Liverpool 2 Atletico Madrid 0 (Nov 3 2021)

[tlw content]

 

 

 

Report by

Dave Usher

 

I thought these were meant to be difficult to play against? We made this look easy and it had nothing to do with them going down to ten men either. This was over even before then and the sending off probably saved them a real beating. We went easy on them in the second half as we just managed the game and conserved energy.

 

We started much the same way we did at their place and quickly found ourselves 2-0 up. The main difference this time was that Atletico had actually started ok themselves. In the first game they didn’t start playing until they went down by two. This time they had a go from the opening whistle. They played some decent stuff and had the ball around our box quite a bit without really doing anything to test Alisson.

 

Defensively though they couldn’t cope. We were right at it and when Sadio and Mo are in this mood they’re hard to stop. Throw Jota into the mix with his knack for scoring goals (I still say he scores every game even if the numbers say differently) and we’re probably the most fearsome side in the competition. Nobody will want to draw us in the knockouts.

 

The opening goal was brilliant. The little triangles between Trent, Hendo and Mo caused them problems the entire first half. The left back got booked early for fouling Mo and he never looked comfortable after that. He’s the same moron who conceded the pen in the first game. Anyway, the lads worked it around well until Hendo rolled it back to Trent and he crossed for Jota to head in.

 

BT Sport’s analysis of it afterwards was great. You had Ferdinand pointing out how lost the centre back was and what he should have been doing, then Crouchy and Owen are talking about what a striker is thinking in that situation and finally they had a great angle of Trent showing how he was looking to see where Jota was before the ball was even played to him, and then again as he shaped to cross. Just brilliant. Trent is fucking ridiculous.

 

He made the second too, although it’s debatable what his intentions were. Was it or a shot or was he just driving it into an area? Maybe both. Sometimes you hedge your bets by blasting at the far corner knowing someone might get a touch. I think that’s what he was doing because when you look at how he strikes it, it’s not really the cleanest if he’s having a shot. If it’s anyone else I’d just assume it was a mis-hit shot, but because it’s Trent you just don’t know. He really is that good.

 

Sadio started that move and then he finished it. He was on fucking fire. He obviously hates these fuckers because every time he’s played them they’ve done everything possible to try and get him sent off, and at least twice he’s been subbed because Klopp was worried he’d end up with a red card. 

 

He was booked in the first half for reacting to a bad tackle and that pissed me right off. That Koke prick booted him three times and also had a little follow up nibble when Sadio was on the ground. The ref booked Sadio for retaliation but did nothing to Koke. 

 

He was letting them away with too much early on, especially against Sadio. Then after being too lenient he suddenly went too far the other way by producing a red card that really wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, it was a naughty tackle on Sadio and was one of those that deserves more than a yellow but the tackle itself wasn’t quite bad enough to be a red.

 

There’s absolutely no doubt that the ref was giving him a yellow but then he got mad when Felipe wouldn’t come to him. If he was giving him a straight red he wouldn’t have even called him over, he’d have just shown the card and told him to get the fuck off the pitch.

 

Refs call players over when they are booking them and that’s 100% what was happening until Felipe disrespected him and the ref’s ego took over. What he should have done is given him a yellow for the foul and then another yellow for the dissent. Instead he just gave a straight red. That probably means a lengthier suspension, which is probably fair all things considered.

 

 

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

 

Please note that Match Reports are only available to website subscribers. Subscriptions cost just £2 a month (you need to register first) and can be purchased here. 

 

 

[alles ist gut]

Top, top midfield security blanket analysis there, Dave.

[Captain Turdseye]

1 hour ago, tlw content said:

I’ve already entered Ox and I was encouraged by him.

[dave u]

"mentioned". Damn autocorrect!

[dockers_strike]

Spot on report Dave, agree with everything you wrote there.

[m0e]

Just now, dockers_strike said:

Spot on report Dave, agree with everything you wrote there.

Especially the entering the Ox part

[Josef Svejk]

"BT Sport’s analysis of it afterwards was great. You had Ferdinand pointing out how lost the centre back was and what he should have been doing, then Crouchy and Owen are talking about what a striker is thinking in that situation and finally they had a great angle of Trent showing how he was looking to see where Jota was before the ball was even played to him, and then again as he shaped to cross. Just brilliant. Trent is fucking ridiculous."

 

Agree entirely with this. Although I got shit from friends for pointing it out. 

[dave u]

32 minutes ago, Josef Svejk said:

"BT Sport’s analysis of it afterwards was great. You had Ferdinand pointing out how lost the centre back was and what he should have been doing, then Crouchy and Owen are talking about what a striker is thinking in that situation and finally they had a great angle of Trent showing how he was looking to see where Jota was before the ball was even played to him, and then again as he shaped to cross. Just brilliant. Trent is fucking ridiculous."

 

Agree entirely with this. Although I got shit from friends for pointing it out. 

 

Yeah it's fashionable to not give Owen any credit for being the fucking boss pundit that he is. Ferdinand is actually ok when he isn't acting like a bellend.

 

I think it's when these ex players are talking about situations they have experience in that they really come into their own. Owen talking about forward play is always great value, and much as I don't like him, I thought Rio's explanation of what the defender should have been doing, and how he felt in those situations was really good too.

 

 

[Paul]

That’s the second game on the bounce I’ve been totally oblivious to this OGS chant. And 100% agree on Luis. Booing him off was shite. Evertonian behaviour for me. 

[sir roger]

Yes , most forwards go down the ' It's instinctive ' route , but Owen has quite clearly been a keen student of forward play and is able to enunciate the nuances and thought processes very clearly and

( contrary to his reputation ) interestingly.

[bigal]

Spot on. I know what they're going to be like and yet they still wind me up rotten. Ref let them too but he clearly just got pissed off with that knobhead.

Completely right about the crowd on all counts. 

[Whelan5]

You are so right about the cringe worthy chants. I always loved that we were different & didn't do the obvious chants & songs. It seems those days are gone sadly. We've gone down the " banter " route...   awful stuff 

 

[KMD7]

 Me and my brother watched the match together and we were both buzzing off Matip. He's brilliant and funny as fuck at the same time.

[halewood pete]

Great report Dave,agree totally about the OGS chant ,and also booing Suarez,we are better than that,or we should be.

[an tha]

This ole's at the wheel chant when we aren't playing them is really fucking small time....it needs to stop and stop now.

 

Sadly its the sort of shite that people pick up and are able to copy/join in with easily .... it was literally the only chant all afternoon that people around us joined in with last saturday....that is a worrying but true fact.

[m0e]

We sang "Gary Neville, is a wanker, is a wanker" for pretty much his entire career.

 

As well as "Gary Neville shags his ma, up the shitter".

[Guest]

 

[jonnyp]

11 hours ago, m0e said:

Especially the entering the Ox part

Bruce Lee’s least acclaimed film.

[DalyanPete]

8 hours ago, m0e said:

"Gary Neville shags his ma, up the shitter".

Twat of a song. We really are better than that

 

[dave u]

1 hour ago, DalyanPete said:

Twat of a song. We really are better than that

 

 

Yeah it is horrendous looking back on it. As was the stuff about Posh Spice. And John Terry's ma.

 

We're not better than that though. We like to think we are, but we aren't. We are better than pretty much any other set of fans in the country though as the stuff mentioned in this thread isn't just accepted as normal. It happens, but plenty of the fanbase don't think it should and it becomes a discussion point. 

 

Put it this way, I'm fairly sure there isn't a thread on a Leeds forum debating whether or not they should sing about Man United when they aren't playing them!

 

And the booing of Suarez is no worse than what happened to Owen and McManaman when they came back. So again, we're not better than that. I just wish we were.

[Peter Cormack]

Excellent Dave, one of your best. I can remember spontaneous funny chants fron the Kop. Some I remember are Mike Summerbee conducting the Kop who were singing „I‘d walk a million miles to the end of your nose“ and chanting „Eva Eva“ to Best when his Danish girl had left him. „Go back to Italy“ to the tune of Santa Lucia in the 1965 semi was probably the best ever. 

[s(k)aturation]

18 minutes ago, dave u said:

 

And the booing of Suarez is no worse than what happened to Owen and McManaman when they came back. So again, we're not better than that. I just wish we were.

 

We haven't been "better than that" for quite some time.

Decades.

Maybe it was easier to be "the best fans in the world" when we were consistently the best.

Maybe our decline post-1990 brought the graciousness of our supporters back to the pack.

Maybe it's the shitness of football and the type of supporter you get in the stands at today's premium prices.

Who knows.

I've only been to Anfield once since 1990, so I'm just going by what I see and hear on the telly and the anecdotes from matchgoers.

But we don't seem to be "better than that" any more.

We're as shit as all the others, too often.

We were much much nicer when we weren't upper-middle class perhaps.

Firmer, yes, but fairer too.

 

[CrownPaints]

Not a bad front three.

[DalyanPete]

53 minutes ago, dave u said:

I just wish we were.

Me too Dave.

I doubt any other clubs forums debate it as well.

 

[DalyanPete]

44 minutes ago, Peter Cormack said:

spontaneous funny chants fron the Kop.

Think that sums up my "better than that " statement.

Stuff like "what a waste of money" to Gary Mc, the look on his face showed it really hurt.

Followed by the kop, "where only fuckin messin"