The Liverpool Thread

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First off how’s it fair they’re allowed to use both feet?! Our lads have clearly agreed a gentleman’s rule to keep it sporting, but Palace out there pinging passes with left AND right like some sort of footballing centipedes. Outrageous advantage.

Plus, Palace players were clearly overhydrated. You could see it in their movement, all that extra electrolytic efficiency. Should be capped at 250ml per half like in the good old days.
 
Excited for this. Must win, straight knock-out cup games under the lights elicit that emotion.

First of L’pool’s ‘Big 4’ before the break to hopefully get this show righted and back on track. And the biggest game of those 4. As it’s not only the next. But it starts that cycle. With a proper opponent who should make it a good game of togger. Along with knowing Palace fans will just get behind their own side and not resort to songs about social deprivation/ unemployment/ tragedy chanting et al.

With the added intrigue of what side we’ll put out? Outside of naturally protecting the positions we are down to the bare bones in currently, goal, right full, and CH, you’d hope and expect we’ll go real strong. I don’t see how we can’t needing something to spark this? And I’m not sure if Palace can afford the same now Europe’s kicking in given their small squad.

We’ve had some of the best Anfield atmospheres of recent seasons early in the LC with the belter Arsenal and Leicester games. Let’s hope this is another one in our rich, Anfield LC history. 🤞🤞

First of the ‘Big 4.’
Should've sent this to Slot because I dont know what that lineup or bench was. I know we have some tough games coming up but **** that was horrendous and wth was that post match interview. It feels like watching a slow car crash.

Edit: Feel for match going fans as this gave me shades of Rodgers and the lineup and bench he put up away athe bernabeu all those years ago.
 
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So L’pool’s ‘Big 4!’ before the International break, became a ‘Big 3!’ the moment the teams dropped and Arne waved the white flag to the league cup.

But yanno’, as annoyed and flabbergasted as I was when the team was announced last night, when you rationally look at it from the managers point of view, he’s seeing the bigger picture and protecting the football club for FAR bigger challenges this season.

L’pool have key injuries currently. L’pool can’t afford any more of them. L’pool also have 2 massive home games Sat’day and Tuesday. Against two teams that have this week off. And those two games are in two competitions FAR bigger than progressing another round in the LC. Which would have had the knock-on effect of 2 trips to North London in a matter of days before Christmas. And, if we’d won the LC tie at Arsenal, two more midweeks in the mad, congested months o January and February the semi. All without, whatever you currently think of him, our Egyptian King. Making an already crucial time of the season doubly hard. All of which (Mo aside)Arsenal and City now have to contend with. Now, our real hard start to the season is out of the way. And there’s barely any long travel trips/ midweeks, left between now and the end of the AFCON. We can rest between games and Arne can have full weeks on the teaming pitch preparing a game plan.

So from a managers perspective, I totally get it. They have a bigger picture outlook to consider. And he DEFINITELY did the right thing last night for the league campaign and getting the title defence back on track.

But from a fan perspective, you want the early Spring day out at Wembley. And you can never have enough memories of Liverpool picking up trophies. Along with never wanting to see them beat. Not least at home. So last night was a strange mix of emotions.

Annoyance and stunned reaction to the team drop. (Some lad asking what was on the pictures the boozer before was funny.). Which then lead to a totally laid back atmosphere with the crowd when you got in the ground. As you didn’t then expect anything from the game. To now, when you calmly rationalise things from Slots POV, being able to understand why he put out the team he did. L’pool bringing the prices right down last night made it a lot more palatable to wear too.

The main overall thing was the crowd stayed supportive with no player or manager shout-outs the end. They did as much as they could in context and deserved the support and applause in an equally deserved defeat. If proper harsh scoreline.

What it does do though is it makes Villa and Madrid must wins now to JUSTIFY last night. The pressure is no different. Nottins’ changed there. We had to win them even if he’d gone strong last night and won. But from his POV, he needs to win both to turn things or else what was the point in sacrificing the LC?

So I can’t honestly critique or judge what Arne did last night, until we get Saturday and Tuesday out of the way as they are all interlinked.

On the players that did play, Ramsey was a surprising plus. I thought he did real well all game. You can see the talent we took the flyer on there. Rio showed once more what a ridiculous talent he is. And what a threat he’ll be for us going forward. The young Irish kid who came on looked lively. I mean they played real well for half an hour or so. But when legs and minds started to go with the lack of experience, and inevitable physical stature against seasoned pro’s, that’s when it became, literally and physically, men against boys. Harsh to go in behind HT. And 3-0 was a harsh scoreline overall on them in context. But no issues with Palace getting the win they should against kids and progressing. L’pool were just too light in attack to ever threaten them as hard as Chiesa tried. Just no experience up with him. F knows how Will Hughes stayed on like? He was a dirty disgrace all night long. And the super unfortunate Nallo paid for his indiscretion. Have to really feel for that poor kid having the same situation happen his first two professional games.

So here we are. Arne took the gamble with the long game in mind. And last night is totally defined by the next two games. As always happens in football. It’s what you do next that counts most after a set back. Our horrid October is done mercifully. Now we start afresh November. Fully rested and tactically drilled all week for Villa. With no advantage in that regard to them.

Over to you lads.

Sat’day’s match missive may not be as kind if you don’t come through with the W!

Up the ‘Master plan? Or plain foolish? ….. To be decided’ Reds.
 
What a relief and love the kop singing Slots name during the game. As long as match going fans are with you im sure he will be alright. Now onto the game, it was a case of Villa playing bad but even then they still cut through the midfield too easily to get a the backline. Work to do but a step in some kind of direction.
 
Waking up after that feels brilliant. But not as brilliant as our manager must be feeling having been FULLY vindicated in his decision to sack off the LC for the bigger picture of the PL and European Cup. Which are both still very much on!

Todays admin-

Title Defence Countdown:
6 wins down/ 21 to go.
18 points down/ 71 to go.

A manager who not only replaced an all time L’pool legend. (Who he is cut from the exact same cloth from as a man who just fits this club and City perfectly.). But who raised that legends bar and set standards even higher. To now sit alongside King Kenny as the fastest manager to 100 points in our storied history. Through a mere 48 games. A manager who delivered #20, at his first attempt, to take his rightful place among our all time greats who have brought home the league. A manager who has been disgracefully abused, not from outside the club, but by many on-line and across SM ‘claiming’ to be L’pool fans. (Who don’t have the first clue about this City or our fan culture and what makes us tick.). A manager who has unbelievably been accused of making excuses, when he’s openly and honestly, in that endearing Dutch way, tried to give reasons and context as to our recent struggles. A manager who has SHAMEFULLY had his position questioned at the first sign of a dip and poor run of results.

But there in lies the inherent difference between ‘fans’ who pontificate from behind a screen anonymously. Who wouldn’t dare say the utter wham they spout on-line if they were at the match or in the City. (This should go without saying to the decent folk among our Worldwide fanbase who don’t knee-jerk and have a petulant hissy fit when L’pool don’t do exactly what they want. You are all highly treasured and respected members of our ‘family’ with the sacrifices you make to follow from afar. It’s the overt bleeps who scream there bile the loudest and embarrass every last decent Red out there I’m referring to.). And actual SUPPORTERS at the match who understand what that word means. And don’t treat 'YNWA' like some flippant slogan to add to try fool anyone into believing they do actually want the best. After hammering anything Liverpool.

Has Arne deserved legit criticism over the past month or so? NO question. But he most assuredly hasn’t deserved the outright abuse slung at him. And anyone even remotely questioning his position and wanting him gone, not even 10 games into the league season before yesterday, with all the upheaval change and emotional trauma we’ve had to deal with, isn’t ANY type of L’pool ‘fan’ anyone should be giving the time of day to. Yesterday, as I’ve been repeatedly countering the past month to the on-line bile. that next to nobody is questioning the managers position and turning against him at the game, we defiantly showed that support for him, on three different occasions, At 0-0, 1-0, and 2-0. To both do what we are there to do, SUPPORT. And send a message to all the gobS that you can nark as much as you want. This isn’t how we feel and we are gonna’ let everyone know that we’ve had enough of this cringe embarrassing nonsense over the last month.

To top off a brilliant day as a crowd, were we weren’t spectacularly loud, but we were spectacularly consistent in our support and letting the players and staff know we are still 100% together with them, with the belting out of Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’, was just the perfect end to a perfect night ….. ‘Every little thing, is gonna’ be ALRIGHT!’ Because we are the Champions. With the best manager and best squad of players in the Country. And now this is turning again, we still have EVERYTHING to play for in this still embryonic season.

And that’s not to say yesterday was perfect and all our recent ills have been corrected. There’s never any such thing as the perfect football performance. There’s always things to work on and improve. And there’s still plenty of hard graft to go to fully right this ship. But it sure as heck was a step in the right direction. Yesterday was eleven men in red working as one. Constantly grafting and supporting each other. Constantly talking to each other and betting on themselves and their mates. Backing up there mates and collectively having as dominant and controlling 90 minutes as we’ve had since we never gave Arsenal a sniff back in August. That was a team of eleven leaders who said ‘enough is ENOUGH!’ In form Villa caught the brunt and had no answer. Fully justifying the managers decision to sack off the LC for the bigger priority of righting the title defence and equalling things up to give him and his lads a full week of uninterrupted training and prep. Just like Villa had. And everyone one of them benefited and responded to that in true, champions style. Just the first step like. But if we can get the same at City, it would set things up perfectly with the opposition getting much easier after the break after the proper tough start we’ve had. With the added bonus of not many long trips. And no midweek cup ties to disrupt things further in the mad congested winter and early spring months.

Superb day yesterday where the bond between supporters and our team and manager, who we all FULLY believe in and have NEVER lost faith, was on glorious show for all the World to see.

Now onto Madrid and an absolutely wild, feral Anfield with you know who returning. If you are worried about playing Real, just take comfort that they’ll be equally worried about playing us under the Anfield European lights. And any of them that aren’t, will be having it drummed into them from Alonso and Trent about there being NO ground like it in Europe through personal, lived experience.

Up Arne’s Champion Reds! ‘Say you don’t worry, about a thing. ‘Cos every little thing, is gonna’ be ALRIGHT!’
 
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Baffles me reading how people are dreading tomorrow night? 🤷‍♂️

I mean as a supporter, theses are the nights you live for. Not a bigger game could you wish to get in UEFA competition. The 6 times winners against the 15 time winners. Bonafide European royalty the pair. Under the European lights at the most famous and most feared, storied. ground across the Continent.It just doesn’t get ANY bigger in Europe.

Who wouldn’t be counting down the hours in mad excitement for that?
 
This Madrid team 😂😂
Opposite to sum of parts but you can see Xabi ruffled feathers when reports of how low their intensity in training is which is in line with Carlos let the stars be stars approach. Considering we've been lacking fitness at times this season we made them look unfit beyond belief. They couldn't keep up.
 
Opposite to sum of parts but you can see Xabi ruffled feathers when reports of how low their intensity in training is which is in line with Carlos let the stars be stars approach. Considering we've been lacking fitness at times this season we made them look unfit beyond belief. They couldn't keep up.
Most unbalanced bunch of primadonas I’ve watched lol. Are they allergic to tackling, running or any semblance of hard/defencive work 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
🤣🤣 I lost count how many times Liverpool just strolled through every area on the pitch without a Madrid player putting in an ounce of effort. Embarrassing stuff. Just a team of mismatch so called stars trying to shoe horn everyone in without any thought for balance etc
 
If you’re laughing at Madrid players taking out players multiple times, then F knows what game you weren’t watching? 🤷‍♂️
 
So it turns out reports of Liverpool Football Club’s demise were GREATLY exaggerated ……

Real Madrid, 13 wins out 14 this season, along with Arsenal, the most n-form side across all of Europe, WOULDN’T be phased by Anfield they told us. Anfield on a European night is a romanticised notion and it isn’t the most feared ground across Europe in UEFA competition they told us ….. Well Anfield turned up as only Anfield can, together as one with our players and manager, and put Madrid, just like Arsenal, firmly in their place. MASSIVE 10 out 10 ourselves for, following a boss atmosphere Sat’day against Villa, raising the bar another few notches and making that one of the special Anfield European nights. We were as superb off the pitch as we were on it, and Madrid, bar the perennially World Class Belgium in nets, were visibly shaken by it all at times. 🤦‍♂️

Arne Slot is clueless, tactically inept, and needs binning NOW!!!!! they told us. He only won the league down to it being Jurgen’s team they told us. We should brought Xavi home they told us ….. The very same Arne Slot who tactically schooled Alonso last night by playing the perfect, dominant, front foot attacking game, without over committing, which completely nullified Xabi’s counter-attacking style and had L’pool in complete control all game. The same Arne Slot that made multiple, bang on, superb tactical changes most every game last season to bring home the hardest league in World football to win a his very first attempt. But let’s sack one of Europe and the PL’s best managers they told us. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️(And he was FULLY justified, again, for looking at the bigger picture and sacking off the LC. Couldn’t be happier for our manager more than any one.).

Florian Wirtz is a flop/ Mo Salah is finished/ AndyRobbo is done etc ad nauseam they told us. Writing off World Class additions and absolute all time club legends less than a quarter into a season without any context at all ….. How’s that currently working out? 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

L’pool’s season is done! They can forget about the league and CL they told us. After less than 10 games into the season ….. Not looking too clever a shout now is it with L’pool sat comfortably in the top 8 in Europe to qualify. And handily tucked in a negligible 7 points behind Arsenal with 84 left on the board. How bad are we? 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️A L’pool squad that was already the strongest in the league by far, before they had a historical transfer window, who are now starting to click and move up through the gears. The league and European Cup are VERY much on for Arne’s special gang of Reds this season make NO mistake!

The lesson to ‘they who told us’, is to stop embarrasing yourselfs and every last one of us in reactionary nonsense, post less utter wham on the net and SM, and start appreciating just what a top, TOP side and manager you have here. A proven, Championship winning side. And for everyone talking utter S to try belittle Arne that he only won with Jurgen’s side, how about you take on board what Jurgen drummed into you about believing and sticking together and supporting through the hard times? But then those throwing the worst abuse (not warranted criticism. Flat out abuse of the legendary players and manager who brought home #20), are conspicuous by their absence when L’pool are winning games of togger so yanno’.

Absolutely superb evening from back-to-front as L’pool won the 2nd straight of their big three. Mad how much confidence plays in football. But you can see it growing and flying through there veins. Not that the support ever lost belief in them and our manager, but when we are fully connected as one like the last two games, we are an unstoppable force.

Roll on Sunday and City. Beat them and we’re set up swimmingly for a much easier run of fixtures after the break.

Up the ‘FiNISHED! BLOW IT ALL UP AND START AGAIN!!!!!’ Reds!
 
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