Liverpool v Man City dominates the Mailbox as Reds fans want to know if they have faced a Proper Team yet. Phil Foden gets a kicking.
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Arne Slot is the Winning One
No one rated Liverpool at the beginning of the season. Slot was relatively unknown and Klopp was a force of nature, coupled with the fact there were no major acquisitions. Yet they keep on winning.
The disbelief even caused the Will Ford Trollbot to hyperventilate. But whatever is thrown at this Liverpool side, they seem to overcome it, apart from one blip. A blip, incidentally, to a team in the top 6 at the moment.
They were sublime against City. The first 20 minutes were as manic as at any time under Klopp. But this version of Liverpool has the ability to control the game. To the point they look comfortable defending a one goal lead against teams like City or Real Madrid. (For all the Real Madrid are nowhere near as good this year, they are one point off the top of La Liga with a game in hand. City’s bench had Grealish, Doku, De Bruyne.)
But Liverpool started well last year, only to run out of steam playing the Klopp high intensity way and the many injuries eventually taking their toll. So perhaps not such a surprise that the same side, with more time playing together under a clearly smart manager. A manager who is showing them how to control the game, calm things down when necessary and making small, astute in-game tactical tweaks and substitutions to manage individuals load.
The current Liverpool team are a great combination of skill and effort. Everyone playing their part. Everyone putting in a shift. Movement, passing, aggression when needed.
To win big games requires taking some risks. It requires confidence to take risks and Liverpool have that right now while City and Real Madrid mid-week did not.
After the ‘not a good team as everyone they play is shite’ narrative gets tired, we move to the ‘management are shite as they haven’t re-signed three players’ narrative, with no credit for picking the right manager.
I read on BBC where one City fan claimed a ‘moral’ victory because Liverpool didn’t put 4 or 5 past a ‘weakened’ City side. Which says more about City fans being so inured to City’s transgressions and 115 EPL charges, they can claim a moral high ground.
Arsenal were once again sumptuous and remorseless and are clearly the more likely challenger to Liverpool than City. Odegaard definitely makes a huge difference to that team.
Chelsea may also be showing their gamble might pay off as they continue to put a string of results together and sort out their best 15 from the 400+ available.
It will be an interesting Premier League race if we have 4 teams vying for the title and none of them are City.
Paul McDevitt
Why can’t Liverpool destroy anybody?
“Apart from dismantling Man Utd, a paper tiger of a football club, we’ve yet to win in this league convincingly,” said my brain to an audience of crickets. Why can’t we ever put anyone to the sword, make a leisurely stroll of it ?
The stats will say Liverpool had 3.3 xG at Anfield today, and City 0.2. To the eye our xG felt more like a half-dozen, such was the nailed-on nature of many of our chances spurned. It’s likely the majority of the punditry, match reports, call-in shows and podcasts will paint this as a dominant victory, a title charge finally underway etc etc.
But I say in earnest and without being the least bit disingenuous that I thought this match was cagey, stressful, almost unenjoyable. Perhaps it was because I spent most of it believing we’d pay dearly for our multitude of profligate moments and City would snatch the result. And as we couldn’t capitalize on any of several glorious chances after the early Gakpo opener, I was convinced City would settle, find their levels, begin to mount a threat. And to me, they did do. It certainly didn’t seem a paltry 0.2 xG from them, and I found myself angsty and shouty.
After halftime, I began to see what I thought were familiar City patterns; suddenly a lot of it was slick, grooved and deliberate. Possession had shifted their way. Anfield felt quieted. And when Doku came on and attacked repeatedly towards that left byline I was convinced it was three points gone. The late penalty and final whistle came as huge relief. Maybe I’m getting too old for this shit. As I said, everyone will probably paint this as a commensurate, controlled performance and say we’re ticking on. But to me it feels nervy as hell.
I don’t know how we keep doing it but maybe I don’t need to. Just dumb it down, enjoy the fixtures, embrace the squeaky bum of it… also remember to breathe (and hopefully laugh at myself later).
Eric, Los Angeles CA
Have we beaten a Proper Team yet?
After our latest ho-hum win over a discombobulated City team ravaged by injuries, Liverpool still haven’t beaten a Proper Football Team… who are in top form. Nothing to deny about that.
This is shaping out to be a Leicester champo year, where Spurs overperformed, City were rebuilding, Ars imploded, and LFC were even worse. But I’m not complaining 🙂
We haven’t cheated via financial doping, it’s not our fault for opponent injuries or suckiness, and we can only beat those in front of us 🙂 And it’s not as though we have a clean bill of health to key players (Jota, Konate, Alisson, Harvey Elliot, Conor Bradley, …)
Gab YNWA
“Whistling while I’m working…”
…After the 2-0 win over City Liverpool now sit 9 points clear having played the teams in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th. So we still saying they haven’t played anyone?!
Adam (Leeds)
Fodone?
Dele Alli had a few seasons at Tottenham where he looked like he would be one of the greatest English players of all time. 67 goals and 58 assists in a six year period. And then, alas, he gradually disappeared from the scoring charts and, eventually, most sadly, from the pitch. While Alli spoke candidly about his struggles, we will never know the exact intricacies of how he fell so rapidly from grace. Now 28 years old, one can only hope tha he, at least, finds enjoyment in his football again.
As a young footballer, caught in the bright lights and big cities that accompany Premier League football, it is undoubtedly increasingly hard to stay focused and to continue to maximise one’s capacity to excel on the pitch. Sometimes, footballers are particularly talented with a particular skill and, until the opposition’s technical interpretations become cognisant, a few fruitful seasons can be enjoyed and some limited longevity can be endured as hope lingers.
Phil Foden was the PFA Player of the Year last season with 19 goals and 8 assists. Then came Euro 24, with huge expectations placed upon the England team and the young Mancunian. Zero goal involvements and, besides one threatening half versus the Netherlands, little notable output at all. Kane and Bellingham certainly seemed to suffer, due to his tendency to tiptoe into the centre of the pitch and invade their space. There is roughly a fifty percent decrease in Haaland’s scoring with Foden on the pitch, so the evidence that is stacking up against him would seem quite damning.
When Foden was scoring goals, the detrimental effect to the output of others could be overlooked. Defensively, he offers very little and, now that the goals have dried up, his whole purpose in any starting lineup seems under question. With City seemingly in drastic decline, deprived of Rodri’s incisive passing, the sharpshooting around the box seems to be a thing of the past.
This could perhaps be a dip in form, but it does seem that Foden’s inadequacies have been camouflaged by the excellent players around him. His England performances have consistently looked limited and it’s hard to imagine him as a self-sufficient creative influence in any team under any circumstance at present.
So, what could come next in his career? There has been no suggestion of transfer rumours and it would be difficult to imagine him out of City colours. To hypothesise, a few unremarkable seasons at Newcastle could be a believable trajectory, before finding himself at Fulham, maybe in a ‘had high hopes tandem with Emile Smith-Rowe.
Foden has very much been a choreographed cog in the Pep machine over the years and the thought of his suitability to other top clubs doesn’t jump out at you. Of course, a return to form cannot be ruled out, but one trick ponies rarely expand their enterprise and a lack of experience outside of the City confines may not work in his favour.
Alex Curran
Joy of Six
Everyone’s saying it’s to remind us of the number of titles he’s won, but surely it’s a more prescient reminder of the number of games he’s lost in the last seven?
Nick Glover, Scouser in Brum
Salah will want more
I keep seeing people say that we should just offer Salah two (or three) more years at his current salary and be done with it.
What makes people think he’ll accept his current salary? If you’re the best winger in the Premier League and the most consistent player in your team and position over the last 8 years still doing better numbers than anyone else despite being in your thirties why would you accept your current salary?
If the argument is “we’ll your in your 30s mate and so aren’t as valuable” then how can you justify also offering the same terms? If you believe he’s just as valuable as any other year (arguable) then both he and his agent have every right to ask for a pay increase. Which is what I imagine is happening. Except perhaps the budget can’t afford an increase on two players who are already paid £350k and £300k per week.
While Salah says there has been no offer there will definitely have been talks so it’s not as if the club is doing nothing while Salah is begging to sign on any terms. He will want paying what he feels he is worth and the club will want to negotiate the terms as low as possible – which is the adversarial nature of capitalism.
So if we assume Salah is worth a contract renewal based on his numbers we also have to assume he will want a payrise given everyone on earth believes Liverpool cannot ever replace Salah and will need to wheel him out in his chair when he celebrates his sixtieth birthday.
One thing that did change my opinion a little is the thought that if we didn’t sign him would anyone else in the top clubs do so, and I think they would so Id be more in favour of a renewal but not if it means not buying a replacement for him.
My guess is that we can’t replace both him and Van Dijk in the summer because we don’t have the money. So if you have to let one go (because of finances) who do you choose?
Before anyone says we can afford it id ask you to check published accounts and you’ll see we can’t. There’s a reason why even in a champions league winning season klopp budget next year …. Minamino for £15m. Jürgen had to have a lean year for every big spending year. It’s getting better as our commercial revenue is increasing but we are still quite a long way behind city, united, Chelsea in terms of revenue.
Lee
Manchester is red!
A four-goal win, four points off the Champions League places and a better goal difference than City.
United are back!
…until the Arsenal game on Wednesday, when there may be a crisis again…
Andy (MUFC)
Lads, it was Everton
Before any United fans get their hopes up, I’m just here to remind you that you were playing an absolutely dreadful Everton “team” that really never stood a chance despite how poor your season has been.
Fair play, you can only play what’s put in front of you but don’t make any assumptions on your club based on today’s result. We lost to Southampton ffs.
As for Everton, we’ll be in the relegation zone by January (with Wolves, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, City, and Forest between now and December 29) with us potentially losing every one of those matches. Dyche hasn’t been sacked because we have an absentee owner who only cares about getting as much out of the club as he can with the sale to the Friedkin Group. Friedkin will undoubtedly sack Dyche has he’s been deserving of that fate since our loss to Bournemouth (being two up with 8 minutes to go and losing) and bring his own manager in but it will be too late. The damage will have been done and it won’t take much for Palace, Ipswich, etc., to gain some distance between us and the bottom three.
Even Wolves, albeit on limited evidence, look to be able to turn their season around after beating Fulham.
Everton will open next season in a brand spanking new stadium in the Championship…
…then after having to sell Branthwaite, Pickford, and Ndiaye (our only players with any value) at fire sale prices, we’ll drop straight down into League One.
Could it get worse for Everton Football Club? Why yes, yes it could.
TX Bill (will be travelling from America to see Everton vs. Chelsea and City vs. Everton…oh joy….) EFC
We’re back!
My ‘we’re so back’ mail from last weekend didn’t get published, so I figured it was time to go again.
13 goals in 3 games. Electric football. Odegaard is the MVP of this league (joint with Rodri).
We’re so back.
Tom, Leyton
End of the conspiracy?
I’m confused. I thought it was the PGMOL’s ‘prime directive’ to ensure that all referee decisions went AGAINST Arsenal?
Mark (Funny how seasons pan out eh?). MCFC
