Team selection - probably not many other options

Formation - could we have gone 3 at the back at least at the start to build from a solid base - twice in the last 3 seasons we played them in cup games, did not concede early and then opened them up in the second half

Poor first half - right side (usually a big strength) felt it lacked cohesion

Second half till the mix up, felt like we could take the initiative

After that, it felt like we didn’t get the subs into the game, the way we have done for much of this season

The refereeing? Typical Taylor - misses blatant shirt grabs on our players yet every Arsenal player went down at the slightest prompt (often acting like they’d been mortally wounded). Felt like this was intentional. 

Konate red completely took it away from us, Thiago and Macca at center back!

Pearce, ‘He can have no complaints’. Jurgen points us to Gabriel.

15 games in the league. Win them all and the league is ours

Starts with Burnley at home. They do seem to have been improving - came back from 2-0 down to get a point against Fulham. Some suggestion they have modified their style to be less possession oriented.

Our formation - lot depends on injury news. If Darwin plays…. 

Predictions

BLUE CARD! yay/nay? Why?

Some chat about football finances and then there is Chelsea

Fulham - 1-1 in the second leg. 

Lot of commentary about Fulham being too emotional to focus early on

Should probably have scored another

Difficult few minutes after they got an equalizer

Closed the game down brilliantly with Konate and later Bobby Clark

Norwich 5-2 stroll - least important game for the rest of this season (hopefully)

Some nice goals - Jones, Darwin, Jota, Virgil and Gravenberch

Return of TAA, Andy Robbo and Dom

Why did he play James McConnell (who was very good) over Bobby Clark? 6 vs 8?

First half was especially compelling, especially so after watching it back and realizing they are not the Russian state backed operation they once were:

Looked so lively, especially Jota and Diaz

Connor Bradley is 20. Toffee TV presenter tweeted about them losing players and playing people out of position, while Liverpool lose their best player and discover the next Cafu.

Mac Allister, Jones and Szobozlai - that is some midfield

Darwin 37 pressures, Alexis 49

78 - Darwin creates the chance for Luis Diaz only he will create

67 to 71 looked a bit disjointed after 4 changes. 

BTW Nkunku finish… if Darwin has that luck, he’s scoring 5.

By 75 we are back making chaos 

They’re only half a football team compared to the boys in Red:

Badiashiel, Madueke, Mudryk

Cole Palmer - signing of the season (apart from James Madison!)

Paul Tierney!! Surprised he didn’t give them at least one penalty.

3 weeks we’ll be back, said the Chelsea fella in the pub, So will Mo…. 

They can’t be this bad at Wembley, can they?

Starts with VVD answering some mixed zone questions about his contract. He finished his comments (not reported in most places) with:

‘It’s noise that we don’t need. We just focus on getting the job done. At the end of the season, different things will happen of course but that’s for the club to sort out, not for us to speak about.’

And although he is speaking about the manager search. Feels like it’s noise we don’t need could be applied to all of these articles. James Pearce we are looking at you.

4 goals in each of the last 3 Premier League games. Feels very 1987-88. No one gets battered but almost everyone concedes 4 goals (9 times in that season, although we also beat Forest 5-0 at the end of the season). On pace again for a 90+ finish.

Arsenal away:

How tricky do we think this one will be? Arsenal have won both their games since we beat them in the cup (Palace and Forest)

They have Jesus back, we have Szobozlai, VVD and potentially Robbo.

Line up? Predictions?

‘The loss of a man who can make a set of players far greater than the sum of its parts is a huge loss’

What he shared with Roger Bennett about how he viewed success - making the world you are in better than it was before.

In hindsight he seemed too relaxed at his Thursday press conference, and his acceptance at Bournemouth that VAR would not intervene because it was Tierney.

What had tired him out - PGMOL? Game scheduling, the Deloitte money list, playing against nation states? UEFA at the 2022 final? Pre-season tours? German press talked about the job of a premier league manager being harder than that of someone in the Bundesliga.

‘He made us all feel that we’re not alone, that we’re all part of something. That we weren’t individuals with individual purpose, but that we’re all in “this” together. The “this” I speak of is simply the possibility that dreams can happen in reality. That together we will always be bigger than just one of us. That shared joy is the only joy that matters.’

Neil Atkinson talked about his connection to the City of Liverpool - such a grounded person, with a belief system that fits well in the very left leaning Scouse republic.

Jamie Webster said he was a better human being than a football manager and that is saying something because I believe he’s the best football manager in the world

Attributed to Raffa Honigstein - he’s ruined it for other German managers as he does everything so well - the managing, coaching, PR, press conferences

Boom - all of the last 9 years

Barcelona, 2019 UCL win, the post match interview after City lost at Chelsea 

96th minute Divock winner against Everton, the Parade in 2019

His appearances in Nivea commercials

Generational managers do not just come and go. Does this doom his successor to failure? Absolutely not. Jurgen Klopp has left us in a good position. The squad is rejuvenated with talent everywhere. 

Examples of Ferguson and Wenger being replaced with managers who were a poor fit for what they needed.

Shankly and Dalglish examples. 

The next 4 months - how should we approach it?

First half was dismissed by national pundits - no shots from inside the penalty area. I left the first half thinking, this is a real clever tactical battle, apparently I lack insight.

Bournemouth have a plan (Erik?) but by 80 they are exhausted

Diogo Jota is ridiculous - his 2 goals came from xG chances with a lower xG than 3 Bournemouth chances. His 19.3% shot conversion is elite.

Alexis Mac Allister was awesome - 14 duels won, 15 recoveries, 11 passes into the final 3rd. Gibbo said it was like he was playing FIFA on easy mode and everyone else was set to most difficult

Darwin 10 assists, 10 goals this season - they were well taken goals, to be fair he was unlucky against Newcastle and Fulham. Slight shift in the national narrative.

Konate,  and Virg (‘experience’ said Le Saux - yawn)

And Bradley, Jones, Gomez

We made the referee not matter (after Diaz challenge and Jota penalty)

Kavanagh initially said that he had not given a penalty because Odegaard’s “hand was on the floor”. Having watched replays of the incident, Coote told assistant VAR Lee Betts: “For me Lee, he’s falling down, he’s moving his arm in towards him, so it’s check complete for me.”

Betts: “Yeah from the brief look I’ve seen, yeah, agreed, yeah, yeah.”

Coote: “Check complete. Confirming on field decision. No penalty.”

Again another 5 second review, completely at odds with the forensic team that they brought to bat for Curtis at Spurs. Tierney on VAR of course.

The narrative about these teams being held back from inflating the transfer market is interesting. Of course that’s not their spin.

Forest and Everton….. 

Mo Salah - who knows what the story is… 

today Pep says hamstring has a proper tear

Egyptian reaction appears negative (Klopp may have spoken out of turn?)

Some exciting games - lots of winning but mostly tying goals in added time

Patterns - only ahead in 7 of the 21 games at half time, Most second half goals including 19 in the last 15 minutes. Defence and midfield.  

Fulham away - Andy Robertson available 

Norwich at home (cue Luis Suarez jokes) - Trent and Szobo return. Beck, Clark and Gordon surely?

Chelsea at home - Tierney. Got to make the referee not matter.

Arsenal on Sunday February 4th - watch out for their set pieces!

Outplayed and outcoached - BATTERED, they said. If Arsenal had scored all their big chances (3 were in the same sequence) we’d have been buried at half time. 

TAA did hit the bar in the game the first Half.

Formation needed a bit of working out - Odegaard and Havertz pushing high, creating problems with the press - season high 5 recoveries in our half.

We are really good at blocking, or are Arsenal just poor at creating open play chances. Gomez (Joey!), Quansah and mostly Konate - immense

Team selection - very strong compared to what it could have been

Second half…. 

Diaz chance, good save from Ramsdale, Jota header off the bar, Nunez snapshot was close

Trent’s cross and then our one big chance Luis Diaz buries

Lots we could say about Arsenal, but safe to say they are not on the same level as us right now.

One narrative is that Havertz took too many touches - and when he shot ‘there were purple shirts everywhere’ unlike in the Liverpool store.

Note on John Brooks - Harvey gets a yellow for one moment of dissent, Odegaard has multiple moments and the key foul and ….nothing. As for the man with Oompa Lumpa skin tones at right back:(). Oh and there’s Jorginho telling him to fuck off.

First half - figuring things out with changes - still need to effectively assimilate Gravenberch (saw some Szobozlai moves in that second half).

Be better after a full pre-season?

19 minutes - not great defending from VVD, but preoccupied by Jimenez and the Willian shot squeezes through.

Before their goal we were just lacking a little bit of quality in their final third. Last ball just wasn't there

They had a bit of momentum for a few minutes but overall it was a game we dominated. Second half the pressure ramped up. Commentary did their best to big up the Decordova Reid moment - only had to make a good pass for a tap in… That second goal was a work of art - Curtis, Diogo, Darwin and Cody’s flick finish.

This team is relentless - there’s a reason they don’t lose many games. And the subs are a cheat code - Nunez and Gakpo, after being tested by Jota and Luis Diaz for 56  minutes.

Conor Bradley - he is not an inexperienced footballer, but he’s not played much at this level. Love the Academy boys coming through - CURTIS!!!

We have to mention Darwin’s offensive contribution (19 G/A) on the season. As well as his contribution to an impending coronary. 

Let’s parse through our individual feelings about him. 

The  chaos line is a lazy bullshit narrative that misses his incredible contribution. 

Coote performance was not as bad as I feared - the non foul for Pereira in the second half was probably a result of him being told he was duped by the same player in the first half.

Formations hugely impacted by availability.

Darwin has looked so unmanageable in the last 4 games - more of that and goals at the Vitality would not go amiss

We think Bournemouth will be tricky. They lost 3-1 away to Spurs and should have got something from that game

Lineup + prediction. 

Best performance of the season from the Reds so far, in less than ideal conditions.

Reds were a threat all the way through - in the first half alone chances in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 11th 17th (offside), 23rd, 25th (2)  and 35th minutes. Dropped off after a series of decisions went against them and they quite rightly appeared to be furious with Taylor.

Missed penalty at 19 could have derailed them. Came out with real attitude in the second half.

48 -  first goal - great from Diaz and Nunez to set up Mo. 150th league goal for Liverpool. Followed by Dubravka saves from Nunez at 50 and 52.

53 - really should have done better with Gordon and Isak. 56 - VVD foul on Almiron. Worst we’ve seen from him this year?

Diaz, Nunez, Salah. Best from Diaz in a while, Darwin? Salah’s 2nd half was great

64 - Jota, Gravenberch and Gakpo. That feels unfair. By 68 Liverpool are relentless again

73 - Jones goal from Salah and Jota. Passed it round him twice.

77 - Lesson for Darwin, don’t hit it so cleanly! Mo’s pass!

80 - No one blocked Botman from the corner (looks like an enforcer from a crime movie)

84 - Mac Allister pass to Jota; Jota never reestablishes his balance. Salah 151 - 

94 - Nearly scored again through Jota and Salah.

Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez - could probably name the whole team

Newcastle:

Showed some threat on the break - 30, 36 (narrow offside)

Went full Athletico at the end with some of the challenges

Dubravka - 11 saves

What happened to the rule on the technical area?

The disingenuous Mr. Howe… the xG was made up of penalties. And claiming Longstaff was fouled at 72 (deflect, deflect, deflect)

Officiating:

I counted at least 10 situations where Anthony Taylor gave them the benefit of the doubt - I thought he helped them throughout the game to avoid even more pressure. Soft fouls, non-calls (Diaz shoved in the back, and he ends up with the yellow card). Joelinton - how many fouls for 1 card in the 66th minute?

Reds are ‘flawed’. Losing Mo could be the end. 

18 games left - Arsenal, Villa and United away

City will go on a run

Anyone else?

Hard not to see them as linked and the latter more important right now

Formation - solutions to the gaps?

And predictions 

Solid performance from the Reds or a Rice, Saliba masterclass (London newspaper ™)

Solid commitment to overselling Rice at the expense of the other 21 players (Barney Ronay). Quietly misses how effective Waturu Endo has become.

Arsenal create very little - apparently half of their goals have come from set pieces, Saka is the leading scorer with 5, Martinelli has 2.

Arsenal had the better of the first half perhaps - but then there’s the Odegaard handball, what a strike from Mo Salah (202 - 149 fro Liverpool in the league). 

Martinelli has an open goal(?), Konate effectively blocks this shot and pretty much everything else he did.

Second half - Liverpool dominate the game till the Trent miss at 72 - Salah, Diaz, Gomez and Elliott have chances but we don’t always seem as composed. 

53 - foul given against VVD - what have you been drinking says Virg to Kavanaugh. 82 Kavanaugh books Mo Salah! For what looked like an Nketiah slip.

Strange chummy interaction between Arteta and Kavanaugh

Surprisingly low xG - 0.74 vs 1.98, but that’s without the 2 disallowed goals.

Feel like their chances might have been inflated - VVD and Allison moments

Tierney and his big chance reputation shows up again. Books TAA for what probably wasn’t even a foul. The canceled out goal changed the game - after 53. Felt like Tierney was going to rule out anything we scored, gave them real hope.

Oh his name is Diogo

Poor Newcastle, but they could sit deep and try to frustrate us.

Formation and predictions

Theme - Liverpool have given up as many fouls as a bottom half team - before the Arsenal game, we were at 202 and City and Arsenal were at 162. Just looks like they find it easier to give fouls (and soft yellows) for us. 

Andrew Beesley - 5 teams have gone unbeaten at home since 2016

FOOD BANK support and community

It was perhaps too good to be true…. They sat deep, the crowd was not as big a factor

‘Two teams played poorly’ One of them had 34 shots and the other a generous xG of .66

Arsenal had 26 shots and were worthy title contenders

Nobody actually said defensive masterclass but you spent 1bn GBP on this?

Should they leave Fernandes (#42) out more often? Guardian’s latest list of 100 best world footballers has him ahead of #44 VVD:()

What could we have done?

Performances weren’t bad - link up play was not optimal

Gravenberch was not to blame as much as Michael Oliver

Jurgen said that we were good in so many ways

 A ‘Hairball’ need to be rejected

West Ham were terrible - didn’t show up

They said we needed a performance - isn’t that it?

Isn’t this the formation they used to beat Chelsea and Brighton?

Harvey Elliott , Endo, Quansah, Curtis, Szobozlai, Darwen

Fulham in the next round

Arsenal 

‘Liverpool are flawed title challenges’ - not as good as 2019-20

Build up suggests Arsenal have some of the greatest players in the world (#14, #18, # 22). Their results are so scary, are they really?

Formation, predictions

Burnley - 

50th anniversary of us losing 2-1 on Boxing Day - Roy Evans played

They aren’t very good are they - looked good in moments, but they do lose in key moments don’t they?

4th anniversary of our Club World Cup 

Kieran Trippier (#63) - TAA would have been crucified (#57)

Number of Dewey crushes consumed in this show?

Reds escaped with a 2-1 from South London and are now top of the league - xG 1.77 vs. 1.11 - that includes the 0.75 for the penalty).

Reflections? 76 minutes of not very good then we showed an ability to stretch the play with the subs. 

Use of subs - Harvey Elliott, Curtis and Gakpo, Gomez and Konate

Salah 200 goals

The press continues to be underwhelmed in contrast to Arsenal (‘who are playing wonderful football’).

USG - didn’t feel like we had a plan to score, and playing 2 at the back is very risky without Ali and VVD. Much easier to be the one young lad in an experienced team. 6 were 20 and under, Jones, Kelleher, Konate and Gakpo bringing the experience.

This is too good to be true isn’t it? Their fans appear to be afraid. I used to hate these games (with John O’Shea or some less than stellar player stealing it in the 90th minute)

How much does the 7-0 from last season help them? Are they wounded? Who are they - literally what line up?

Bournemouth and FC Bayern;) They are going to sit deep aren’t they?

57000 crowd

We score early, this is over isn’t it?

Formation, predictions

EFL cup

City, Villa and Arsenal

Chelsea and Man Utd

Few words on 4-0 against LASK of Linz. Goals by Gakpo (2), Diaz and Salah (his 199th for Liverpool). Their fans were spectacular

Let’s dwell on the Fulham game - xG 2.7 to 1.5

Were Fulham difficult or did we make it easy for them? 1-1, 2-2, 2-3. Neil Atkinson said the game was defined by what Fulham did (4-3-2-1 without the ball, asymmetric with Paulinho, Jimenez and Wilson in different positions).

Trent was on, best Tsimikas performance (or did Fulham leave him alone)? Fulham attacked Virgil interestingly - he wasn’t have any of it - won 7 of 10 duels.

Lot of people seemed a little off (e.g. Darwin, Gravenberch, Szobozlai?). Kelleher? Diaz - did he lose his pace with the injury?

Great goals - favorite? ‘Where’s your famous atmosphere?’

Title winning teams win games like this? Surely depends on what happens next

Joel Matip ACL

Having read about their performance at Burnley, there was definitely something different here - snapping into tackles, very (overly) aggressive, press numbers are up, pass completion is 47% (didn’t want the ball).

Were we too passive last night - xG 1.80 to 0.80? Team set up not to concede?

Salah - the 200th goal preying on him?

Endo, Joe Gomez, Szobozlai better performance? Kelleher save.

Fouls around the goals? Trent’s response to you’re just a shit Kyle Walker.

2 points behind Arsenal, 4 points ahead of City and 7 points beyond 5th place