Sunderland 2 Liverpool 2 (Jan 2 2017)

[tlw content]

It’s obviously frustrating to drop two points but I can’t fault the players at all given the circumstances. They gave everything they had and you can’t question their effort or desire to win the game, but it was all just a little bit laboured and flat, which is entirely understandable.
 
Only Southampton (three games in six days) have had it worse than us during this hectic Festive period. I say hectic, but for some it's been a nice, relaxing couple of weeks. Chelsea have had nine rest days and haven't had to leave London. Who came up with this fixture list, Tim fucking Lovejoy? 
 
There’s been some absolute shite spoken and written about the whole “players being tired” thing and unsurprisingly, the biggest pile of horseshite came from Tony Pulis, who went full on “yer Da” with this: “Two games in three days playing professional football, for the money they get? Go and ask their grandfathers what it was like working seven days a week down the pit, 12 hour days, they never got tired”. 
 
Bloody hell, really? The money aspect would only be relevant if the players were refusing to play, then you could throw that one at them. But if they play and just aren’t at their best because they’re not physically capable of it, then what difference does it make if they make one thousand quid a week or one million? 
 
Pulis knows this as well as anyone of course (a google search of “Pulis tired players” shows up a piece from a year ago where he “admits West Brom players are tired after busy schedule”) so obviously he’s just playing to the galleries, as usual, the tit.
 
And people who worked in the mines did get tired, they just got on with it, which funnily enough is the position Liverpool’s players were in because Klopp only made one change, and that was enforced because of Hendo’s injury. If Hendo was fit no doubt it would have been the same eleven again.
 
Some of them coped just fine (Clyne was his usual self and Lallana covered more ground than anyone else in the entire league for the second time in three days) but others were clearly flagging. Despite Lallana’s herculean efforts, the team had a season low in distance covered at Sunderland. So unless you think they’re lazy bastards who weren’t trying, then you surely have to acknowledge that the fixture congestion took it’s toll on them.

 

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[moof]

I agree with Dave U 100%

[Bobby Hundreds]

Did every body's grandad work down the pit. Mine was a lorry driver and he was fucked after work.. doing fuck all but driving on much emptier roads and he bitched like fuck when he was sober. I need to renew my membership I just can't be arsed on this phone.

[dylstar]

"Sturridge continued to look lively and almost scored a wonderful goal after a give and go with Lallana (who played him in with a brilliant back heel)"

 

Thought he could of hit that 1 first time after the initial cushion from Lallana instead of using the back heel as well (on Sturridge's left foot too ) as it made the chance a little bit harder IMO.

 

Also the challenge on Can by Rodwell 1st half was a straight red going by the Sending off in the Scums game afterwards when that jabroni Turkish guy was late on Jones. A bit of consistency wouldn't go amiss. Honestly look at the 2 challenges and tell me the difference between them FFS

.

[jimmycase]

Just replaying the first 'penalty' for sunderland on tv. What a fucking joke decision that is from taylor.

[Anubis]

I think it's unfair to have a go at Sunderland for not putting the ball out. We wouldn't have done it in their position, and indeed Mignolet could have put it out and didn't.

[dirk grout]

Did every body's grandad work down the pit. Mine was a lorry driver and he was fucked after work.. doing fuck all but driving on much emptier roads and he bitched like fuck when he was sober. I need to renew my membership I just can't be arsed on this phone.

 

My grandad worked down the pit and died of emphysema when he was 50. So Tony, not only was my grandad tired, working down a pit actually killed him.

[jimmycase]

I think it's unfair to have a go at Sunderland for not putting the ball out. We wouldn't have done it in their position, and indeed Mignolet could have put it out and didn't.

 

Unfair to single out mignolet, plenty of our outfield players had time and chance to put it out before it even got to him but we didnt.

[Guest Alex_K]

Spot on. Hasn't half been some idiocy spouted about "disgraceful performances" or "bottle jobs": fact is the core group of this team has been worked to the bone over the past few months. When they look to the bench, its not the cavalry they see but a laboured bunch of cart horses. FSG need to invest.

[suzy]

My grandad worked down the pit and died of emphysema when he was 50. So Tony, not only was my grandad tired, working down a pit actually killed him.

 

My Grandad worked down the pit too. Although he died at 69 he did have lung cancer- which is now a known hazard of coal mining

[m0e]

I was like you - he should have made 5 changes.

 

What does this say to even the squad players, when they;re not trusted to play 44 hours after the first team.

 

It was a clear mistake from Kloppo, and I reckon that's why he was gutted at the press conf.

[dave u]

I think it's unfair to have a go at Sunderland for not putting the ball out. We wouldn't have done it in their position, and indeed Mignolet could have put it out and didn't.

 

I didn't have a go at Sunderland, I just pointed out that Klopp did.

 

Unfair to single out mignolet, plenty of our outfield players had time and chance to put it out before it even got to him but we didnt.

 

The only ones who touched I think were Klavan and Mignolet. Klavan was under pressure and didn't want to concede a throw in a dangerous position so he passed back to his keeper. Mignolet should have just booted it out forty yards from goal, but he's not very accurate is he? He might have been trying to for all I know!

[Russ Atmosphere]

I always had my suspicions about that 'coal mining is good for you' ad campaign.

[RedHeadedRed]

I'm sick and tired of keepers having the game of their lives against us Mannone was dogshit in their last game.

[Paco]

I'm sick and tired of keepers having the game of their lives against us Mannone was dogshit in their last game.

Most of the shots he saved were quite close to him. if anything we weren't accurate enough.

[Stickman]

I wish smeone would drop Pulis down a mine

[Ipplfc]

Good report that,very frustrating this one,with the shit ref and the goalie doing a Manuel neuer impression instead of his usual Robert fucking green.

The pitch didn't look up to much on telly,looked like it hadn't been watered for a few days,might have been the shit picture on the stream though

[halewood pete]

My Grandad worked down the pit too. Although he died at 69 he did have lung cancer- which is now a known hazard of coal mining

[halewood pete]

My Grandad worked down the pit too. Although he died at 69 he did have lung cancer- which is now a known hazard of coal mining

Mine did too ,in ashington Northumbria.never got to meet him

[jimmycase]

I'm sick and tired of keepers having the game of their lives against us Mannone was dogshit in their last game.

 

He was dogshit because Burnley were able to play the ball behind sunderland's pushed up defence to the edge of the 18 yard box. That made him come out and make dogshit decisions.

 

sunderland packed the edge of their box so we were only able to get shots in on him which he gobbled up.

[Joe Strummer]

He was dogshit because Burnley were able to play the ball behind sunderland's pushed up defence to the edge of the 18 yard box. That made him come out and make dogshit decisions.

 

sunderland packed the edge of their box so we were only able to get shots in on him which he gobbled up.

True to an extent but theres no doubting that they raised their game against us and Chelsea. Can't be arsed against the likes of Burnley and Swansea though.

[jimmycase]

True to an extent but theres no doubting that they raised their game against us and Chelsea. Can't be arsed against the likes of Burnley and Swansea though.

 

yes deffo agree. Both burnley and swansea were aways so clearly saving themselves for the home games.

[suzy]

Mine did too ,in ashington Northumbria.never got to meet him

 

Aww mine died when I was about 11 so I did know him. Different times...

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

I wish smeone would drop Pulis down a mine

Don't remember too many miners asking for their wage upfront and pissing off to another job.

He looks like a goblin so a mine would suit him.

[MafioSol]

I've always passed harsh assessment over our team's performance post game, even in our best wins this season there has been room for improvement. At least after reading your report I can reassert a more appreciative view taking into consideration our travails over a congested holiday programme.

Still ... the general sloppiness of our team (fatigue or otherwise) didn't bode well early doors.

Can (chief culprit for me) seems to think he is better than he is. He just needs to concentrate on doing the routine stuff well first and foremost and he'd be a better player.

It's heart in mouth when he acts like a tart and can't control/loses the ball, we wouldn't have lost the game if Henderson played (arguably).

Aside from Mane (WTF was he thinking??!!), I was going to reel off names of other careless offenders of conceding fouls/play in critical areas, however on hindsight individual errors were team spread, the only exceptions I would make would be Sturridge on the day (but he needs to release the ball earlier) and Llalana (at this moment indefatigabilty is meeting class for him).

Firminho does need a rest FFS. He's spent and things haven't come off for him over the last few games.

Klopp seems to have instilled the right mentality for games against bigger opponents, we always appear switched on. However the Sunderland game was a golden opportunity to make a statement in the title race by defeating a team who were there for the taking IF we applied the mindset of dispiriting them (like we did against City) by doing the basics well (i.e. cutting out silly mistakes) and denying them any sniff of opportunities.

Moving forward Klopp needs to remind our players that we haven't won anything (yet) and to do so we should be giving the 'lesser' teams the same respect that we afford the 'better' teams by applying an error-free base of play and building from there.

With Coutinho returning added to the above mindset I think we'll get there.

#YNWA