LASK 1 Liverpool 3 (Sep 21 2023)

[tlw content]

 

I often fall into the trap of assuming these games will be easy. Occasionally they are, but usually they’re like this. Whether it’s Champions League, Europa League or the domestic cups, these games are often much more difficult than we expect them to be. So what happened here shouldn’t be surprising. 

 

The only thing that really matters in these Europa League group games is getting enough points to get to the knockouts while using as few first team regulars as possible. We got the result here but we did use more key players than you’d maybe ideally like. Van Dijk probably needed the 90 minutes, Diaz and Nunez less so. Thankfully we’re blessed with enough forwards that it doesn’t matter.

 

This was actually a good result in the end and a decent performance. It’s easy to look past that because of the dizzy heights we’ve been to in Europe under Klopp, but we won this easily enough despite some first half problems and falling behind yet again. You only have to look at the results of Villa and Brighton to see that it’s never easy when you make changes and you’re facing opponents who see it as their biggest game of the season. 

 

I didn’t even think the first half was that bad. We’ve played a lot worse than that. The only thing that was wrong with much of the first half was sloppiness in the final third. We controlled possession, kept the ball pretty well but we kept playing the wrong pass or a bad pass. We had a few chances but we would have had loads if we’d been less sloppy.

 

The pitch didn’t help. It was like a fucking ploughed field, especially that big strip nearest thing camera side. Kostas kept falling over or mis-controlling the ball any time it came to him. He was probably made up to get to half time so he could get over to the other side of the field. Mind you, everyone will have been glad to get to half time because despite what I said about us not playing that badly for most of the half, we got ragged as fuck the longer it went on.

 

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[Section_31]

It reminded me of vintage Eufa cup games, slooooow at most points. You could tell it wasn't a premier league game.

 

This going behind thing and then winning is fucked up though, it's getting to be every game.

[beejay]

Beg to differ with Harvey. I thought he gave one of his cameo schoolboy impressions, trundling around wide-eyed and out of his depth. 

 

Virgil took the M-o-M for me, outstanding when everyone else was struggling with the truly awful pitch conditions 

[DaveT]

This felt like an FA cup tie against lower league opposition….. massive for them and the fans, bit of a chord for us. Ref allowed a lot of physical stuff from them, they were quick to whinge when they got some back. We weren’t as bad in the first half as some have made out, especially given that our right side had an average age of 18, first start for Gravenberch, new role for Stefan, midfield which had never played together before. Well executed goal from them, but they won’t get another like that in the next 50 or more matches. Job done, on to Sunday. 

[DaveT]

Just now, DaveT said:

This felt like an FA cup tie against lower league opposition….. massive for them and the fans, bit of a chord for us. Ref allowed a lot of physical stuff from them, they were quick to whinge when they got some back. We weren’t as bad in the first half as some have made out, especially given that our right side had an average age of 18, first start for Gravenberch, new role for Stefan, midfield which had never played together before. Well executed goal from them, but they won’t get another like that in the next 50 or more matches. Job done, on to Sunday. 

Chord = chore

[sir roger]

4 hours ago, DaveT said:

Chord = chore

 

You've just ruined my ' at least we never lost it ' gag

[DaveT]

1 hour ago, sir roger said:

 

You've just ruined my ' at least we never lost it ' gag

Moody Blues? (The other kind)

[suzy]

I really want to win this cup, Klopp will have the full set then.