Well that was a disappointing end to L’pool’s ‘Big 3’ week that had been absolutely superb the first two games.
Yesterdays admin-
Title Defence Countdown:
6 wins down/ 21 to go.
18 points down/ 71 to go.
Before we get to yesterday’s carnage, an amusing interlude …..
Among the many brilliant hostelries, in the brilliant City of Manchester, is The Sawyers Arms down Deansgate. A wonderfully old, historic, always bustling boozer with great ales and super food. And anyone in there yesterday would have been highly amused by the antics of one Jack Grealish Esq. Who was impressively drunk already when we walked in dinner time to the point he fell over getting up from the table he was sat at. Which was as funny as it was odd and sad as he was by himself. But happily talking to anyone and getting the ale in, in good measure. He even followed the Irish lads he was drinking with when he fell over, out the door, as they moved on to Mulligans to carry on. Just a normal lad, who happens to be a darn good footballer, enjoying the start of the international break and a few days off. Getting no aggro from anyone. Just happy to talk, have a laugh, and drink with anyone.
Not that Grealish has any bearing on our main focus this missive. Just a surreal, funny hour or so that was one of the few highlights from yesterday.
The other was walking back in to town after the game, and two old school City fans, a dad and his dad, with a young son I’d say around 8 or 9, saying to him ‘Remember this date mate. The day you saw City beat L’pool 3. When me and your grandad were growing up, we could only dream of days like these. These are the days you remember and cherish as a blue. Battering one of the elite!’ ….. Which just brought home the inherent difference between traditional, long standing City fans who have been up and down the leagues with them. And who know the score. Who still appreciate their place and pinch themselves at the current era. And the new breed of utter, entitled bleeps that the current, trophy laden era has sadly brought to the club. Nice sense of pride of just who we are hearing proper City lads talking about us in such reverence.
And then there was the actual game of togger in between to dampen your day as much as the harsh Manny rain.
Let’s get this straight up front. L’pool deserved nottin’ from the game yesterday. We were second best all over the park to City. Looking leggy and flat in so doing. Riddled with mistakes and poor play. Outside of big Dom, again, and Bradley, who was well arguably our best player, but who was unfortunately isolated up against the games best player, Doku, no player comes out with any real credit. So that’s the main point # 1.
But then you have points # 2 and # 3 which are also true and play as big a factor in the final outcome as anything-
# 2.
Liverpool have wretched luck all game.
# 3.
Liverpool have to contend with not only City, but absolutely disgracefully biased officiating ALL game.
You can and should have a legitimate discussion on the on-going issues of point 1. Which is Liverpool being nowhere near good enough to win the game. Whilst also acknowledging the cause and effect on the outcome of the game related to points 2 and 3.
The club needs to make a stand over Michael Oliver now. This S between him and us has gone on WAY too long now. As poor as we were to that point first half, Virgil’s brilliant header being ruled out is a massive turning point the whole game. That stands as it should have, you have a massive momentum swing going into half-time and who knows what happens after that? All after he’d tried his best to hand City the lead with a dubious penalty. Let’s let play go on and City have 2 or 3 shots blocked.What, they haven’t scored? S! Get the ref to stop the game and pull him over the screen! This absolute disgrace of an official isn’t even hiding his overt bias towards us now. (Lest we forget it was him against these with the Mac Allister non-peno that cost us dear the league under Jurgen.). And then after the disgrace of finding fault where there is absolutely none with the equaliser, you get the horrid luck of a simple save turned into a fluke goal via a deflection.
Again, none of points 2 and 3 diminish how poor L’pool were to warrant nottin’ out the game. But you can’t have a fair discussion and analysis without factoring in both BIG issues on the overall game/ outcome.
Such fine margins decide top level games of football more often than not no matter how good or bad you are.
Mercifully, no team won away this weekend. Arsenal included. So nothing has really changed. For all our current woes, L’pool remain a minimal 3 games back from Arsenal. And 2 games behind City. Both of which are negligible differences not even a third of the way into the season. 8 and 4 points behind are nothing when there’s 81 points still on the table. And, after a super tough start to the season, our schedule after the break gets a LOT easier with 5 of the next 8 at home. And three aways you’d expect to win. With full training weeks to prepare for 4 of those. And no hindrance of the LC. Whereas the schedule for both Arsenal and City up until the start of January is much tougher. Including the LC for both.
How this currently looks and feels could well look and feel completely different again by the turn of the year.
But that’s ALL on L’pool to sort out and fix. Nothing is lost or irretrievable by any stretch as I type. But they have to start faster in games and get back to winning first halves the way they are playing much better in second halves. Without leaving themselves too much to overcome. And they need to take the home form on the road and end this dismal away spell.
No more hard lines Reds. No more crooked officials doing you over. You are the Champions. Sort your collective S out this break and let’s get back to playing and dominating like Champions do!
Still EVERYTHING to play for this season. But only YOU can make it happen L’pool.
What happens next is down to yourselves. Don’t let us down!
Up the ‘What a top bloke that Jack Grealish actually is yanno’ Reds!
