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Brighton 1 Liverpool 3 (Jul 8 2020)

     

     
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    Dave Usher

Three more points towards the record. That’s what we’re playing for now and we’re almost there. Three wins from four will do it, four wins from four might set a record that will never be beaten.

 

I didn’t really know what to expect from this game as a lot depended on how Brighton approached it. They were terrific at Anfield earlier in the season and we needed two set-pieces headers from Virg to beat them. Recently though they’ve not been great and they’ve been a bit more defensive.

 

I suspected they’d sit back and defend in numbers, which would make it a tough game for us if we didn’t score early. They didn’t do that though, they picked an attacking line up and tried to play through us. It backfired spectacularly early on but overall they actually played very well I thought.

 

Brighton have been given stick for their ‘naive’ approach but I think that’s a bit unfair because this is how they want to play. They stayed true to their principles and were probably more adventurous than I expected. They’re virtually safe now though so the pressure was off them.

 

I get the argument that they should have adapted their game and not played out from the back because it plays to our strengths, and based on the result that’s an easy thing to say. I understand why Graham Potter did it though, because he did exactly the same at Anfield and I can remember writing after that game how impressed I was at the way they played through our press. 

 

We couldn’t actually get near them that day, they just went bump bump bump and they’d bypassed our forwards and were in our half every single time.

 

Unfortunately for them the lack of quality in attack meant they didn’t pose much threat, but I can remember saying how well coached a team they were back then. So Potter knew his team could play through our press and he encouraged them to do so again. This time it didn’t work and they conceded two goals in the opening seven or eight minutes.

 

It could be that they just made mistakes or it might have been that we pressed differently than the last game which forced those mistakes. There’s usually a player who we target because he’s seen as the least comfortable on the ball. Presumably it will have been Adam Webster or Dale Stephens (who’s a dead ringer for Ricky Gervais by the way) because they never looked comfortable at all. 

 

Souness was especially annoyed at Brighton’s approach. I can understand why they played like that but I do agree with Souness that Brighton should have eased their way into the game before trying to play so progressively. Knock it long early on or play it out wide early doors. That would have served them much better, but thankfully that’s not what they did.

 

The first goal is especially bad from their point of view as they lost the ball so close to their own box. It was brilliant from Naby who was on to Propper in a flash. Having picked his pocket he then played it square, presumably to Firmino, but Bobby let it run for Mo who had a simple finish.

 

I didn’t really get onto it straight away as initially I just thought it was a bit too far in front of Bobby and he didn’t want to stretch, but with each replay I watched it became more obvious he could have taken that himself. It was extremely unselfish of him to leave that for Salah, but it might also suggest that he’s suffering from a lack of confidence himself. 

 

I don’t know, only he does. He’s done stuff like that before and he’s one of the most unselfish forwards you’ll ever see, so it might just be that. It could also be that he’s not feeling great about his game right now and the lack of goals might be bothering him. He had a decent first half I thought but then after the break he wasn’t good. He desperately needs a goal to get him going again.

 

Brighton didn’t learn their lesson and kept trying to play through the middle of midfield. The second goal wasn’t as bad as the first as they lost the ball on halfway, not on the edge of their own box, but it was largely self inflicted. 

 

Again Keita was the springboard for it, as he nipped in front of Stephens to not only win the ball but to get it to Firmino. Brighton were in trouble but there was still a fair bit to do and they did have the back four still in place. Initially Salah looked like he’d ran into trouble but Henderson arrived on the scene and whipped a first time shot across the keeper from 20 yards. 

 

I couldn’t help but think when that went in that this was what we didn’t do at the Etihad. If you were to watch the City game back (not that any of us ever would!) I’m sure you’d see at least half a dozen situations similar to that second goal. Winning the ball off them in their own half wasn’t a problem. The problem was wasting the opportunity that arose from it. Against Brighton it was different because we made them pay. Fine margins sometimes.

 

Brighton had given themselves a mountain to climb but to be fair they almost did it. When they pulled a goal back late in the half it wasn’t a shock as it had been coming for a while. They were really dangerous and caused us a lot of problems.

 

Their main threat was from Lamptey down the right hand side. If you’ve been paying attention then you’ll know about him because I was talking him up even when he was a kid in Chelsea’s youth team. He absolutely destroyed our u18s and u23s at the Academy and I was surprised when Chelsea sold him.

 

Then again, they’ve got Reece James in the same position and he’s quality as well. Lamptey won’t be at Brighton for long. Arsenal or City will probably be bidding for him in the next year or two if keeps playing like this.

 

It was tough for Neco making his first start in an unfamiliar position but overall he did pretty well. He made one fantastic block to deny Trossard and he looked very positive going forward. There were one or two moments when he got himself in the wrong position (both with and without the ball) but that’s to be expected as this might be the first time he’s ever played left back. 

 

It’s not THAT different to right back but it is different and there are subtle things that you need to do differently. He’s got a decent left peg though and I have no doubt he can be a nice option for us there the more game time he gets.

 

Taking him off at half time was the smart thing to do because he was on a booking and Brighton were going to target him. More experienced players than Williams have suffered the same fate with Klopp, as it’s something he does tend to do when players are at risk of a red card.

 

The yellow card was a bad decision I thought because Lamptey had missed the ball completely and ran across Neco. There was nothing he could do to avoid contact. Had Lamptey taken the ball in stride and then gone across Neco then yeah it’s a foul and a yellow, but given that he miscontrolled it and then ran in the opposite direction (with the ball going out for a throw) I thought that was harsh.

 

That being said, he’d gotten away a few minutes earlier and Neco tried and failed to drag him back (luckily Hendo came around on the cover to snuff out the danger), so morally the card was probably deserved. That fucking ref though, he did his best to spoil the game didn’t he, the whistle happy bastard.

 

Obviously I was happy enough with a 2-1 lead at the break but what bothered me about that first half was that Neco seemed to be left all alone to deal with Lamptey. Not only did he have Gross to worry about, but he also had this little flying machine right back bombing at him constantly as well. Just where the fuck was Ox? I don’t think this happens if Mané is on the field.

 

Look at their goal. Neco is marking the right sided attacker and goes to close him down. He lays it off and then Neco then has to run out wide to try and block the cross from Lamptey. What the fuck is Ox doing? Not much.

 

I hate to labour the point because I’m boring myself with it now, but Ox in a front three is just horrible. I could almost live with the lack of attacking production if he was at least contributing defensively, but he didn’t even do that. It’s just a completely pointless selection. I don’t know how many times we need to see it before Klopp eventually gives up on it. 

 

Who’s worse out wide; Ox, Minamino or Origi? It’s like asking would you rather step in dog shit, cat shit or cow shit. Doesn’t really matter which is worse, they’re all still shit, you know?

 

I don’t want to see any of them in that role next season so I’m hoping for another solution. Maybe it’s Shaqiri (although he wasn’t even on the bench so fuck knows what’s going on there) or maybe it’s Harry Wilson. Neither are the perfect solution but I’d take both of them over the alternatives we usually see.

 

Anyway, Neco made way for Robbo at half time and it made a difference, but it was only when Sadio came on that we really took hold of the game again. Brighton had bossed the second part of the first half and they were doing alright after the restart too. They should have equalised when Burn missed an absolute sitter. That was their moment and they didn’t take it.

 

With the introduction of Fabinho (who was great) and Mané I felt like the game swung back in our favour and after that it was always a case of when we’d score rather than if. We had plenty of chances, Salah was looking really dangerous and Robbo was flying down that left hand side delivering a stream of crosses.

 

It was from a Robbo cross that we made the game safe, as he picked out Mo with a near post corner and he found the bottom corner with a really sharp header. He made a little crack afterwards about how “it’s about time Robbo assisted me”. I later read than Robbo has given him more assists than anyone else. Maybe Mo is confusing him with Trent or maybe he just wanted to bust Robbo’s chops.

 

Mo is in great spirits at the moment. He was laughing and joking in his post match interview and he’s got a real spring in his step at the moment. He’s got that Golden Boot in his sights, you can tell. He was fucking fuming with himself during the game when he missed a couple of chances and it’s just obvious he’s thinking about making it three in a row.

 

He’s three behind Vardy so it’s not going to be easy, but he’s got it in him to go and score four in one game so I reckon he’s good a real shot at this, especially as he’ll be up against David Luiz and Arsenal in a week or so.

 

The pressure is off us now that we’ve secured the title but you know that these lads still want to go out and win every game. Maybe Mo’s chase for the Golden Boot is an extra motivation for everyone (except maybe Sadio!) too. They’ll want him to get it, maybe that’s why Bobby dummied that ball for him.

 

These little goals are helpful I think. Like the chase for the points total. None of them will say it but I’d be willing to bet everything I have that the squad desperately want that record because it gives them a legitimate claim to being the best side ever in the country. 

 

Four wins from the final four games would not only shatter the points record, it would mean that we’d averaged over a hundred points for a two year period. That’s probably not something the players are thinking of, but they will be wanting to beat City’s record, of that I’m sure.

 

I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect to see us at full speed as it’s virtually impossible to be full throttle when the title is won and the stadiums are empty, but overall we’re doing a decent enough job and the effort and desire to get wins is still there.

 

You can see it in the performances that the determination to win by whatever means necessary is still there. It was shite for a long time against Villa but they kept going and in the end found a way. Against Brighton they showed it again, albeit in a different way.

 

I liked the intensity we started the game with and although it understandably dropped off, we dug in and protected the lead, withstood some pressure and then eventually regained our dominant grip on the game and ran out comfortable winners. These lads just want to win all the time and will do whatever it takes.

 

So there were plenty of positives to take from this, not least the display of Naby. This is the frustration with him though. He gives you just enough to make you excited and to want to see more of him, but so far he has never been able to build on it. I thought he was terrific in this game and I was disappointed when he was brought off. I understand the reason for it and it was nothing to do with how he played, but I was enjoying his performance and didn’t want it to end.

 

Having only played for an hour I’m assuming he’ll start the next game, especially with Hendo injured. So hopefully this time he can kick on because the opportunity is there for him to get a little run in the side now. We know what he can do, we just don’t know if he can do it consistently.

 

At the point he was subbed he had clearly been our best player and looked a shoe in for the star man. He’s not getting it though because Salah overtook him with what he did in the last half an hour. He’d been sharp even before that but Keita had still been our best player. By the end of the game though how could I not give it to Mo? 

 

Also a special mention to Van Dijk who was imperious again. That moment when he dealt with a difficult ball over the top by heading it back over Connolly and collecting it himself before playing a no look pass to Robbo was actually unfair. I don’t think is anyone else who would have even thought of doing that let alone been able to pull it off. He’s fucking ridiculous.

 

Gomez on the other hand doesn’t look like he’s playing with any confidence at the moment. Very shaky and uncertain. I can see why Matip was selected ahead of him for the first game back now. At the time I was surprised by that, but if Joel was fit now he’d be playing I think. At least Trent and Robbo looked more like their usual selves.

 

Final word is on Hendo’s injury. I’m not unduly concerned at the idea he might miss some games as it just means opportunities for others like Keita, Milner and maybe (hopefully) Jones. The idea of him not being able to do the shuffle when he lifts the trophy though is something I’m just not prepared to contemplate. 

 

Whatever they need to inject him with to make that happen, fucking do it. We’ve been robbed of so much already when it comes to celebrating this title. That would be too much though. We need to see that shuffle.

 

 

Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Williams (Robertson); Henderson (Milner), Keita (Fabinho), Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino (Minamino), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Mané):

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I thought Keita was good but he started on the left side of the midfield which means he was also responsible for covering that side a bit and he should share the blame along with Ox about having left Nico to fend for himself.

 

Dave - u clearly rate Lamptey highly. Why Arsenal and city? Why not us as a standby to Mane? 

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Great report as usual Dave and I honestly want the record to show we're the greatest team of all time who did not have to financially dope to get where we are. If Liverpool gets this record the City Centurions

becomes even more irrelevant and that record becomes even less spoken about that it is now.

 

Regarding:

 

That moment when he dealt with a difficult ball over the top by heading it back over Connolly and collecting it himself before playing a no look pass to Robbo was actually unfair. I don’t think is anyone else who would have even thought of doing that let alone been able to pull it off. He’s fucking ridiculous.

 

I can totally see Alison doing that and giving us all a heart attack

 

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1 hour ago, tlw content said:

 

 
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Report by
Dave Usher

 

Three more points towards the record. That’s what we’re playing for now and we’re almost there. Three wins from four will do it, four wins from four might set a record that will never be beaten.

 

I didn’t really know what to expect from this game as a lot depended on how Brighton approached it. They were terrific at Anfield earlier in the season and we needed two set-pieces headers from Virg to beat them. Recently though they’ve not been great and they’ve been a bit more defensive.

 

I suspected they’d sit back and defend in numbers, which would make it a tough game for us if we didn’t score early. They didn’t do that though, they picked an attacking line up and tried to play through us. It backfired spectacularly early on but overall they actually played very well I thought.

 

Brighton have been given stick for their ‘naive’ approach but I think that’s a bit unfair because this is how they want to play. They stayed true to their principles and were probably more adventurous than I expected. They’re virtually safe now though so the pressure was off them.

 

I get the argument that they should have adapted their game and not played out from the back because it plays to our strengths, and based on the result that’s an easy thing to say. I understand why Graham Potter did it though, because he did exactly the same at Anfield and I can remember writing after that game how impressed I was at the way they played through our press. 

 

We couldn’t actually get near them that day, they just went bump bump bump and they’d bypassed our forwards and were in our half every single time.

 

Unfortunately for them the lack of quality in attack meant they didn’t pose much threat, but I can remember saying how well coached a team they were back then. So Potter knew his team could play through our press and he encouraged them to do so again. This time it didn’t work and they conceded two goals in the opening seven or eight minutes.

 

It could be that they just made mistakes or it might have been that we pressed differently than the last game which forced those mistakes. There’s usually a player who we target because he’s seen as the least comfortable on the ball. Presumably it will have been Adam Webster or Dale Stephens (who’s a dead ringer for Ricky Gervais by the way) because they never looked comfortable at all. 

 

Souness was especially annoyed at Brighton’s approach. I can understand why they played like that but I do agree with Souness that Brighton should have eased their way into the game before trying to play so progressively. Knock it long early on or play it out wide early doors. That would have served them much better, but thankfully that’s not what they did.

 

 

This is just a teaser, click here to view the full report

 

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If Brighton stay in the Premier League with their 'naive, attacking approach' wherea overly defensive teams like West Ham and Bournemouth are relegated then I hope we get more naive, attacking teams in the Premier League that stay up. Brighton made for a very entertaining match and they looked at times like the could get back into the match. The third goal was the K.O.

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Oh I want them to beat city's record......because they deserve it and to shove it up Silvas arse.The prick.The disrespectful prick. I'd like to think that some of the players are thinking the same,just to shove it up his hole. Prick.

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2 hours ago, Pudns said:

Oh I want them to beat city's record......because they deserve it and to shove it up Silvas arse.The prick.The disrespectful prick. I'd like to think that some of the players are thinking the same,just to shove it up his hole. Prick.

Bernardo Silva is an absolute dickhead. See: Twitter post on Mendy (and Sterling’s shameful excusing of it). The recent conduct was just more evidence if ever so needed.

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On 09/07/2020 at 15:11, Bad Red Bull said:

I thought Keita was good but he started on the left side of the midfield which means he was also responsible for covering that side a bit and he should share the blame along with Ox about having left Nico to fend for himself.

 

Dave - u clearly rate Lamptey highly. Why Arsenal and city? Why not us as a standby to Mane? 

Because he's an attacking right back and we have Trent and Neco already.

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