Liverpool 0 Atalanta 2 (Nov 25 2020)

[tlw content 11,829]

 

 

 

Report by

Dave Usher

 

Incredible to think we smashed these 5-0 a few weeks ago. Was that performance even better than we realised, or was this just even worse than it seemed? Atalanta definitely seemed like they had a point to prove and often it can be difficult facing an opponent you’ve just battered. We lost to Palace not long after beating them 9-0, and last season Southampton beat Leicester 78 days after being humiliated 9-0 by them at home.*

 

There was always a danger we’d throw in a clunker in this one so that didn’t particularly shock me. I didn’t think it could be as bad as this though. Jeez. It was brutal to watch. No chances, no shots on target and I don’t actually remember any off target either. Did we have a single shot of any note?

 

A lot of these group matches are forgettable but this was so bad it might actually stick in the memory much longer than usual. We’ve lost other group games in recent years and most of them I couldn’t recall now even if you showed me the goals. This one stands out because of how poor it actually was.

 

Not that it matters too much and it’s easy to shrug this off. At least it will be as long as we don’t lose the next two. If we end up in the fucking Europa League then this is going to take on an entirely different feel. I put it on the players rather than the manager though. It wasn’t our strongest line up but they should have performed much better than this.

 

I certainly don’t have any issue with Klopp making changes to the team and he probably would have been entitled to make a couple more had he wanted to. Not making changes for this one would have been irresponsible.  The games are coming thick and fast, our players have been dropping like flies and having won our first three fixtures in the group this was a game we did not have to win. And it showed.

 

Put it this way, if a performance like this was coming then I’d much rather it been in this one than in a league game. I can console myself with that easily enough as this was a game we really should be able to afford to lose, unless we completely shit the bed in the next two.

 

It was grim though wasn’t it? Full disclosure, I actually fell asleep and missed the last ten minutes of the first half. I was lying on the sofa watching it and just nodded off. Apparently I didn’t miss anything. Shame I woke up really as the second half was even worse.

 

 

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

 

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[Trumo 13,919]

Did we have a single shot of note? Mo hit one over the bar from a tight angle with his right foot at the end of the first half. Other than that, I can't remember us doing anything at all.

[skaro 5,036]

5 minutes ago, Trumo said:

Did we have a single shot of note? Mo hit one over the bar from a tight angle with his right foot at the end of the first half. Other than that, I can't remember us doing anything at all.

Dave was asleep.

[The Guest 1,760]

I disagree with the remembering this game if we go out to the Europa. That will mean we will have been beaten by Ajax and failed to beat Mitdjyland.  The players needed to take it easy in this game and largely that’s what they did.  I wouldn’t say it would have been pointless to have gone full out to win this game and then completely rested players in the remaining two games but looking at the games to put effort into this wasn’t the one to do it in.  They’re the second strongest team in the group and the way the fixtures fell meant this one gave the smallest recovery time for a prem game.

 

I keep seeing people saying we need to now beat Ajax but I’m sure it’s only a draw that’s needed even if we somehow lost to Mitdjyland.  We’ve got a better record than both Ajax and Atalanta in the head to head if that happens which means they would need to both beat us on points which couldn’t be possible if we drew with them.

[Marcas 43]

Good report on a horrible game (and one a bit overshadowed by events earlier in the day), but one part I’d disagree on with Dave, I thought Neco had an awful game. Did he make tackles, yeah, but that’s the bear minimum to expect. He’s often ponderous on the ball, his decision making isn’t there yet and he has an infuriating habit of cutting in-field, trying some of dummy before tuning back to the throw-in line by which time any forward (who’s watched 5 minutes of Neco’s previous games) will be all over him like a cheap suit. Agree on mane though, the bit were he just fell over his own feet summed it up

[StevieMax 92]

Mane got a lot of stick on the BBC text feed - so he must have been bad.

As we used to say, a game best watched on teletext.

[Kevin D 7,385]

That performance was shit and Klopp is a twat.

[DalyanPete 234]

That must have been a tough report to do, thought the last 10 minutes of the first half was up there with Istanbul, Barcelona etc!

Origi has definitely given up now.

Was Shaq injured, again?

Personally I thought Curtis was really poor when we know what he can do. He had a similar game a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Arnaud 625]

The kids were poor, but they are still kids and learning. That was too much to ask them to carry the team when others were so bad. 
 

We qualify with a draw vs Ajax but we’ll win, that’s what this team is all about, they won’t accept two bad results in a row in Europe.

 

It seeps we’re back in the 70’ when it was closer and harder to keep winning. Stance year really ...

[dockers_strike 1,916]

Ive no anger with Jurgen, just disappointment at the result. Still dont get why Minamino didnt start that game and one of Bobby and Jota. I think the game against the Danes will be shifted due to the restrictions and Dortmund was talked about as a venue?

 

Lots saying we just have the Danes to beat to qualify. Yeah ok. It was all looking so rosy before last night and dont be surprised if Ajax and Atalanta play out a draw to suit them if they both get wins in their next game.

 

 

[The Guest 1,760]

34 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

Ive no anger with Jurgen, just disappointment at the result. Still dont get why Minamino didnt start that game and one of Bobby and Jota. I think the game against the Danes will be shifted due to the restrictions and Dortmund was talked about as a venue?

 

Lots saying we just have the Danes to beat to qualify. Yeah ok. It was all looking so rosy before last night and dont be surprised if Ajax and Atalanta play out a draw to suit them if they both get wins in their next game.

 

 

Even if Ajax beat us and it goes to the last game do you honestly think that Ajax and Atalanta are going to play out a draw on the hope we don’t beat Mitdjyland?  If they do and we win then the team with the worse record out of the two of them is going out.  It’s not happening.

[Mathewbet1 1,259]

Don't worry Thiago will be back by then doing shapes.

[index1000 495]

I was expecting that report to be 1 line so hat tip for that.

[DaveT 401]

I thought Neco was let down by his team mates, he was caught in possession partly because he seemed to have no out ball. Mo didn't seem to be showing for him and there was no Bobby dropping into pockets for the defence to ping it to, whereas Origi was doing what he does - whatever that is these days.

A mix of nervous and inexperienced youngsters alongside others phoning in their performances was a recipe for a shitshow and that's what we got. Let's hope and trust that not too much damage has been done.

[dave u 5,843]

3 hours ago, Marcas said:

He’s often ponderous on the ball, his decision making isn’t there yet and he has an infuriating habit of cutting in-field, trying some of dummy before tuning back to the throw-in line by which time any forward (who’s watched 5 minutes of Neco’s previous games) will be all over him like a cheap suit. 

 

I agree on this, I think I mentioned it in the report the last time he played. I may have mentioned it in this one too, come to think of it.

 

23 minutes ago, DaveT said:

I thought Neco was let down by his team mates, he was caught in possession partly because he seemed to have no out ball.

 

I also think this came into play massively. Loads of times when he got the ball he looked up and then ended up checking back because there wasn't anything on.

[Arnaud 625]

Yeah, Salah wasn’t very helpful, and That’s the reason why I thought Jones wasn’t so good !

[RedHeadedRed 59]

The ref was annoying me all game I don't mind a ref letting the game flow but he was just avoiding making decisions. There was a foul on Gini in the build up to their first goal which looked blatant, but to be honest we deserved nothing from that game.

[DalyanPete 234]

10 hours ago, Arnaud said:

Yeah, Salah wasn’t very helpful, and That’s the reason why I thought Jones wasn’t so good !

Fair point mate.

[dave u 5,843]

I liked how the ref just refused to give any fouls to either team. It was old school.

 

Problem was, when he eventually gave one against Fabinho, he was totally wrong.