*A lengthy post on the state of our team as we enter the NY. Feel free to read or skip at your leisure .....
Yanno, reading people's oft (over) reaction to their football team really is a jaw dropping study in the very worst facets of human nature at times.
And none more so when it comes to on-line L’pool fans .....
Here we are, Champions of England and the World. Sat, yet again, clear top of the table going into a NY. Along with having a last 16 knock-out tie on the biggest stage of all, the EC, to look forward to in the early spring. Key players returning at just the right rime who haven’t been afforded to us for most or all of the year to date. Boosting everyone ..... Yet they fail to win, not lose, just fail to win, two successive games of togger and the amount of people cliff jumping and having VERY public tantrum meltdowns all over the net has to be seen to be believed.
Let’s look at a few facts to L’pool’s 2020/21 season to date. Which to me has been nottin short of miraculous given everything we’ve had to overcome-
We currently sit top of the league going into 2021. 3 points clear of Utd in second and 7 clear of still the only side I consider a serious threat over 38 games, City. Albeit with both having 1 and 2 games in hand respectively. Which even if they were both to win those delayed fixtures, they’d still trail L’pool in the table. City by a point and Utd bu virtue of L’pools vastly superior GD/ GS. (Which is even bigger on City.).
We’re a mere 3 games out of half-way. And we’ve lost just ONE league game. And at that, a complete anomaly of a result/ game at Villa that nobody can take much of anything from.
Liverpool really are a victim of their own (along with City’s) PHENOMENAL standards over the last 3 season. Our 99 and 97 point league campaigns the last two years, preceded by City’s centurion season, are the complete exceptions to the rule. (NO team can get the mythical 100 points again this season. After 16 games.). More so, what we are doing this season is a NORMAL title defence! ..... L’pool currently have 33 points from 16 games. That, or fewer at this stage of the season, has seen 62 sides go on to win the English top flight. Including 8 times in the PL era. We’re BANG on course to retain the league. The ONLY difference is we’ve returned, in this mad COVID season where you can’t stop to breath, to being mere mortals again from the super human exceptions of the last 2 seasons. And just because we’re currently going through a sticky patch that EVERY team goes through in a season doesn’t detract from that.
I’d personally go as far as attesting this is the best coaching job Klopp and his staff have done through their tenure here given the context of all they’ve had to overcome. And I include winning the two majors in that. It’s nothing short of PHENOMENAL that we are sat clear top of the table going into 2021.
Seriously, what other club/ manager in this league could have overcome the injuries alone that we have to STILL be leading the way?
If you take just 4 of them (losing both CH’s for the season/ the bona fide World best in his position Thiago for virtually all of the season to date/ and well arguably the signing of the entire summer transfer window with the impact Diogo Jota has made), just what other tram could have coped with that and found the interior solutions to STILL be the top side in England?
In comparison, would-
Utd be sat second without Bruno Fernandes all year? Missing Maguire/ Lindelof and Bailly from the middle of their defence? Rashfors down 2/3 months up front?
Would City still be within touching distance without De Bruyne all year? No £terling? No Ruben Dias/ Laporte/ Stones?
Would Tottenham still be up there without Holbjeeg? Son or Kane lost up front? Alderweireld and Dier from the back?
And so on and so on.
And thats before you get to arguably the best goalie and RB in World football missing large chunks of the season. The LB we bought in the summer to spell AndyRobbo being hit hard by injury. Key midfield depth in Oxo-Chambo, Naby Lad and big Shaq missing for the majority. (Thankfully now all returning foe the second half push.) ..... You could go on and on. But you know the answer. NO! They would all have been in dire straights and narking to whoever would listen.
But not your RIDICULOUS gang of 2020/21 Reds. They’ve just forged on, found solutions within and expanded squad depth through quality teenagers, to lead the way yet again going into 2021.
People seriously need to think about just HOW ridiculously good they have it watching these lads instead of cry ______ and acting like entitled, spoilt brats when L’pool don’t happen to get the perfect result every game.
We’ve SO much to look forward to in 2021 which is fixing to be our most satisfying title of all given everything that we’ve had to overcome. (I’d I’ve not even touched the VAR overturns against us that still outweigh any other team.).
Legit criticism is sound but the constant, reactionary, WAY OTT narking at every last thing is beyond petty and embarrassing when we’ve honestly NEVER had it so good as what we’ve had with these lads the last three/four years. With next year set for more of the same.
Sighs. A symptom of the reactionary, internet breed of ‘fan’ I guess.
FWIW, I’m still having the time of my life (as much as one can without being allowed to be at the game), watching this exceptional gang of Reds and I’m personally convinced we’ll be sitting pretty with back-to-back titles come May and quite possibly #7 to look forward at the end of it in Istanbul.
A very happy New Year to you all. 2021 is set up for more of the same.
We’re only just getting started!
