The Liverpool Thread

Gini in a nutshell 10/10 performance when we need him the most will defo miss him. Thiago is legit unplayable when played in his proper position, he and Fabinho combine like no other. Pity for Salah he didn't get his golden boot but top 4 was the objective and he has carried us this season.
 
Georginio Wijnaldum on Sky: "The people in Liverpool have shown me love during the five years. I will miss them, you know? I hope to have played many more years for the club but unfortunately things went different. I have to start a new adventure.”

Jurgen Klopp: “It is emotional for me, I lose a friend and we'll miss him but it's normal in football. He will find a great place for whichever club is interested”.
 
A few thoughts on the 2020/21 season, and finally being back at the match. Before we put it to bed this evening with hopefully the most prestigious piece of youth silverware in our hands once again-

And this will be my only commentary on not only the single worst excuse for a football season in my lifetime. But in the entire history of the game. I just want to consign it to the bin and never have to think of it again.

I mean you watched your teams games as they were playing. But it was far more out of force of habit without much of any enjoyment. Just a complete slog to get through from start to finish. When football is supposed to be the release from the stresses and troubles of life. A diversion of which was needed more than ever before through this devastating pandemic we are all still dealing with.

I've never known a season like it.

For all the ridiculous, jealous, opposition bunkum of the 'asterisk/ tainted title' after our name last year, this year has been the very definition of that.

From no fans leading to most games being like watching glorified training matches. Through actual laws of the game, changing, mid-season. Not once, but MULTIPLE times! Agreed on pre-season COVID rules on when a game can be postponed being COMPLETELY ignored/ VAR getting worse and worse by the passing week/ Europe becoming a complete farce with a slew of neutral venue ties. With the absolutely non-sensical decision to have away goals when both knock-out ties were played at the same neutral venue with NO home advantage. All bookended by the scandalous breakaway attempts, through pure greed of billionaire owners, of first, 'Project Big Picture.' And then the ESL. Which in turn lead to the absolutely scandalous scenes of the biggest game in World football being postponed with no punishment handed down to the club at fault.

Through any and all points in between; this has been the biggest farce of a season there's EVER been.

Congratulations to City. They adopted to the whole sham better than anyone and fully deserved their title. Big props to them.

Everyone else has been in keeping with the whole, jarg season. Utter *****.

For Liverpool, given everything we've had to endure this year, to be ANYWHERE near the top 4 was to every other club's detriment to begin with. For them to then end up in third place, a mere 2 games behind Utd, having their 2nd best season points-wise in the 8 years since Ferguson left, and ahead of a Chelsea and Leicester outfit they were 11, 7 and 10 points behind respectively with 10 games left to play is as much a sign of just how bang average those teams are as to how much of an unbelievable achievement it has been from the Reds over the run-in.

Absolute title-winning form and a massive momentum swing to take into next season when, all things being equal, we get back to having our own personal title battle with City now PROPER football is back and everyone else looks on in envy.

And, even given the context of this jarg season overall, as it had to played regardless, for me, this is Jürgens FINEST coaching job in his 5 and a bit seasons here. All the trophy wins included. To overcome all the personal tragedy, not least his own/ the COVID cases among the squad/ the absolutely unprecedented injury list that decimated them with an average of 7 first-team players out injured EVERY matchday and has disrupted the whole balance of the side as players have had to fill in and cover and not allowed us to play our normal style until late on in the year et al, and STILL finish 3rd (a point closer to City than they were to ourselves the previous year for all the mediot clowns spouting the 'Worst defending Champions EVER!' nonsense🤦🏼‍♂️), has been nottin' shy of unbelievable!

To deal with all that, and STILL get over the line in third place with a CH partnership of Nat Philips and Rhys Williams ..... Finishing third with other TWENTY CH pairings through 38 games .....

Jürgen Norbert Klopp, your staff, and all your boys, take a MASSIVE bow. Absolutely ridiculous achievement and don't let ANYONE tell you it isn't!

This brings me to close with yesterday and the most enjoyment I've had in over 14 months with a game of football. Which started last Saturday with the Cup Final and has just built all the past week with the single most important factor returning that hasn't been there through this entire mess ..... US!!!!!

Now all clubs have naturally missed their support. That goes without saying. Football without fans truly is NOTHING!!!!! But it can't be understated just how much more of an emotional attachment certain clubs have with their fans. And nowhere is that more significant than at Anfield. That emotional bond between players and fans, that's not been as strong since Shankly was in charge in my humble, stems from most everything we do. From Klopp's team talks through to the way the players feed off us. It's absolutely NO coincidence that this is the first time in our illustrious history we've finished with less points at home than we've taken away. You don't go over 4 years unbeaten at home. To then lose 6 on the spin without the missing key element of the crowd being the significant factor. Anfield has been an empty shell of a place and a major contributing factor to the context of Liverpool's overall season. But mercifully, yesterday, that FINALLY ended and Shankly's Holy Trinity, the fans, player and manager, were together as one again!

I can't begin to describe how utterly awesome it was to be back on the Kop to see the boys over the line. I noted it yesterday, but I was literally like a kid at Christmas to be back at my first game since Atlético last March. It was funny hearing lads voices strained as you start to get back into the habit of something we've not done for over a year ..... actually singing and supporting!. But once the cobwebs were cleared, we were in full flow, Pre-game, as we were in early due to the staggered different entry times for SD reasons, with no alcohol on sale, was like the old days on a standing Kop with every player's individual songs being belted out and then old club ditties as the back catalogue came out. And the continued reception and appreciation/ thanks to an all-time modern-day great Red, Gini Wijnaldum, would have pulled on anyone heartstrings.

And full kudos to L'pool for how they organised things with safety of paramount importance. From the testing/ health declaration to activate the weird new concept of mobile tickets, through the staggered entry, one way systems, really well spaced out socially distancing, limited people on the concourses, hand sanitisers all over, keen stewarding keeping on top of face coverings as much as they could et al, it couldn't have been a safer first experience back.

I also absolutely LOVED two things that just sums up the whole ethos of how consciously aware this City and the match-going fanbase is of World events-

The deafening applause for the continued, brilliant, and sadly still MUCH needed symbolism that the always super powerful 'taking of the knee' by the players/ officials and staff sends out to the World.

And the amount of Palestine flags around the ground in solidarity with the devastatingly needless human atrocities that have been going on over there just filled your heart with Scouse pride that the majority continue to stand up for the right things.

Man, it was BEYOND boss to be back where we belong showing our team just HOW much we've both missed and still believe in them.

Here's to the U18's adding a 5th Youth Cup this evening to round off this brilliant weekend and consign the horrendous 2020/21 to the dustbin of history.

And then we can look to going all Parisian through the summer as we look to commence battle with City again in August.
 
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Congratulations Villa winning the Youth Cup. Fair play. Well deserved.

Really enjoyable final that. I can’t remember one of our 18’s sides being SO dominated by anyone like Villa did the first half for 3 or 4 years at least. Belter opening goal too. Valiant response the second from the young Reds but just not quite enough.

Pity that another really exciting, proper quality filled U18’s season from the young Reds under Bridge-Wilkinson’s first year guidance at this level ended trophy less. But they can be really proud of their efforts regardless.

It’s been a joy to watch another quality year in their collective development.

Roll on August!
 
Seems the first Parisian of the summer could well be announced this week.

Mad how you couldn't wait for this season to end. And now you can't get enough of the next one. :ROFLMAO:
 
Ibrahima Konaté to Liverpool, done deal. Medicals already completed days ago. #LFC are gonna trigger €35m release clause in the next days and announce the signing from RB Leipzig. Here we go confirmed.

#LFC Personal terms agreed since April 23 - contract until June 2026.
 
Confirmed: Liverpool FC has not activated the €23m release clause for Ozan Kabak. A permanent deal with #LFC. The 21-year-old Turkish centre-back is targeted by RB Leipzig and Leicester City. #S04 urgently need to sell him this summer. @ozankabak4
 
Scouseinthehouse said:
They were never activating it anyway when he can be had cheaper given Schalke's dire straights. Which I believe they'd all but boxed.

The curveball is Phillip's form.
Click to expand...
Plus homegrown issues/konate signing. A shame kid was decent but he needs games and not being 4th choice and playing couple cup games here and there.
 
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