Report by
Dave Usher at Anfield
I’d rather not have to write about this one if I’m perfectly honest. It was bad enough sitting through it once without having to relive the whole thing again. Considering the great things we’ve got going on and the excitement around the place at the moment, I’m surprised at how disheartened I was as I sat watching that second half.
In some ways it was entirely predictable how the game unfolded, and I think that’s probably the most disheartening aspect of it. Results like this are seen as a shock but they really shouldn’t be.
How is it that I feel far more confident about us playing Roma than I do Stoke or West Brom? It flies in the face of all conventional wisdom but that’s this Liverpool team. Try explaining to someone who doesn’t follow it closely.
“Who you playing today?”
“Stoke”
“They any good?”
“No they’re crap, second from bottom.”
“You should win then?”
“Well no actually.”
“Eh? Why not?”
That’s the conversation I have with my missus probably 15-20 times a season (obviously replace ‘Stoke’ with any number of shite teams). The reason I have the same conversation so many times is twofold. Firstly, when I explain the nuances of why we beat the best teams but struggle against the dregs, she usually switches off the moment I start talking about ‘packed defences’ or ‘deep defensive lines’. And secondly, because we keep dropping points to shite.
That’s why I think the reaction to this result was so extreme on both sides. There seems to be two main reaction camps here. There are those who think these recent league results show how far behind we still are, and those who couldn’t care less about these league games because we’ve got bigger fish to fry. I’ve got a foot in both camps. I see both points of view and I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive.
The thing that I don’t really like is how every time we drop points the attitude from many (including the players) seems to be that it’s fine because we’ve still got a cushion over Chelsea and all we need is ‘X amount’ of points to guarantee top four. That’s true, but when did 4th place become the ‘goal’ rather than the consolation prize?
A few weeks ago we were realistically aiming for second spot. Then that went by the wayside but it’s fine, we’ll hold off Spurs for third. We still might, but only if Spurs don’t win their remaining fixtures. The bar has been lowered week by week, and why? Because we keep failing to beat some of the worst teams in the league. It shouldn’t have come to this and frankly it’s embarrassing that it might go to the last game. Our run in was fucking piss easy but we’re limping over the line.
If we win number six then none of us are going to care too much if we finish third or fourth, or even fifth for that matter, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t significant and should be dismissed. This is a significant problem we have and until it’s addressed the title isn’t coming back to Anfield any time soon.
What we’re doing in Europe is amazing and obviously I’m loving it. Not gonna lie though, I was pretty miserable watching that second half against Stoke. I can’t just dismiss it on the basis of it being a natural consequence of Champions League commitments and having to rest players or whatever. It’s not like it’s an isolated occurrence is it? We’ve been dropping points to shite all season and it’s not always because of Europe or shit referees.
It worries me. There seems to be this assumption that we’ll automatically be challengers next season and we can give City a real run for their oil money. It’s wishful thinking. How can we expect to challenge when we drop so many points to shite teams? That’s not how you win leagues. You win leagues by taking care of business against the dregs.
We’ve drawn twice with Everton. Twice with West Brom. We lost to Swansea. Drew with Watford. Drew with Burnley. Drew with Newcastle. Whatsmore, our record against the top six has dropped off massively this year too. Shite refereeing has contributed to a lot of those dropped points but we’re 21 points behind City and they have a game in hand, so it’s basically 24. Twenty. Four. That’s eight wins worse off.
Even if City let their level slip a little next year (and presumably they will because what they’ve done this year has never been done before) that’s an awful lot of ground to make up and considering we’ve been doing this shit virtually every year since we last won the title (even when we went close in 08/09 it was dropped points to bum teams at Anfield that cost us) forgive me if I’m not ready to declare us contenders based solely on what we’ve done in Europe.
Here’s the thing. I wrote months ago that we would be a real danger in Europe because with the exception of any team coached by Mourinho or Simeone, there are no teams in the Champions League that just want to sit back and frustrate. There are no Evertons or West Broms in the Champions League. Only teams that are used to having their own way domestically get in the Champions League and those teams and used to attacking, not sitting in their own box and clinging on for dear life.
Any team that wants to attack us, bring it on. With the exception of the debacle at Spurs and the Jon Moss assisted walloping at the Etihad, when teams attack us it usually ends badly for them. More or less every other point we’ve dropped has been to some fucking loser team that just wants to pack the defence and pray they can hold out, and there are a shitload more of those in England than there are teams that will attack.
The other thing is we’re fucking shite in early kick offs. Don’t ask me why, but there’s a body of evidence there now to back it up. It’s a big enough sample size to show that it’s a definite problem. And because of the size of our club and the entertainment Klopp’s team provides, we’ll have plenty more of those early TV games next year.
So no, I can’t just shrug off these shitty results to West Brom and Stoke as being unimportant, because long term they are important. If this is how it’s going to be any time we’re in the latter stages of the Champions League then how are we ever going to win the title?
Klopp needs to figure out how to win these early kick offs and we still need to work on breaking down the turds. Generally I do think we’ve improved on that but the lack of squad depth has caught up with us, as most of us feared it would when we did nothing in January.
The lack of bodies in midfield is unfortunate. We had six players for three positions and half of them have been struck down with injury. That’s bad luck. The lack of options in the front three is not bad luck, it’s bad planning. Thank God the lads up front have stayed fit, because w wouldn’t be on the brink of a final if they hadn’t.
Any time one of the front three is missing there’s just a huge drop off in quality. We haven’t missed Coutinho when we’ve had our best eleven on the field, but now we have Ings coming in for Mané whereas up until Christmas it would have been Coutinho slotting in there.
The loss of Coutinho hamstrung Klopp completely when it comes to replacing any of his front three, especially the two wide lads. We have no cover for them at all. None. Not one player we can put in there who is even remotely close to the level of the player he’s replacing.
I hate saying this as it makes me feel like a bad arlarse, but Ings isn’t going to cut the mustard here is he? I feel bad even typing that as I’ve got so much time for him and I desperately want him to make it here, but we can’t have him coming on for Mané or Salah as it kills us. As a back up for Firmino he brings value.
Obviously he’s a different type of player but as far as back ups go he’s decent enough. He just doesn’t have the game to play wide in this team though. He just can’t do it, he doesn’t have the skillset; the quickness of foot or thought or the ability to get away from people.
He could play wide for 75% of the teams in this league, where effort, desire and the occasional moment of quality is enough, but that isn’t enough for a team that wants to challenge at the top and needs that extra bit of class and guile to break down a packed defence.
It was just sad watching him against Stoke. It’s hard for him because the front three have such a great understanding and when he comes in it completely upsets the whole dynamic. Is that because he hasn’t had enough time working with them, or because he’s not of the required standard? A bit of both probably.
In fairness to him the goal he had disallowed was one hell of a finish. That’s what I’m saying though, Ings is a fucking good player. He’s just so far removed from the profile of player we need in a the wide forward positions though. Disallowed goal aside, I’m struggling to remember anything he did in this game. Even Mané on his worst day is always involved and always does something.
It’s not just about Ings though and I don’t want to pin this poor performance on him. He hasn’t even been on the field in most of the games when we’ve dropped points to the bum teams.
If it were just this one game then it could be dismissed as the inevitable consequence of being sandwiched in between the two Roma fixtures. It could even be blamed on the fucking atrocious display from Andre Marriner. It’s happened too many times though.
The second half was just terrible. Klopp said afterwards that we improved after the break and we were always in the Stoke box. I couldn’t disagree more. I thought we were ok in the first half. We started really well and had we scored in the first 15 minutes when we were looking sharp we’d probably have won easily.
We should have done. Trent missed a decent chance when he miscontrolled after good play by Wijnaldum and Salah and he also had a decent penalty claim when he was clipped as he ran into the box. Marriner was never going to give us anything though.
The best chance was obviously the one when Mo went clean through. Lovely play by Hendo to spot the run and play the first time pass, and at that point I’m thinking “do we even need to proceed with the formalities? Just bring the ball back and put it on the centre spot”.
Salah did everything you’d expect. Raced clear, set himself up on his left foot, linked the ball over the keeper and the whole stadium (except those sat directly behind it in the Anny Road) just assumed it was a goal and were celebrating. It took a second or two before we realised. I still can’t believe it didn’t go in.
Probably should have known at that moment it wasn’t going to be our day really. It was so early in the game though I think we all just assumed it was only a matter of time before he got another chance and buried it. Never happened though.
Eric Pieters did a great job on him. It wasn’t a legal job for the most part, but that’s not his problem. He quickly realised what Marriner was and wasn’t going to allow and he tailored his approach accordingly. Basically he spent the entire game holding onto our players with two hands and refusing to let go. Even with the last action of the game he had two hands on Firmino and dragged him to the ground as he tried to chase after a cross.
No point even appealing for a penalty there because Marriner’s intentions had been clear throughout. The penalty we didn’t get for handball was pretty outrageous, but that was more the responsibility of the linesman I’d say, because he had the best view in the stadium.
Spurs have had more penalties at Anfield this season than we have. It’s fucking scandalous really. The amount of decisions that have gone against us in league games is alarming. We’re getting fuck all from refs or linesmen. Not giving a penalty for that was incompetence of the highest order. He actually moved his hand toward the ball and his whole body language after he did it reeked of guilt.
I’m pissed off about it but equally I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised if we’d missed the pen anyway as it was that kind of day. The second half was abject. I just sat there waiting for the final whistle as I knew we wouldn’t score.
Klopp’s substitutions were utterly bewildering too. I have no idea how Joe Gomez survived 90 minutes as the kid had a torrid time. From the first couple of minutes you could see he just wasn’t himself. He was overhitting passes by about 30 yards and nothing was going right for him. Even defensively he had his issues, diving in and failing to win the ball in a rare Stoke attack that ended with Diouf heading into the side netting.
As a result he began playing it very safe and simple. With every sideways or backwards pass the crowd were getting on his case, and when he tied to force it and gave it away the unrest got even worse. I felt bad for him, and I feel even worse now that I know he missed training all of last week and clearly wasn’t fit.
Yet somehow he survived while Ings and TAA were brought off. Ings can have no complaints really, but what the fuck was Clyne doing in the front three? I can;’t get my head around that one at all.
The obvious move was Gomez off, Clyne to right back. If Trent had to go off because of a dead leg then replacing him with Milner was fine. I just can’t get on board with putting Clyne right wing though. Maybe that’s why Buvac saw his arse and quit.
Klopp lost it with the fans again, which was fair enough really as they weren’t helping poor Gomez at all and the general sense of frustration wasn’t doing anybody any favours. The crowd could have been better, no doubt about that, but it was just the way that second half went. There was nothing to get encouraged by or to suggest that we were about to turn the screw on them. Just flat, clueless, lifeless.
Subconsciously everyone’s mind is on Roma. Players, fans, maybe even Klopp himself. It’s a distraction. A glorious, exciting distraction, but a distraction nonetheless and it’s putting our qualification for next year’s tournament at risk. From chasing second spot we now need to either avoid defeat at Chelsea or beat Brighton to hold onto fourth spot.
We should do it, but then we should have beat West Brom last week and Stoke this week and we didn’t, so I’m taking nothing for granted now. And on top of this we’ve got whatever this shit with Buvac is all about. Maybe we can give his job to Paul Lambert? At least we'd never have to worry about losing at Anfield while he's sat there on the touchline.
We just need to go to Roma and get the job done so we can then put Europe on the back burner and take care of business at home.
Star man is… this is hard actually. Trent started well in midfield but because of the problems Gomez was having that dynamic on the right never really worked properly. They seemed to be filling the same spaces at times, which is understandable given the lack of midfield playing time he’s had.
Long term I reckon he’ll be great in midfield but it’s not something you can just step in and do without any work in training, as the work and positioning off the ball is so complex. He did alright though.
Klavan was good, I like the way he can just come in and do a job every few weeks without looking rusty. Moreno was much better this week than last, I thought he played pretty well by his standards and put one delicious ball in that Mo almost scored from.
Other than those two? Van Dijk was fine, Hendo and Wijnaldum were alright. I’ll go with Ragnar I think.
Team: Karius; Gomez, Van Dijk, Klagan, Moreno; Henderson, Alexander-Arnold (Milner), Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Ings (Clyne):
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