I don’t even know what to say any more. Could this season possibly go any better? It feels as though we increase our lead every week. When we led by 14 or something not so long ago, there were still fans not wanting to count their chickens. Understandable, but not really based on anything other than an irrational fear of what has happened before.
At no point this season have Manchester City looked like a team capable of going on one of their trademark winning runs, and at no point this season (Old Trafford and Villa Park apart) have we looked like losing a game.
The more likely scenario back then wasn’t us being caught, it was us increasing our lead. And lo and beyond, here we are 22 points clear. And the scenario hasn’t changed. It’s far more likely we extend the lead than see it reduced. It’s not a matter of will we win the title, it’s just how soon will we win it.
We’re making it look easy but it really isn’t. Just because we can win games when not playing at our best doesn’t mean that this shit is easy. If it was easy, a side as accomplished as Man City wouldn’t have lost six games. It’s not easy doing what we do. Winning games in the Premier League isn’t as routine as we make it look. Just ask Arsenal, who have won only six games all season.
The claim that this is the weakest league in years doesn’t hold water. Most of the traditional ‘big six’ aren’t as strong as usual, but even if they were they’d still be miles behind us. Only Man City in their ‘Centurion’ season would be capable of keeping it close, but don’t tell me that the standard of the rest of the league is any worse now than it was. Even the shite teams have squads packed with international players.
Klopp said prior to this game that the two teams you don’t want to face at the moment are Wolves and Southampton. I’d probably add Sheffield United to that too, but you can see why he said that. Southampton are a right fucking handful at the moment. They play with now fear and hold nothing back.
In that first half they gave us all we could handle and they probably should have led at the break. They were more positive than any side we’ve faced all season. They pushed high up the pitch, they played with two strikers and two out and out wingers and it felt like they had about 20 attempts at goal in that first half, half of them in the last five minutes when they just kept taking the ball off us and peppering our goal.
We definitely contributed to our own problems but I don’t want to take anything away from Southampton’s performance because it was their aggressive pressing that forced us into those mistakes. Ultimately it counted for nothing and they lost 4-0, but we are so good these days that no matter what the opposition do at Anfield they’re almost certainly going to lose anyway.
Sitting back doesn’t work and although the Saints ultimately got hammered, their positive approach could easily have yielded better results on another day. And it definitely would have against another team.
It can’t just have been me that was a little concerned at half time? I still thought we’d win, because that’s what we do, but I wasn’t sure of it and there was a part of me thinking that this might be the day when the winning run ends.
We just hadn’t been at it in the first half. We had some good moments but mostly I’d say Southampton had us exactly where they wanted us. They wanted us to play it out from the back so they could press, and too many times we weren’t sharp enough or the man in possession took an unnecessary risk and lost the ball.
They hunted in packs and it was all very co-ordinated, as they ferried us into areas where they could press and nick the ball. They played us at our own game and in the first half they did it better than we did. Thankfully we have Alisson for when situations get sticky.
He didn’t make a load of spectacular saves but he did what he does better than anyone else. He just kept the ball out of his net. Most of the stops looked routine, as usual, because he’s just so fundamentally sound. I saw a stat that he’s saved 50 of the last 54 shots on target. That’s incredible.
There was one iffy moment though when he picked up what looked like a clear backpass from Robbo. At the time I was convinced it was a backpass and couldn’t believe it wasn’t given. It seemed so obvious that maybe Kevin Friend thought “no, my eyes must be deceiving me here. There’s no way that just happened”. It was one of those ‘what the fuck was that?’ type moments.
It was just weird because why would Robbo attempt a backpass in such a confined space? Looking at the replays I now don’t think he did. I think he was trying to hit it off the Southampton player to win a goal kick but he missed and it went through to Alisson.
Irrespective of that, Friend should have penalised us for it because Alisson picking that up was almost like he was taking the piss and daring the ref to do something about it. I’d have been massively pissed off if that had happened at the other end. Friend was actually pretty good for the most part, but there were three major decisions and he got them all wrong.
The backpass was the first one, but then Bobby was denied a clear penalty when Long bundled him over to prevent him heading in Hendo’s cross. It was such an obvious foul that I assumed it hadn’t been given because Bobby wouldn’t have reached the ball. Then I saw the replay and I now have no idea why that isn’t a penalty because the ball was right on his head if he hadn’t been taken out by Long.
It was a clear penalty and VAR should have intervened, but then I feel the same about the one Southampton didn’t get after the break. Ings was tripped by Fabinho. In fairness to Friend I can see why he didn’t give it because it looked in real time as though Fabinho won the ball and that Ings just stumbled over after the initial challenge. It’s easy to criticise the ref but in this case I don’t think there’s any way he could have seen the actual foul.
That’s what VAR is supposed to be for though. The replay shows Fabinho had a second nibble after the first challenge and he tripped him. Ins had ridden the initial challenge and it was the second bite that got him. Clear and obvious error and a penalty all day for me. Ings was livid, which was also a bit of a give away that it was a foul as he’s one of the most honest players in the league.
What made it doubly cruel for Southampton was we went up the other end and scored immediately. Brilliant goal, superbly worked. Robbo’s back heel to Bobby. Bobby’s flick to Ox and then Ox making space for the shot and burying it. Lovely stuff, but cruel on Southampton.
Whether or not we’d have produced that stunning second half performance had we not scored so early I have no idea. I suspect we’d have won the game though even if we’d fallen behind because the way we approached the second half was vastly different to the way we’d stumbled through the first.
At half time it was obvious something needed to change. Not specifically personnel, but definitely tactics. Southampton’s press was catching us out time and again but the ball over the top looked like it might cause them some issues.
We were badly missing Sadio, not because Ox was playing badly but just because Mané is that x-factor who teams can’t really gameplan for. He can get in behind teams or he can come deep and get on the ball and make things happen. His link up with Robbo is devastating too.
Ox is better breaking from midfield but he was doing alright on the left. I wouldn’t have taken him off but I didn’t want him on the left either. So my plan for the second half would have been to stop passing it around at the back so much, play more long balls and to not wait too long before bringing on Origi for Wijnaldum, and moving Ox into midfield.
Shows how little I know. Klopp did the exact opposite of all of that. Ox stayed on the left. We hit very few long balls and instead we just passed our way through their press time and again, rendering it completely ineffective.
Klopp had obviously changed things though. I didn’t know exactly what but he’d definitely done something because instead of us losing the ball repeatedly, we were just popping it around, taking out their front six and leaving their defence exposed constantly.
Klopp revealed afterwards it was about changing the way we used Fabinho. Makes sense, as Fabinho came into the game a lot more after the break and was the fulcrum for most of our passing moves. Maybe because he’s been out so long the players had forgotten how to use him?
The difference between the two halves was night and day. Southampton were brave and attacked us in a way few other sides dare. It gave us all kinds of trouble for 45 minutes but the thing when a team presses high with six players like that, is that if you can play through it and get players turned in space, then it’s a nightmare for the four lads at the back who then have to deal with it.
And it happened so many times in the second half. We passed through the press and then Bobby or Ox or Gini would get turned in space and we were off and running, while Salah was constantly making runs in behind to stretch them. Irrespective of how he’s playing, the one thing about Mo is he continually tests the defence by those runs. He never stops, and he’s rarely given a rest either. He’s an incredible physical specimen.
The second goal was brilliantly crafted. Hendo had charged forward to close down the keeper and was miles offside when we collected the clearance, so Trent drilled a half volley across the pitch to Firmino instead. Bobby’s first touch was glorious as he collected the ball and set off down the left. Hendo was now back onside, Bobby cut the ball back to him and the skipper did the rest. Usually he puts those into the Kop so it was nice to see him find the net for a change.
Goal number three saw Hendo play an inch perfect ball in behind to find Salah’s run. I thought the keeper was going to smother the shot but Mo cleverly flicked it over him. He didn’t celebrate because he wasn’t sure if he was onside or not. I sit right inline with it and was confident that he was on, but that means nothing as I was equally convinced he was onside for the one that was disallowed soon after. To his credit, the linesman was right on both occasions and I was one for two.
That disallowed goal though, fucking hell. It would have been an all timer if that had counted. We were in trouble at one end, but Alisson passed it out calmly and it was bump bump bump, a few first time passes and suddenly we’re flying at their defence. Mo was a fraction offside but if he could have held his run another second, or if Bobby could have released it just a bit sooner, we’d be talking about one of the greatest goals Anfield has ever seen.
Mo did get his second when he exchanged passed with Bobby and bundled the ball in from close range. He’s come right back into form over these last couple of games. He was brilliant in that second half. Just sensational.
He ran Southampton ragged but I think my favourite bit of play from him wasn’t either of his goals, it was the way he spurned the chance of a hat-trick to put one on a plate for Minamino, who unfortunately fucked it right up.
I loved that though. Such unselfishness from a player who isn’t exactly known for that. At no point was he ever thinking of anything other than trying to get his new team-mate his first goal. He also seemed desperate to get Bobby a goal as well.
That Minamino miss pissed me off because it would have been a great moment for him. The thing I noticed from seeing him alongside the first teamers is that he really stands out as not being at the same physical level as everyone else. It happens with a lot of our new signings. Getting used to the speed and intensity we play at isn’t easy.
Our lads aren’t always the biggest, but they’re all physically very strong and they’re all quick. Minamino will get there, but it probably won’t be until after he’s had pre-season with us. Any minutes he gets under his belt now though is all money in the bank for next season.
The scoreline seemed harsh on Southampton but maybe it wasn’t. As well as they played we could have scored six or seven. They were terrific in the first half but were taken to the cleaners after the break. Part of it was that we stepped things up so much and part of it is because they probably got tired. It’s impossible to play like that for 90 minutes which is why you need to score while you’re on top. They didn’t do that and paid the price.
What this team is doing is just incredible. There’s no let up. Klopp summed it up when talking about Hendo, saying he didn’t look like the captain of a team that was 19 points clear, he looked like he was playing to try and keep his team in the league. That’s one of the reasons these lads are so great. They don’t cut corners or try to take things easy. Every game is seen as being the most important game of the season.
We just continue to break records or close in on them. We’re one home win away from equalling our own record for consecutive home wins. We’ve just gone joint second with Forest for the longest unbeaten run of games in top flight history and we’re closing in on Arsenal in first place on that list. I saw something about most consecutive games with at least one goal scored too, and there are so many milestones that it’s impossible to keep track.
We’re living through history. In 50 years time there’ll be a team having a great run and people will be saying “yeah but they aren’t as good as that 2020 Liverpool side”. Not everyone is willing to accept that and there are still plenty in denial.
Interestingly though, it’s not the football media or the countless number of pundits who are pouring scorn on our achievements. Far from it. Praise has been more or less universal when it comes to the various media outlets, but rival fans are completely losing all sense of perspective about it.
It’s great, we’re absolutely doing their heads in and we’ve destroyed every single argument they’ve put up so they’re now reduced to embarrassingly whining about VAR and how it’s been brought in to help us finally win the league.
I love that argument because not only is it completely ridiculous (last time I checked we were somewhere in the middle when it comes to benefitting from VAR) but it’s effectively saying “you’re only winning the league because officiating mistakes are now being corrected”. Or another way of putting it would be “you’re only winning the league because refs can’t screw you over as easily as Martin Atkinson and Anthony Taylor did last season”.
Funny how it wasn’t a #TaintedTitle last year when City won by one point due to highly questionable refereeing. We’re TWENTY TWO fucking points clear and some are suggesting it’s because of some conspiracy to let us break our thirty year hoodoo. Some people really shouldn’t be allowed to think for themselves.
We’re watching the greatest side of the modern era, and not only that, they just might actually go on to become the greatest side in any era, on any continent. I’m not taking the piss, it’s genuinely within their grasp to do it if they continue at this pace.
They get a well earned break now and hopefully they won’t be too rusty when they return. The good thing is that our first game back is at bottom club Norwich and we should have a couple more of the injured lads back for that. The squad is going to be back at full strength just as the Champions League resumes again, so Klopp will have the luxury of mixing things up a bit to keep everyone fresh.
Star man is Bobby but it could just as easily have been Mo, as the pair of them were sensational in the second half. Respectful nod in the direction of the skipper too for another top drawer display capped by a rare goal.
Finally, how great was that at the end when all the players and Klopp were hugging Ings? They absolutely love him don't they? He must be such a sound lad to have everyone react like that.
It wasn't just the British lads (who you'd expect him to be closer too) either. Look at Mo and Bobby's love for him. And Virg too. Just a really heartwarming moment I thought.
Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson (Lallana), Wijnaldum (Minamino); Salah, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Keita):
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