Allez Les Rouges: The Anfield belief, the Guardiola dilemma, and the issue of fan tribalism

What a time it is to be a Liverpool fan. A record start to a league season, six points clear at the top, and with the little matter of a trip to the defending champions Manchester City to come on Thursday night. Little wonder, then, that there is an air of excitement around the first Allez Les Rouges podcast of the New Year. Host Peter Hooton is joined by regulars Stephen Monaghan and John Nicolson, as well as Ian Byrne, fellow Red, local councillor, and founder of Fans Supporting Foodbanks, the partnership between Spirit of Shankly and Everton Supporters’ Trust that is doing vital and brilliant work in the community. After the 5-1 demolition of Arsenal made it nine wins on the spin for Jurgen Klopp’s relentless side, the panel question whether anyone saw this coming, and whether it’s best to keep your feet on the ground, enjoy the ride... or both! What they definitely do agree on is that Klopp is playing it perfectly, off the pitch as well as on it, where the belief he has instilled now means his players should be able to meet any challenge that comes their way. A big challenge soon awaits the Reds at the Etihad. But, with City trailing seven points behind, the lads reckon it is Pep Guardiola who is facing the biggest conundrum. The midfield section for the big clash is discussed as is the use of dark arts in matches of the magnitude of Thursday’s. Talk then turns to three thought-provoking articles that have been published recently, the first about the impact of Virgil van Dijk, and the latter two about Fans Supporting Foodbanks and the ‘Feed the Scousers’ chants aimed at Liverpool and Everton supporters by rival fans. And another must-listen podcast ends with a warm tribute to late Reds legend Peter Thompson before the panel look back on 2018 and offer their hopes and dreams for 2019. Without giving the game away, a victory over City would go a long way to making them a reality. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices