WOL)

Soy boy was my first instinct after Leicester didn’t get a CB to replace slabhead with... 4.5 pretty nailed CB on a top 6ish defense? Yeah, I’m in. Love the pick. And he rotates really well with AMN.

MID: Hayden (ARS)

He’s kinda good. Dendoncker can fuck off.

FWD: Wickham (EVE)

Gotta support my pod partner and hope that Wickham usurps Benteke sooner then later.

CAP:

Salah (NOR)

When every manager in the world goes for the same player it’s for a reason. Every person who shits on Mo and hates Mo on twitter crawls back into their desk chair and throws the cap on the boy. Get. In.

I decided not to triple cap not really because of the DGW that Liverpool will have in the first half of the season but more because, and credit to Walsh for pointing this out, Mané is not nailed for GW1 and I don’t like that... 

I didn’t bother looking at numbers of with Mané vs. without Mané because the sample size is too small it’s irrelevant to me but I do know that if Origi starts GW1 then Liverpool’s attack as a whole will not function as well as it would with Mané. We saw how anonymous Origi was vs. City in the Comm. Shield and how City were able to basically triple team Mo every time he had the ball. So I don’t like that.

But for cap it’s still automatic. And with that... Here we gooooooo!!!!!

[blaireducroix]

Repairing Relations, Part 2

((A Continuation of Repairing Relations Part 1, like before thanks for reading and enjoy, and ask questions or leave comments. That is all.))

Blaire’s focus was directly on Demetrius when he swiped the bottle from her hands. She didn’t have a second to even react. She scowled at him slightly clenching her fists.

“Give it back Demetrius…I am not drunk.” She thought on his words for a few moments and grew quiet.

“No…I did not think like that. To be honest I can barely recall what I thought at the time only that when I came to you…I had left Sybil…and was willing to do whatever I needed to get away from her and find something…someone to truly help me become something more…like I have been told countless times that I am capable of being.” She panned her gaze down. “As for why I go back to her…like an abused puppy…maybe it is because deep down…you are right. I face the abuse with Monisha yet I stay. I faced a similar in a different way with Sybil. With Isabella, too…everyone that I have tried to be with…to get help from…they are abusive people either mentally…or physically…and in their own ways. Yet I am drawn to them.” She looked to the bottle in his hands.

“I want to stop drinking…but at this point, it’s what helps keep the nightmares away…and even then, it doesn’t always work.”

Blaire moved slightly away from Demetrius around the fire.

“Take it for what it is worth Demetrius, but truly…I am sorry for what I did to you. Not even you deserved the treatment like what I gave to you by leaving.”

Demetrius only shrugged as he stepped closer to the flames, pouring the alcohol into it slowly. He watched as the fire began to rise greedily.

“Pain is how we learn. The path of pain leads to the road of growth. To not experience pain, and to be incapable of experiencing pain, is to be robbed of the potential to grow. The abuse has taught you that you have problems, and that these problems lead to more problems. And unfortunately, it took alcohol for you to voice it, but you’ve learned that you have problems. You have grown in some sense. Though it took you almost a year to do so.”

Blaire looked to her left watching the liquor get poured into the growing flames. A part of her screamed in pain as her reliance on the amber liquid had a strong hold. She fought the urge to try and rip the bottle back from his hands.

“Except all my life I have experienced pain, and growth, but have never overcame the feeling of never being a part of a family, at least on that actually gave two shits about me and didn’t want me dead…or missing. A void I still seem to have trouble filling. I guess the abuse…at least it lets me know that someone is doing something to me because they care. That is why Moni does what she does, I have seen it…as cold and heartless as she can be…there is an ounce of care for me at least. Sybil was the same way…a bit cruder…not in the same way as Moni…but Amon was at her side helping her fill that void…but they too eventually disappeared with no word. I guess I see where I get my habit of leaving people without notice…it’s been done to me so many times.”

Blaire waited again and grew quiet as she stared into the darkness of the woods, watching the eyes of the beasts blink and stare back at the small camp.

“I have felt the pain of it all Demetrius…abandonment, fear, shame, regret…yet I would expect to see more growth in myself at this point. To be honest I don’t know where my future lies. Under the thumb of Monisha…where maybe a small sense of belonging could be…or in the world not sure what the fuck I am to do with myself…who I am to be.”

She turned to face Demetrius and took a few steps towards him and laid her forehead on his shoulder trying hard to fight back the brewing tears. She stared at the ground cleaning away at her eyes with her hand.

“And even to admit…sometimes…the abuse…it…has an effect on me. Probably a pervert for thinking such things but…there is always that feeling along with the pain.”

If it wasn’t evident...the Liquor had firmly set in and the filter on the connection between her mind and her mouth was gone.

Demetrius turned his gaze to Blaire, quirking a brow at the woman as she rested her head on his shoulder wondering why once again it was like this for him. He turned back to the flames watching the last few drops empty from the bottle into the fire.

“I’ve always been aware that you are a pervert. You work with Monisha…of course you are one.” He reached over and patted her head. “Just because there is pain doesn’t mean that you will grow all the time. It is difficult. Pain is merely the path towards growth. You’re beginning to learn it seems. Good for you.”

Blaire perked a brow looking to the ground as he patted her head. She took a step back.

“I will not insult you by asking if you would be willing to take me back...I do not deserve the honor, nor do I want to risk betraying you again.” She stared into the flames. “And an honest question for you… is it so wrong that I work for Monisha? I mean I know she is…crazy…but …I have mentioned past dealings with you to her and she seemed to have not minded. She only gets really upset when she finds out I have been in talks with her mortal enemies…like Varyem…and some Holts. But in your eyes…seeing me as I am…why is it so wrong I work for her…or go back to her…aside from the mistake of choosing her over you without so much as an explanation or an attempt to still see you. Mistakes I am fully aware of.”

Demetrius focused on the face of Blaire.

“Take you back in what way exactly?”

He squinted before looking back to the flames as he dropped the glass bottle inside, allowing it to shatter amongst the rocks that created a barricade around the flame. Eventually he shrugged.

“D’Angelo thinks of herself, never her future, and never for the future of those that serve her or work with her. She holds no long-term goal. And if she does then her long-term goals are typically stupid. In retrospect, when I look back at my own time with her, even while on her council, I never really understood what we were doing. All we lived to do was serve her and be paid gold. But Honestly? She lacked gold so she couldn’t even pay me. For a time, we were mercenaries under her banner. But we still saw no gold. The things that I desired while under her? I took payment in the form of Isabella the sayaad, who was gifted to me. I still desired gold, but did I receive it? Not at all.”

His gaze stuck like glue to the flames as he recalled his past with Monisha. He shook his head.

“I was asked to teach her daughter, but what did she do? Gift her own flesh and blood to Slanzeth—I believe—one of the Endless Shadows in return for her own power back. Power that I had stated that I could teach her how to use properly. Which she denied my aid. I even sacrificed the child of my treacherous daughter to gift her with powers of the old golds; twilight. Divine Magic. A combination and fusion between light and shadow, so they say. Which was inside her. And I requested her to wait, but what did she do? Decided she wouldn’t wait. In short? D’Angelo is an idiot.”

Blaire couldn’t help but snicker.

“All truths sadly…yet I still go back to her. Things are different under Penny. People are at the least getting paid, and well too. Plans are laid out by others than Monisha. She has her sways but at least half the Order is actually a business making profits and prospering with the aid of people who actually know what they are doing. Monisha still does whatever it is she does best.” She crouched in front of the flames staring into them. “As for taking me back…in whatever ways you would see fit to allow. I do want to become stronger…better. Monisha has her guards…but many of them don’t have the silver tongue to save Monisha’s ass in a conversation that could lead to an altercation. I have gotten her out of many of those lately…well before my lapse into drunkenness. But always lessons that can be learned…like you said, IF anything more came of it…wouldn’t be up to me though. But again…I am not asking for what I do not deserve.”

Demetrius shrugged again. “I don’t see you as someone that would have an interest in joining my flock. Especially after the bombing. No offense, but you seem like someone that would rather join something bigger, and not like someone that would like to aid in the creation or growth of anything.” Demetrius focused on the face of Blaire. “I wish to develop a religion. A path for predators and fiends that join my flock.” He turned from Blaire stepping back to pick up the book on the log and hand it to her. “I do not have much now in terms of what I’ve written, though I have an introduction. Read it.”

Blaire took the book and ran her hands over the cover before opening it. Quickly looking at the contents page she got a rough idea of what the Crowpendium might be about. She flipped to the introduction and in a few moments…even though her mind was addled her knack for reading and retainment still seemed to be working. She nodded closing the cover handing it back to him.

“I see. Oddly I feel as if though I can relate…if but somewhat to those words. You are probably right, but there are things I could learn from you still. Could even be an asset if you needed an extra hand or something. If I can be honest as well…one of the reasons I left was your tree. As much as it intrigued me…what you had grown…it truly terrified me.” She looked to him now. “I hope you complete this tome Demetrius, I would sure love to read it in its fullest when you complete it. Even if I can just say it was another book to my list. Though from your introduction, I can see it will do so much more. I am not against helping build something…but I am not one for religions really. I have my deities back home, but even then, I am not devout. The offer is still there if you need help though, or want company.”

Demetrius nodded to her words as he took the tome back from her. He would set It back into its original place on the log before looking back to Blaire.

“I shall let you know when I am ready then. I will let these thoughts sit with you before returning to you. You tend to wish to change your mind. But I have no qualms with spreading my teachings to you and the lessons.”

Blaire looked back to him “Like mentioned before…you’re one of the few people I actually sense care…show it in odd ways but I feel…comfortable around you. It is why I was so eager to try and mend relations with you…I don’t have many that I can’t honestly call a friend in the least. Cannot afford to lose the ones I do have.”

Demetrius nodded and looked back to the flames. “Well, you’re more direct at least. So I suppose drinking has done some good.”

Blaire went quiet thinking on his comment before smirking “Funny I hadn’t noticed it in that way. I want to say I should drink more but I have peeved some people off as of late with the habit…and worried others.” She ran a hand through her hair thinking back on her past actions and conversations.

Demetrius tilted his head. “Drink more? I doubt that is wise, especially for you.” He stepped over and sat back on the log. “I am usually here now a day. If you wish to speak, feel free to come back. Or if you’d like the company then I’ll be here.”

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blaire came back to reality thinking only briefly on the conversation that followed those moments. She reached down to her belt pulling off the pouch he had given her. She pulled the blade he had gifted her before she left his company from the small pocket dimension. She laid it across her lap as she sat in front of the fire. She ran her fingers across its surface still admiring the craftsmanship of it. She leaned back in her chair looking up at her ceiling for a moment then back to the now roaring fire. The heat emanating from the fireplace was comfortable at the distance she was sitting.

She looked to her left looking out into the night sky through her window listening to the sounds of the harbor and smiled “Again Demetrius thank you…for everything. For another chance. Truly something I do not deserve.”

 ((Again Blank thank you for the RP, always a pleasure and emotional experience RPing with in the best of ways. Love the character building and everything and for real, I cannot wait to see the completion of the Crowpendium.))

(( @varyem-rhaine​ @monishadangelo @sybilnorth @demetrius-devereaux @golden-odyssey @penvenomstarkstar @amanthasdemons @the-house-of-crows ))

[torentialtribute]

Liverpool vs Norwich preview: Anfield hosts opening game of new Premier League season

Breathe quietly everyone, the Premier League is back!

A brand new season gets under way in Anfield tonight as title seeker Liverpool newly promoted host Norwich .

And on paper, the task that awaits the visitors is a huge task. The side of Jurgen Klopp is unbeaten in 40 league matches at home and it is undoubtedly the toughest return to the top flight that the Canary Islands could have asked for.

Liverpool began their search to end their title drought with what appears to be a comfortable three points. But will Mo Salah and Co shoot on all cylinders after a shaky preseason and defeat in the Community Shield?

Regarding Norwich, survival is the name of the game. After years of drifting between the Premier League and the championship, the club craves stability and Daniel Farke hopes to deliver that to Norfolk.

Liverpool was the second best in Manchester City on Sunday, that will be the case with May ?

Roberto Firmino gives thumbs to Liverpool players gathered at Anfield on Friday "class =" blkBorder img-share "/>

Roberto Firmino gives the thumbs up at the Liverpool players gathered at Anfield on Friday "class =" blkBorder img-share "/>

Roberto Firmino gives the thumbs up at the Liverpool players gathered at Anfield on Friday

LIVERPOOL: After European glory, all eyes are on domestic success

Here they are again. Liverpool is at the start of a new Premier League season with all the tools to win that elusive trophy. But can they finally put an end to years of pain?

The Reds were so close last season, but fell short as a relentless Manchester City on the finest margins to bring them to first place. The victory in the Champions League final meant that their efforts were not in vain, but now the focus is purely on domestic glory.

Since that victory night in Madrid, things have not gone as smoothly as the Kopites wanted. No party tents have arrived to ease the load on the famous front three and some abject performances on their tour through the United States made the fans a little restless.

Liverpool was beaten on Sunday by Manchester City in the community shield

Mohamed Salah looked sharply at Wembley despite less than two weeks preseason

It is however, it is important to remember that Liverpool E is European champions and a frontline t has hat is the envy of the world. Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have not played together in the preseason and it remains to be seen whether the latter will even play on Friday. He trained well this week, Klopp said, but will that be enough to make him a starter?

They also have a large number of options in midfield to choose from that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Adam Lallana They are fit and ready to play. Fabinho sparkled at the end of last season and he is expected to go one level higher after receiving a whole campaign under his belt.

This is the first time Liverpool and Norwich have met since a nine-goal thriller on Carrow Road in January 2016, which won the Reds 5-4. Sebastien Bassong scored an equalizer to make it 4-4 in the 92nd minute before Lallana put the winner at 94:18 and the subsequent celebrations saw that Klopp lost more than just his glasses.

Previous matches between these two were often graced by ridiculous performances by Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan scored 12 goals in five games against Norwich, including three hat tricks, and the sight of him far away in Barcelona will welcome visitors.

Jurgen Klopp's ruling European champions have now turned their eyes to the league title

The German lost his glasses during the crazy celebrations after their 5-4 win in 2016

Liverpool started 4-0 wins last season t home after West Ham and their shape at Anfield have been downright perfect. They have not lost home in the Premier League, they have won 30 and drawn 10 of their 40 games since they lost against Crystal Palace in April 2017.

The magnitude of the challenge for Norwich becomes even more difficult when you consider that the Reds are undefeated in 25 games in Anfield against newly promoted teams, with Klopp winning all 10 such games he has overseen.

Liverpool fans may be interested to know that the only previous opportunity they started at home to land the league against Norwich, they won the top title for Manchester City, which came second in 1976-77.

NORWICH: A group of brothers with a point to foresee … success will survive

The odds didn't lie and the Norwich's position as second favorites to be immediately downgraded to the second layer shows how much work they have to do.

The club welcomed six new signings in the summer, but paid for all minimum costs. Their model is to smartly recruit and target players who are undervalued elsewhere and are some of those rough diamonds that have raised them.

Striker Josip Drmic, who has joined a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach, is probably the most exciting new face, while a loan agreement for Ralf Fahrmann van Schalke has added experience to the team.

Norwich is back in big time after winning the championship title in style last season

Sam Byram and Patrick Roberts both also have a point to prove. Byram failed to shine to West Ham after joining Leeds, while Roberts had to turn his potential into competence and prove that Manchester City was wrong to have him loaned again.

If there is one thing that promoted teams often struggle in the Premier League, they are goals, but Norwich hopes they have covered that. Teemu Pukki joined a free transfer from Brondby last summer and was a revelation.

He scored 29 goals in 43 games in the championship last season and won the season's champion player. He was rewarded this summer with a new three-year contract and the club desperately wants to keep its score.

The side of Daniel Farke played expansive football last season, but will stick to that philosophy?

Pukki & # 39; s goals were the end product of the team's extensive philosophy. Farke got his side playing a lively brand of property-based football that used pace on the flanks and technical excellence in midfield. It will be interesting to see if they stick to that Premier League style or are reserved more.

Friday evening, Farke becomes the 12th other manager whose first ever Premier League game has ever been against Liverpool. Four of the previous 11 have won, although the four managers to make their debut at Anfield all lost.

Predicted line-ups

[1945902] Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Salah, Firmino, Origi.

Norwich: Curl, Aarons, Godfrey, Hanley, Lewis, Cantend, Buendia, Stiepermann, Trybull, Pukki, McLean.

What do the bookmakers say?

Liverpool is heavy at 1/6 and appears on all three points, but if you feel like a shock on Friday night, Norwich costs a tasty 22/1. Those who think the points will be split can get the draw on 8/1.

If you feel a little creative when betting, then Mohamed Salah is 16/1. He seized a number of chances against City and would like to make up for something. You can also have Pukki always score and Norwich to win the game on 28/1.

Who says what?

Liverpool & Gini Wijnaldum: & # 39; Now that everyone is back, we can build and try to do even better than last season. In fact, it now starts because we now have the whole team together. We are really enthusiastic. We had a good preseason, it was really difficult and tough, but we are looking forward to the Premier League. & # 39;

Norwich Manager Daniel Farke: & # 39; For me, the most important thing is that we adhere to our principles. We want to follow our style and stick to our beliefs. We know that we are favorites for position 20 in the competition. But everyone said we had to spend a lot of money last year, we broke rules last season and we want to break more rules this season. & # 39;

IMPORTANT FACTS

Liverpool is unbeaten in their last 12 games with Norwich City (all in the Premier League), wins 10 and draws two while scoring three times the number of goals as the Canary Islands in these matches (39-13).

Norwich City only lost more Premier League games against Manchester United (12) than against Liverpool (11), but they have admitted more goals in the Premier League against the Reds than other players (45).

Liverpool has not lost during the opening weekend of a Premier League season since a 0-3 defeat to West Brom. The only last time Liverpool started a competition time at home in 2012-2013. They have since won five and drawn one of their six openers.

Norwich City has won only one season-opening league match in the last 16 seasons (W1D8 L7) – this was in 2016-17 in the championship against Blackburn Rovers (4-1).

Sadio Mane scored in the first Premier League game of Liverpool in each of the last three seasons. The only player who scored on the opening weekend in four consecutive campaigns in the league is Teddy Sheringham (1992-93 to 1995-96).

Roberto Firmino of Liverpool scored twice and watched another in his only previous Premier League start against Norwich. The attacker is only two goals away to become the first Brazilian to score 50 Premier League goals.

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[torentialtribute]

Manchester United transfer news: Bruno Fernandes showed what all the fuss is about against Liverpool

Bruno Fernandes showed what all the fuss about Liverpool is about … the £ 70m goal that Manchester United scores, he can score and create top level and bring life to the midfield of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

by Luke Augustus for MailOnline | Updated: 03:23 BST, July 25, 2019

If this was his last match in a sporting Lisbon shirt, then Bruno Fernandes would have impressed his potential new suitors against their most bitter enemies.

The captain of Sporting, worth £ 70 million, has been the subject of interest from Manchester United during this summer and certainly would have drawn their attention to the 2-2 friendly draw Wednesday evening against Liverpool during their pre-season tour through America

The game was played at Yankee Stadium – home of iconic New York Yankees baseball franchise – and beat the Reds early park.

Bruno Fernandes shone for Sporting Lisbon during his preseason friendly against Liverpool

It took Fernandes only five minutes to make his mark in the match when he The deadlock broke in.

The 24-year-old scored 32 goals in 53 games in all games last season for Sporting – with his thunderous shot the trademark, and across the Atlantic he didn't need an invitation to against Jurgen Klopp & # 39; s goalkeeper Simon Mignolet It was a moment that Mignolet wanted to forget, but the dip that Fernandes generated was a contribution factor.

Implemented the left of an attacking midfield three in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the international international found themselves against Trent Alexander-Arnold – perhaps & # 39; the world's best right back based on last season . If that test was not strict enough, he was also against two-thirds of Mids midfield Reds that the Champions League final against Tottenham started in the form of Fabinho and captain Jordan Henderson.

With a goal-built baseball field with Yankee Stadium, the dimensions for a soccer field mean that they are on the narrow side. Despite the lack of breadth, Fernandes still succeeded in finding wherever he went.

Although fast, he misses the scorching pace of a Marcus Rashford, but makes up for his speed of thinking. During the first half there were times when he would glide through the Liverpool players with a quick twist to give him a garden of space.

His ability to do this had turned out to be a problem for Klopp who seemed to adjust his formation to try and cut off the Sporting talisman

Fernandes immediately sparked it. His distribution was largely excellent, he always seemed to make the right decision and wanted to play ahead. When he collected the ball on the left, his first thought was to get the ball into the box with an early cross – something that Rashford and Anthony Martial would like to welcome to United if he could join them in Old Trafford. If Fernandes wanted to drift off the infield, he would collect the ball from deep and drive from midfield, turning the defense into an attack so quickly while using the ball efficiently.

Mostly right-footed although it was clear that he did not want to use his left foot – want to use his right on every possible occasion, be it with the instep or the outside. A brilliant example of this was towards the end of the first half with an excellent exterior from the boot cross to the back post that avoided Liverpool's defense. The beautiful cross deserved a finish to match, but somehow James Ilori could inexplicably go wide against his former club.

When questions were asked about how he would tackle the hardships of Premier League football – because of his light frame – then he took away all worries with a bit of force to ward off Fabinho, resulting in the latter who dragged him down. At the end of the half he showed his pace of work with an impressive piece of defense. He sprinted more than half of the field and stopped a certain goal by blocking Georginio Wijnaldum. This dynamic would be particularly popular with United supporters – who missed that aspect in midfield for a few seasons.

It was not for Sporting No. 8 to make a new impact in the match when the scorer pulled the provider to a higher level the score at 2-2 after Divock Origi and Wijnaldum & # 39; s first half strikes

Nine minutes after the restart, Fernandes escaped Alexander-Arnold's attention to have a clear run towards the goal. Dribbling forward with the ball in pace, he had the means to check back on his right foot past the chasing Alexander-Arnold before shoving the ball into Wendel's path to score from close range.

Speaking for the Fernandes, he repeated his desire to play in England.

& # 39; Will this be the last game for Sporting? I don't know, it's the coach who decides, & he told The Ball . & # 39; I said I would like to play in England. & # 39;

United is currently in China during their pre-season tour. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Wednesday that he would be happy with his team if no more additions were made. On proof of this pre-season meeting around the world – he may have to reconsider.

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