Arsenal 0 Liverpool 2 (Jan 7 2024)

[tlw content]

 

It’s always enjoyable beating Arsenal, but doing it when they think they should have won is especially satisfying. I think we’ve done this before, at least to some extent. My memory is notoriously sketchy these days but that cup game a couple of years ago when Jota knocked them out, didn’t they come flying out the traps in that one too? 

 

Maybe not to this extent, but I seem to remember us starting that game quite slowly and then gradually playing our way into it and breaking their hearts. This one was especially hilarious though, as our first half performance was a train wreck and we gift wrapped them five or six great chances. They didn’t take any of them and aside from the one that hit the bar, they weren’t even that close to scoring. What did Alisson actually have to do? A routine stop from Havertz and a tip over from Ben Shite, and after that I’m struggling to remember much.

 

The first half basically went like this; we tried playing out from the back, got caught by Arsenal’s high press and then they wasted the chance that they created. It wasn’t like they were playing their way through us from back to front, it was mostly self inflicted on our part and when we fixed that the chances for them dried up.

 

That isn’t to take anything away from what Arsenal did in the first half. They pressed with intensity and with organisation and it worked great for them. I’m just saying though, we kept playing right into their hands and it was doing my head in. That being said, when we got to half time at 0-0 I was 100% convinced we’d win the game. That was Arsenal’s chance and they didn’t take it. You come at the Kings you best not miss, and Arsenal missed repeatedly.

 

If you let us off the hook like that it’s only going to end one way. Arsenal fans aren’t taking it well but I think Arteta had a point when he said they did everything right but didn’t take their chances, so what can he do? He did a good job setting his team up to get at us and give us problems. If they’d finished some of them off we’d have been in trouble and they’d probably be in the hat for the next round instead of us.

 

They didn’t though and as soon as Klopp made his adjustments at half time to counter what Arteta had done it was a different game. The second half was much more of an even contest but I’d say we edged it. Arsenal’s chance to win the game was in the first half and they squandered it and then they lost. There’s no disgrace in that though, we’re better than them, even if a lot of them don’t realise it. 

 

Some Arsenal fans are still kidding themselves about that but that’s what they do. Saka is better than Salah, Saliba is better than Virgil, Tierney was better than Robbo, Arteta is better than Klopp…. these are the wild takes I see all the time from their social media whoppers. Almost every tweet I see from Arsenal fans reads like it’s come from a teenager. They’re proper weird. There’s no malice in them, they’re pretty harmless, but they’re just weird and irrationally arrogant. They’re putting the ‘goon’ in ‘gooners’.

 

They actually booed their team off at full time, which is pretty fucking bad like. They’re the most reactionary fans in the country. A few wins and they’re lauding their players to the rooftops, a couple of bad results and it’s “I don’t think Arteta is the guy, blud”.

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[Total Longo]

I think this was Konate's best performance for us so far, he was absolutely immense. 

[Manny]

Bobby Clark getting back to the dressing room...

 

Klopp: I'm not mad, I'm proud of you. You took your first booking like a man and you learn two great things in your life. Look at me, never let anyone get a run at your defence and always hold your hands up and make it look like you were trying to get the ball.

 

[Jordy Brouwer]

There's certainly a lot to be positive about at the moment. These are good times. 

[deiseach]

One instance of a typo in Ben Shite's name. You're welcome.

[Fowlers God]

4 minutes ago, deiseach said:

One instance of a typo in Ben Shite's name. You're welcome.

 

I know hes the boss and all that but I think its a bit embarrassing. Like saying Man'ure and all that shite. 

 

But each to their own. 

[deiseach]

9 minutes ago, Fowlers God said:

 

I know hes the boss and all that but I think its a bit embarrassing. Like saying Man'ure and all that shite. 

 

But each to their own. 

 

It's like Sideshow Bob stepping on rakes. You have to commit.

[ralph]

What's with Ben Shites mahogany look, guess he's got a sunbed for Christmas. 

[dave u]

1 hour ago, Fowlers God said:

 

I know hes the boss and all that but I think its a bit embarrassing. Like saying Man'ure and all that shite. 

 

But each to their own. 

 

It amuses me so I'll keep on doing it.

 

I might start calling you Growler's Fod.

[DaveT]

Enjoyed the report, really enjoyed our 2nd half showing, after watching the 1st from behind the couch.

I thought the ref was so-so. The 1-4 bookings count was scandalous. Ben White grabbed at least 10 yards on each of 4 throws in the first 5 or so minutes. Yet Paul ‘The Cunt’ Tierney ran 30 yards at Burnley to give Trent a finger-wagging for the same thing. (Or was it for taking a nano second too long?). 
May have been mentioned on the podcast, but during whole episode where Jota headed against the bar and Nunez shot wide, White had both arms wrapped tightly around Quansah, pinning him to the spot. Hopefully he’ll get some pointers from the likes of Jota as to how to make such a blatant foul obvious to the officials. There was also a period of about 15 minutes when the ref gave them a succession of soft free kicks whilst ignoring clears fouls on us, and I was thinking‘normal service resumed’, but he was ok again after that. 
On the Nunez my acid test is that I’m chuffed to see his name on the team sheet, disappointed to see it missing. We’re a more dangerous side with him in the team, whether he’s scoring or not. And I’d argue that there’s total support for him inside the ground. 

[sir roger]

With reference to the First Half / Second Half conundrum, I think it is  just that we are simply non-stop, and while the opposition can sometime repel us initially, we gradually grind them down physically and, particularly, mentally.

[beejay]

One of those games where you tell yourself you don't care if we lose, concentrate on the League, Europa, Caraboa....until the first whistle then you are balls-in on the performance and result. 

[index1000]

On 09/01/2024 at 14:04, deiseach said:

One instance of a typo in Ben Shite's name. You're welcome.

Wrong comment hahah

[index1000]

On 09/01/2024 at 14:10, Fowlers God said:

 

I know hes the boss and all that but I think its a bit embarrassing. Like saying Man'ure and all that shite. 

 

But each to their own. 

Fucking accurate though

[Fowlers God]

On 09/01/2024 at 16:08, dave u said:

 

It amuses me so I'll keep on doing it.

 

I might start calling you Growler's Fod.

 

Now thats Kinky. 

[dave u]

22 hours ago, beejay said:

One of those games where you tell yourself you don't care if we lose, concentrate on the League, Europa, Caraboa....until the first whistle then you are balls-in on the performance and result. 

 

Never more apparent to me than that dead rubber Europa game the other week we lost and I was proper pissed off watching it.