The Liverpool Thread

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*For anyone interested, this will be a longer than usual match missive. But it sadly needs to be.

Second time in four games I’m sadly left talking about things I should NEVER have to talk about as a Liverpudlian, as, like the very ugly scenes in our end at Leicester, an even more sizeable group of absolute gobS, who need a SERIOUS education on how to behave at the match, shamed every last decent Liverpool supporter out there with the woolest of wool behaviour that had us looking like Everton fans to the watching World. 🤬

I wanted to talk this morning about how, for an hour or so at least, the brilliant party atmosphere that started Tottenham, and continued last week at Chelsea, had the arl’ place absolutely bouncing. I wanted to talk about how, in that first half, Liverpool gave the side in second place in the league an absolute doing in a football lesson so good it should have had them 3 or 4 goals clear by the break. Showing why they are 5 games clear of everyone else in this league and why, if the last two weeks had mattered, we’d have won both games and be flying toward another 90 plus point season. ‘Best team in Europe? Yers having a laugh!’ was the perfect, appropriate, mocking response to Arsenals continued, arrogant delusions. I wanted to talk about how, when they naturally slackened off second half, and Arsenal upped their work rate to come back, nobody was remotely bothered with said party continuing apace. I wanted to talk about the brilliant individual games two younger lads coming in, Curtis Jones and Conor Bradley, had in showing how big a part of our continued future both are to be relied on. How Luis Diaz continued his brilliant season. How Chiesa can no longer leave now the masses have finally discovered his awesome song that has been belted out for long periods the last two weeks haha. I SO wanted to talk joyously about all that and more as the summer long party mode everyone is in continues to ramp up a gear by the passing week …..

But then the 67th minute happened that totally flipped all the euphoria on its head and left you as utterly embarrassed and ashamed as you’ve EVER been to be a Red stood on the Kop. And the worst part of all, a lot of it was from locals who should know FAR better about our march going culture and how you conduct yourself at the match. You might not like Trent leaving. You might not like how it’s all unfolded. Thats sound and perfectly understandable. But if you’ve nottin’ good to say bar outright abuse, say nottin’ at all and save it for the boozer after! Don’t shame every last one of us with PROPER Blue S behaviour in our ground! 🤬🤬

And don’t let ANYONE tell you it’s nothing new, as has been falsely written, that I’ve read this AM and we’ve booed loudly at the game before. That’s utter codswallop and anyone that has, has been swiftly put in there place as we’ve more often than not been great at self policing and adhering to our own high standards that (always used to), have us a cut above any other set of supporters out there. I say ‘always used to’, as, after that disgrace yesterday, we can no longer mock Everton fans. We can no longer mock Utd fans. City fans. Arsenal fans for their schizophrenic support. We can no longer criticise ANYONE when we drag ourselves down to their gutter level and become ‘just another fanbase.’ I was just a little too young for Keegan’s last season but he never got that. As unhappy as many were with him. The closest I remember was the back end of McManaman’s last year when it was getting ugly among us with shoutouts. But never anything like yesterday’s disgrace. A lot of the absolute tedium under Rafa the back end, and under Hodgson, elicited booing. But always AFTER the final whistle. Never DURING the game. As it’s detrimental to the team and why you are there. To SUPPORT.

To boo Trent yesterday was to boo the whole team. Plain and simple. He’s a vital, respected member within that team that’s just had an absolutely phenomenal season. And you think it’s NOT affecting the other 10 on the pitch as you totally flip the atmosphere and turn it ugly? You think disrespecting one of them to those disrespectful levels at the match isn’t to disrespect them ALL? REALLY?!!!!! 🤦‍♂️🤬

People need a SERIOUS education on our unique fan culture and why you never, EVER, resort to the woolest of wool, base Evertonian behaviour toward a player representing your football club wearing the shirt. We act a certain way because of history, because of custom and because of an adherence to a perceived RIGHT way of doing things. Thats evolved over time and been passed down from generation to generation. And self policed at the game. We don’t follow the generic norm of other clubs. We like to be different and pride ourselves as such. European in our supporting outlook and fan culture. Not like the rest of England. Doing our thing and setting standards and trends for others to follow. Being Scouse.

Honestly, I should be waking up this morning buzzing at the awesome Champions we are adorning right now. Instead of being as ashamed of our support as I’ve EVER been in 45 years going the match. And if you condone those that dragged our name through the mud yesterday to a World wide audience, I have no time or respect for you either. And you don’t belong anywhere near my football club until you educate yourself on what we are and how we conduct ourselves. YNWA and support isn’t something you pick and chose to do at will. Having an opinion on the man is one thing. How you express that is a WHOLE other.

And now, sadly, Arne needs to wake up, read the room, and not have Trent any part of any of the last two. We can’t have this disrupting our celebrations as it will just get uglier and uglier. The start yesterday, when he came on, was shock from many. But that quickly turned to anger when it continued with lads fronting each other up all over the Kop. If he starts/ comes on the last two, they'll be full on fights in our end.

A terrible end to a lad who’s given everything, and won everything, in two decades at your club. And one of the most shameful days Anfield has ever had to endure.

Please don’t let that EVER happen again and make us the World wide, hypocritical laughing stock we are this AM.
 
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Medical scheduled for tomorrow. 😍

****** Hughes and Fenway never doing anything for our club aye …..

Messing with the unhinged among SM aside, this is an absolutely superb signing from most every standpoint. Not least tactically in the way I think we’ll evolve again next season back to more of Jurgen’s ‘full throttle’ identity. And a player I can confidently talk on as I’ve watched him a fair bit under Xabi after a good Belgium friend suggested Boniface was a striker to watch. But it was Wirtz and Frimpong who regularly popped off the screen watching Bayer. 😊

A PROPER statement of early intent from the champions to go out and replace, in my humble opinion, the best right full this football club has ever been privileged enough to employ. Certainly the most naturally gifted, generationally talented of any of them who took the position in the PL era up a WHOLE other level. And why Madrid were SO desperate for him. They’ve now got their Tony Kroos replacement playmaker to drop the ball on a sixpence for their forwards. Without sacrificing a midfielder. But I digress ….. Replacing Trent with, again in my humble, the next best attacking right full back to him in Europe. (Alongside Hakimi at PSG.). Who attacks from a different style to Trent. But one equally as effective. For an absolute release clause buttons price of €35 million/ 29 million of your Great British pounds. 👀 👀 😮

And I don’t actually think he’s been signed to ostensibly be a RB. As, like happened year-on-year under Jurgen, I can see Slot tweaking and evolving the side again …..

When you delved into Arne at Feyenoord before we hired him, the similarities with Jurgen stood out to, as it’s proved, make you think Hughes had played a masterstroke in identifying the perfect, seamless replacement. Which made this seasons tweak to a more conservative style all the more surprising. If equally brilliant in its execution. And I was initially wondering where Frimpong would fit in the way we’ve held our FB’s back this year into a more traditional back 4 model? But that’s been slowly changing the last few months. And now you can see a very real scenario where we open up and become more expansive in our attacking again as we evolve. And Frimpong fits perfectly into that. Arne did it at Feyenoord most notably in 2022/23, when he won the league, when he often dropped the number 6 in between the CH’s (something the front footed, technical adept Gravenberch is perfect for. Endo, not so much. At all. Which for me is why he doesn’t fit in a Slot system and why he’s not had as much game time as many just looking at the work rate and physicality of the player would like), splitting the CH’s wide, and pushed his FB’s on to stretch the pitch. Whilst keeping compact inside with the CH’s and midfielders. And narrow, interchangeable forwards

A throw back to Jurgen’s ‘Heavy Metal’ football giving us rapid pace again down the wings with the FB’s pushed on super high. And if we are indeed going back down that super exciting road, Frimpong is the perfect Trent replacement for all options.

He’s ostensibly a winger by trade with the versatility to play FB. Which fits perfectly into a whole host of things for us. It allows Mo to play more narrower inside and be even more effective. (The same with Gakpo when we add Kerkez or Hato the left side.). Giving us that lightening speed down the wing we’re losing in the only player who possess’ that currently in the squad. Nunez. Who can’t stay onside enough to utilise it! 🤦‍♂️ Talking of Mo, he allows us the scope to rest him more. Something we are DEFO going to have to start doing the older he gets so he’s fresh for the business end of the season. And lest we forget he’ll be missing 6 or 7 games at the AFCON next January/ February. Which covers that. And his versatility allows you to rotate with the perfect cover for Conor as he still develops and grows into his body. We’re going to have to rotate the FB’s more if we are more playing them as WB’s again and all the extra running that entails. And this gives us the perfect, young, top quality one-two-punch with Bradley and Frimpong.

Frimpong isn’t really a defender. More a wide attacker with elite end product. Over the last three years under Alonso at Leverkusen, he has 63 G/A. (28 goals. 35 assists.). That’s ELITE winger numbers. With the versatility to play 3 or 4 positions to great effect. Oh yeah, he’s home grown too to tick the last of every other box he ticks. (Explosive pace in transitions/ Top work rate and stamina/ Excellent dribbler and off-ball movement/ Top drawer production/ Surprisingly good in defensive transitions/ recoveries down to rapid pace to get back. Ideal to dovetail and cover Mo there.). A really smart footballer. 😍

You can NEVER have too many quality players. And to get a young, International regular proven one, with elite attacking traits, SO cheap, is nothing short of a genius move to take Slots Liverpool, already the best side in England by a considerable distance, up another level again.

To say I’m excited about this signing and the way I foresee this side evolving again is an understatement.

And if we add Wirtz, or someone of his exceptional ilk, into the mix and we’ll not just have replaced Trent’s best in class creativity. We’ll have doubled down on it from two different areas inside and out.

Mouth watering doesn’t begin to cover next season and beyond prospects afoot here.

Welcome to the Champions and England's most successful club Jeremie. Awesome, early start to the summer transfer window.
 
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