Wonderful article Bill, but I couldn't help but notice this bit:

Balotelli and Sturridge have only partnered once together, and it was the only complete game Liverpool played all season. They've been very unfortunate with injuries, and when you lose 52 league goals, things aren't going to be great. I think Balotelli's being scapegoated. Losing the 3rd best player in the world…

This is like banning booze because someone who just turned 21 doesn't realize how much alcohol is in it.

I had a girlfriend who usually asked for mushrooms in her dirty martinis. It was a non-issue, nobody thought it was weird, except me.

My step dad went to the game in 93, too. He told me a story about waking up at his hotel the morning after to go to the hotel bar to get a bloody mary, only there was a giant crowd surrounding the hotel bar. They'd run out of all of the ingredients (including vodka) and had their bellhops making booze and grocery…

Why is that shocking? What the fuck man?

And you'd be on 56K dial-up AOL right now, too.

It's almost magical, being a kandi kid during your first few raves. Then it gets old. But whatever, it's all in good fun.

Di Marzio is sort of like soccer's Adrian Wojnarowski, so what he says is gospel

Yeah... I was shocked. There's no way they play it again, they looked dreadful.

I think you're right... Calling it a 4-3-3 is problematic. 4-1-2-3 is much more accurate.

This is the shape that Rodgers ideally wants. You'll see more and more of it now that Liverpool are again relying on a sole striker. It's similar to Guardiola's Barcelona and called a 4-3-3. Personnel will dictate formation which was made evident last year when Rodgers played a 3-5-2 and a 4-4-2 diamond to…

Lucas and Gerard simply don't play at the same time. The only instance I can remember both of them on the pitch at the same time was the last 10 minutes of the Norwich game at Carrow Road. This isn't really a debate, Rodgers WILL NOT play 4-2-3-1.

No no no no no no no no no... NO. NO.... NO.

[In a really douchey tone]
Brendan Rodgers has literally NEVER instructed his team to play a 4-2-3-1 double pivot and prefers a 4-3-3 with his fullbacks providing width. Hell, he'd play a 4-5-1 before he played a 4-2-3-1.

Bad Soccer joke that none of you will get:

show me your ways

Due to Google's auto-filtering, I do not believe you.

please stop saying this