If there’s one thing BH’s are good for, it’s a long lie-in. Needed that. Anyway, a little late this AM, but let’s get to yesterday’s latest mess …..
Yesterday’s admin-
Title Defence Countdown Ended Gameweek 34.
17 wins down/ 3 to go. (Adjusted from pre-season target of 27 wins.).
58 points down/ 9 to go. (Adjusted from pre-season target of 89 points.).
Top 5 CL Qualification:
Currently joint 4th.
4 points from 9 needed to officially confirm.
For a Utd- L’pool game, that was rank bad. Two really poor teams running around like a group of disorganised, if enthusiastic, school kids chasing the ball. A game which neither side deserved to win. But Utd did so fair F’s to them for being slightly less S, and slightly more clinical, on the day. Albeit with a massive hand from the officials.
Let’s take this in stages.
It was bizarre in town before the game when we had no confidence with Alisson and Isak out. And every Utd fan you listened to and spoke to had no confidence in their own team who have been getting away with massive amounts of luck and playing really poorly under Carrick. Which was on display again yesterday. A microcosm of just how utterly S both clubs have been this season when neither set of support had any confidence of winning the game!
As a related side note, the massive difference in how busy Manny always is when Utd are playing, to when City are at home, is seismic. The pubs and restaurant's were bursting yesterday. Not so much against City the other week. Like L’pool, Manchester always has been, and always will be, vast majority Red.
Massive kudos to Utd fans for joining in with another highly vocal protest against ticket hikes that affects
EVERYONE, outside before the game. Their continued support, like the vast majority of clubs across the league, is greatly appreciated.
Unity is
STRENGTH!
And a good number of them joined in clapping on 20 for Diogo which was heartening too. The less said about the absolute gobS on the tram after trying to say Diogo killed his own brother the better. Some people are just horrible, low life C.
They need to sort out the flags though. It’s been hillarious since the Europa tie there the pitiful flag sections in the corner. To be greeted with the ‘Stretford Kop’ was beyond funny and got the response it deserved with ‘
What the F H ell is THAT?!!!!!’ Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I guess.
As for the actual game, L’pool were absolutely abysmal first half. Beggers belief how you can start so slow and gift them two goals early like that. But that’s just symptomatic of the season and continually leaves you on the back foot chasing the game. Said it numerous times but the club needs to make sure the manager brings his family over if they are to fully commit to him for a third year as has always seemed likely. It was utterly mad how they agreed to that and him living out of a hotel when they appointed him. Him going home every week, and the players slacking off in training when the boss isn’t there/ getting breaks themselves, is helping nobody.
Second half was markedly improved in terms of intensity and attacking intent. Which they pretty much dominated throughout as much as they passively surrounded the first half ….. without much actual creativity in the box where it mattered. And then you’ve VAR and more P poor officiating playing its part in allowing the joke Sesko goal. And not walking Fernandes for a stone wall red card. All relative in the context of the result.
All in all a really poor quality Utd- L’pool game where they were just a little bit more clinical, and more lucky with the big decisions, than we were. You do wonder what yesterday would have been like with a less injured Liverpool? An Ekitike running at them. An Isak giving the focal point in attack we never had. An Alisson distributing better and not flying out like Woodman madly did to gift them the second that should never have stood.
Disappointing not to get a point in context to how on top we were second half. Always disappointing to lose to them regardless. A draw would have been about the right result. But when both teams are as bad as they currently are, fine margins dictate and we have been on the wrong side of those on way too many occasions this season. 18 defeats speaks for itself. Regardless of all the mitigating factors that nobody wants to discuss on-line but what will keep the manager in a job when those above him factor context in. We showed the bottle and fight second half we never did last time out in Manchester. That shows the players are still with the manager. But it still wasn’t enough. The cutting edge. The intensity from the get-go, the whole nine yards. That won’t happen until all the players are back fit together. But still, it wasn’t good enough yesterday like so many other times this season.
And just to highlight how utterly garbage this league is this season, and how lacking in quality most every team boringly is, Utd are now qualified for the CL. And L’pool are all but with both sat in third and fourth.
The worst ever PL season can not end quickly enough.
Up the Reds!
#NOT A POUND IN THE GROUND!
#SHOW FSG THE YELLOW CARD!
#ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
#WE ARE LIVERPOOL. THIS COSTS MORE!
