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This sets the record straight somewhat. It wasn’t quite the mauling of Arsenal that I had hoped for but it’ll do. Some Arsenal fans had started to get a little bit carried away after those two most recent clashes between the sides and saw themselves as our equals when the truth is they’re nowhere near. The gap is massive. We dominated them at the Emirates but gifted them two goals and we should have beaten them in the Community Shield. We didn’t though and all of a sudden people were talking about Arteta having our number. They needed putting back in their box and this has gone some way towards doing that. We were brilliant from start to finish and showed that Arsenal are nowhere near our level. That being said, Arsenal are clearly better than they were because this level of performance would have been enough to see us beat them by ten not so long ago. They did well to dig in and stay in the game in the face of the relentless pressing they were subjected to and how good we were with the ball. They should probably feel pleased with themselves because the two previous results they had against us were flukes and by no means any indication of a “closing gap”. If anyone connected to Arsenal is disheartened by the gulf there was between the two sides in this game then it’s because they had kidded themselves into thinking the gap wasn’t as big as it is. We’re so much better than everybody else right now. We’ve never been this much better than all of the competition, not even in our 70s and 80s heyday. I know not everyone is comfortable saying this in case it blows up in our faces, but it’s true, we’re miles better than everyone. Over the last two seasons we’ve averaged 98 points. Whereas our closest competitors Man City have grown weaker year on year, we’ve kept all of our players and now added Thiago and Jota which makes us even stronger than the team that averages 98 points. I wouldn’t be surprised if the players already have it in their heads to try and beat last year’s 99 point total, as they’ll need to set themselves targets this year if nobody is going to push us. I know we’re only three games in but I’m not basing it on that. I’m basing it on the last couple of years and the general strength of our squad compared to everyone else. Seriously, who is going to be able to live with us this season? City won’t. United won’t. Chelsea won’t. Spurs? Nah. Arsenal won’t either, although unlike the rest of our ‘big six’ rivals they do at least seem to be on an upward curve. So are we though. We’ve still got the potential to get better. An already great team has now become even stronger by adding one of the best midfielders in the world and another forward who plays the same way as those we already have and thus gives us great depth. Thiago wasn’t even playing in this game and look how dominant we were. It’s scary how good we might be when he is playing. It’s probably worth pointing out that we were not only without Thiago for this one, but Henderson, Matip and Oxlade-Chamberlain were all unavailable too. Thankfully Alisson made it despite a pre-match fitness scare. He had very little to do but when he was needed he came up big with a save when it mattered. He had no chance with the Arsenal opener though. A complete fluke and totally against the run of play. It might have been the first time they got out of their own half. Credit where it’s due, they played their way out nicely and got Maitland-Niles in down the left. His cross looked like it would be cut out by Virg but he couldn’t reach it. Robbo was there behind him but he made a brutal mistake and his mis-kick teed up Lacazette. He too mis-kicked it, and because Alisson had committed himself to where the shot would have gone if it hadn’t been completely spooned, he was unable to reach it as it looped over him. Fucking hell. Not gonna lie, I was shaken by that. It was too early in the game to say I was worried as such, but it did have me cursing Arsenal and their incredible spawn against us. Why do we keep just fucking gift wrapping them goals? It’s infuriating. And Robbo of all people? He’s probably the most reliable player we have, he never makes mistakes. Fucking spawny bastards. They surely couldn’t fluke another result against us? Thankfully no, they couldn’t. Some magic from Salah allowed Mané to equalise soon after and then we were back in total control again. Great goal that, and credit to the ref too for playing advantage when I was cursing him for not giving the free-kick. I didn’t think there would be any advantage but turns out there was. The touch from Mo to go inside Tierney was pure filth. Yes, he’s quick and he’s a strong little fucker too, and that helped, but the touch to go past him on the inside was outrageous. His shot was saved but Mané was on hand for the tap in. Look at Sadio’s movement though. He’s wanting a pass to begin with but as soon as Mo takes another touch to cut inside he just drifts off the back of the defender looking for a rebound. Brilliant from both of them. The second goal was class too. Trent had started the game in sensational form, spraying passes around and whipping in brilliant crosses, so it was no surprise he created the goal. It was a little surprising that it was Robbo scoring it though. Again, Mané showed great football smarts in the way he drifted in to create space for Robbo coming in behind him. Sadio couldn’t win the header but because he’d pulled Bellerin in with him Robbo was all alone at the back post to control and finish. Great stuff. I’m expecting somewhere between 5-8 goals from Robbo this year. He’s got it in him to do it, just needs to sharpen up his finishing a bit. This was an encouraging start and no doubt he’ll have felt extra special because it made up for his mistake. After that it was just a case of how many we’d score, but frustratingly the third goal wouldn’t come. We continued to play great football and the pressing was phenomenal, but Arsenal did play better in the second half and managed to get out of their own half much more than they had in the first. People are going way overboard about them though. I’m hearing all sorts of shit praising Arteta and Arsenal for “sticking to the way they play” and “being brave” by playing out from the back. It’s fucking nonsense. They’re copying Guardiola by having the keeper playing one twos with his centre backs in their own six yard box. If you want to do that against Palace or Burnley or whoever then sound, have at it. Repeatedly trying it against us when IT’S CLEARLY NOT WORKING though is just fucking arrogance and hubris of the highest order. It was the same with Lampard last week. It’s great for us and I should be made up when teams do that, but weirdly I find myself just getting increasingly pissed off at the sheer fucking ego of it all. Arsenal (and Chelsea last week) kept doing the same thing and we kept either taking the ball off them or forcing them into knocking it out of play. It worked once in the whole game and they ended up with a spawny goal from it. ONCE!! How many times did we rob them in their own third? Had to be at least twenty times. There’s nothing brave or clever about it, it’s just stupid, irresponsible, negligent shite and the net result is Chelsea and Arsenal were both soundly beaten because of it. We play out from the back too, but not like that. We play out from 25 yards away from goal. These fuckers are trying it from their own byline. It’s crazy to do that against a team that presses like we do. Man City have done it and got away with it to some extent but even they don’t try it every time. Arsenal did this under Emery too and he was roundly slaughtered for it. Arteta is lauded though. I guess being Smithers to Pep’s Mr Burns has it’s advantages when it comes to how people perceive you. Arsenal would have a goal kick and do the exact same thing. Leno to Luiz, then to one of the other centre backs, back to Leno or Luiz and then out to the wing back who was invariably now stood by the corner flag because they’d been forced so far backwards. David Luiz can do this all day and probably never give the ball away because he’s quality in possession. The rest of them though? Rob Holding had a decent game defensively and he’s actually played well against us the last few times. He does not want the ball fizzed into his feet with Sadio Mané flying to close him down though. He must have been cursing Arteta and his “I wanna be like Pep” style of footy. As I say though, it was perfect for us and our lads were smelling blood all night. They don’t often get to do this because most managers are pragmatic enough to change their style and avoid playing into our hands. When you’ve got these ego driven cunts like Lampard and Arteta (albeit to a slightly lesser extent because unlike Lampard he does actually seem like he might be a capable manager) insisting on playing “their” football instead of doing what’s best for that particular game, then it’s like Christmas morning for our boys. On another day we’d have added a couple more goals and Arsenal would have been well out of it, but the longer it stayed at 2-1 the more chance there was of them getting another underserved result against us. They were always going to have one moment and it came when Lacazette went through after Trent had played him onside but thankfully Alisson stood big to deny him. Much is being made of that missed chance but even if he’d scored I’m sure we’d have just gone and scored another one or two and won the game anyway. I thought Sadio going off was a strange one. He didn’t look happy at all and understandably so as he was the best player on the pitch at that point. He’d been fucking phenomenal and he was like a man on a mission all night. It felt like he must have taken the last couple of results against Arsenal personally as he was hugely fired up. Perhaps a little too much so. In the first couple of minutes he completely flattened Bellerin and then seconds later he was on the opposite side of the field decking Tierney. I don’t think he should have been sent off but it was close. Not quite a red card because it wasn’t an elbow to the face, but it nearly was and he was probably close to being sent off for that. The referee got it right but on another day, with another official, Sadio might have been severely punished there. I was genuinely surprised he was subbed because he was tormenting Arsenal with and without the ball. Personally I’d have taken Bobby off but what the fuck do I know. Jota came on to play in Sadio’s left wing spot and could have had a hat-trick. Klopp knows what he’s doing. It’s nice for Jota to get off the mark so quickly as the last thing you need is to have to wait for that first goal. It’s important for his confidence because although he’s a talented player and wouldn’t have made it this far without believing in himself, it still has to be a little daunting coming from Wolves to the World Champions and knowing that the level you’re required to play at is the level set by Salah and Mané. If he wants to play, that’s the standard he’ll need to be at. The good thing is he’s made a fast start and he’s part of a squad that welcomes everybody. Sadio will have been as pleased for Jota as anyone, because he knows that we needed a more natural alternative to him (and to Mo) than we had in the squad. I didn’t like some of the implications made on commentary about Mo when he took that chance of Jota’s foot and tried to score himself. This whole “Selfish Salah” thing is just too easy for people to throw around at times. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve criticised Mo for his tendency to get greedy at times in the past but I honestly didn’t have any issue with what he did there. Or course it didn’t look good because he didn’t collect the ball and score, but he was entitled to go for that. It was a little too far in front of him and he couldn’t quite get it, but in that split second he didn’t have time to think. The idea that he’s seen Jota and gone to himself “I’ve just set you up and you missed, so this one is mine” is just a steaming pile of Zlatan. He acted on instinct. Jota had been in position to get a shot away but this was just an instinctive thing where Mo is running at full speed into the box and genuinely believes he can collect it in stride and score. Had he been able to get it under control then it would have been a much better chance for him to score than it would have been for Jota to take a touch, set himself and then get his shot away. The problem is he couldn’t quite get there and then it just looks terrible. I don’t put that down to greed at all though, it was just a player in a split second backing himself to reach a ball that ultimately was just beyond him. Pretty sure Klopp saw it the same way, although Jota might feel differently! Salah was fucking brilliant all night. His work rate was incredible and he tormented that left side of the Arsenal defence. He’s in great form right now, as is Sadio. Having Jota around is only going to help with that as not only does it allow us to occasionally rest them when needed, but if Jota performs well then it provides genuine competition. And based on this, I think that’s what we already have. Jota isn’t going to be starting ahead of Sadio or Mo any time soon but he looks like he fits this team like an arse in a bucket. He should have scored earlier following brilliant set up play by Mo, but he stuck at it and was rewarded when a Luiz header dropped to him on the edge of the box and he controlled it before steering a shot perfectly into the corner. Every single player was right over to him and you could see how happy they all were for him. Klopp said afterwards that he’s had his eye on Jota for two or three years but it’s about the time being right. That’s how we operate now. There’s no point signing 19/20 year old who aren’t going to be ready to play. Wait until they reach 23/24 and are at the level required to come in and play. That’s what we did with Sadio and Mo. They were ready to explode when we signed them and maybe Jota is too. I can’t wait to se more of him now. So that goal killed off Arsenal once and for all. Other than the Lacazette chance they never really threatened. There were other chances that wouldn’t have counted because they were offside, but as Klopp pointed out to pretty much every reporter he spoke to afterwards, that’s just not a good way of doing things. In theory it makes sense. Don’t stop an attacking move for offside in case they aren’t offside. The video can confirm it afterwards. So yeah, good idea in theory. In practice though its shit, because it’s taken responsibility away from the linos and they are told not to flag unless it’s blatant. Well hardly any are ‘blatant’ on first view to the naked eye, so what we’re seeing is no flags going up and play continuing even when players are offside. And when it doesn’t end up in a goal they don’t need to use VAR, so all of these ‘chances’ that it looks like we’ve conceded are actually nothing of the sort. It was happening a lot last season but it’s even worse now because they just aren’t flagging at all. It’s only a matter of time until someone is injured either making a challenge or spinting back to chase an offside player, but that’s not my biggest problem with it. I remember complaining about this a couple of times last season but it felt like I was the only one bringing it up until Klopp did after this game. By not putting the flag up, play continues. Fine. But sometimes the ball then goes out for a corner which is allowed to stand because they don’t go back to check for offices when there is no goal scored. So what happens if a team then scores from the corner? Basically it’s tough shit, the goal counts. I don’t like it at all. The rule is the same for everyone but it’s going to be more harmful to us than most because we play a high line to catch opponents offside. Anyway, it’s not going to change any time soon and in comparison to the bullshit new handball interpretation we’re seeing every week it’s really not that big a deal. Speaking of big deals, I don’t know what kind of wages Gini is asking for but unless he’s taking the piss then give him that fucking contract. He’s been a huge part of the success we’ve had and he’s in his prime now. He’s fucking brilliant and does whatever the situation demands. Get him signed up. For most of this game he kept things simple, filled gaps, pressed diligently and was generally just typical unsung Gini. When it’s needed though, he’s so much more than that. The last twenty minutes of this game he was fucking unreal. Turbo charged Gini showed up and it was great. It’s like in the old NBA Jam game when a player would make three shots in a row and then go “on fire” and become faster and jump higher than everyone else. That was Gini in the closing stages of this game. He just stepped up the pace and Arsenal couldn’t get near him. He was sprinting 50 yards past some of his own team-mates just to go and press the goalkeeper. The midfield as a whole performed really well, especially without Hendo and Thiago. Fabinho was just utterly dominant from start to finish while Gini and Keita were really good with their positioning and pressing. With the ball I thought Naby didn’t really do much and it was no surprise that he was replaced by Milner. The options we’ve got in midfield when everyone is available is just…. wow. We could have a first three of Fabinho, Hendo and Thiago. A back up trio of Gini, Ox and Milner and then a third combo of Grujic, Keita and Jones. I’ve probably missed somebody as we’ve got so many options it’s almost impossible to predict our line up for the domestic cups now. On that note, I can’t wait for Thursday’s game. Anyway, back to this one and Arsenal did have one opportunity late on that may or may not have been offside (I think it was just on) when Aubameyang finally got clear in stoppage time. Had he scored it wouldn’t have effected the result, but Gomez was not going to let that happen. He chased him back, stayed on his feet and then made the block. Klopp celebrated it like a goal. He was proper fired up about this wasn’t he? And rightly so. Arsenal have frustrated us the last couple of times we’ve met so he’ll have been made up to not only dominate them again but to actually get the result that reflects the performance. Poor Roy Keane though. He spends the entire night absolute salivating about how good we are and then he makes one poorly worded throwaway remark just at the moment Klopp is listening in and ends up with a flea in his ear! He wasn’t wrong. We were sloppy on a couple of occasions but equally I can see why Klopp would be annoyed if he thought that the main take away from the game was a couple of rare lapses in an otherwise phenomenal display. It’s actually a back handed compliment when you think about it. When any other team concedes a goal or gives up a chance or two, it’s just football. It happens. How often do you go through a game against any Premier League side, let alone one of the better ones containing one of Europe’s top strikers, and not give up any chances? It hardly ever happens. But because Klopp’s team is so good, so dominant, and has set such sky high standards over the last couple of years, when an opponent even so much as gets near our goal it results in criticism and inquests about whether we have a problem defensively. As I say, it’s testament to just how good we are that an opponent creating a chance or two is even seen any kind of talking point. It’s almost like people are looking for something to cling to, to provide some hope that maybe we aren’t going to just steamroller the league again. Roy Keane hates everything and everybody. If you get any kind of praise from him you’re doing well, but as I say he was gushing about the Reds all night. At one point he made a snarky remark about “don’t be getting too giddy about Everton”. Carragher asked him “do you ever get giddy about anything?” and Keane replied “I’m giddy about this Liverpool team. They’re brilliant.” He’s right. We are. Star man is…. shit I don’t know. Mané was incredible, Salah brilliant, Fabinho dominant, Gini supercharged, Trent imperious, Van Dijk masterful… could be any of them really. But fuck it, I’m going Joe Gomez because he probably needed a performance like this. He’s been up and down since footy came back but he was class in this game. Not saying he was the best player on the pitch (that was probably Sadio) but I’m giving him the star man because his performance will probably be overlooked by a lot of people. Not by me, well in Joey lad. Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keita (Milner); Salah, Firmino (Minamino), Mané (Jota):

Andy Robertson has spoken of his satisfaction over Liverpool’s perfect start to the season after the Reds defeated Arsenal 3-1 on Monday night.The visitors took the lead through Alexander Lacazette after he made the most of a very uncharacteristic sloppy piece of play by the left-back.But the Champions did not let that setback knock them off their stride and Sadio Mane was on the spot to capitalise on some fine work by Mo Salah before Robertson truly atoned for his error by putting the Reds in front just past the half hour mark.The satisfactory night was complete when new signing Diogo Jota who looked lively from the moment he came on, opened his Liverpool scoresheet on his home debut two minutes from time. Jota will have been a popular bet for last goalscorer and this would have been a good time to use your bet365 bonus code.Speaking to the Official site after the contest, Robertson in his customary way poked fun at himself, but says he was very keen to make a positive impact.“I don’t think there were many negatives from the game. "Our defensive display was very good, our attacking was very good. The only thing we can maybe say is we maybe could have taken a couple more of the chances. “Of course, the goal could have been avoided – it was definitely the worst assist I’ve ever given! One I wasn’t happy about. “Look, these mistakes happen unfortunately; 99 times out of 100 I clear that and the danger is cleared, but unfortunately that was the one time. "Luckily, since I’ve came here, I’ve not made many mistakes. "But unfortunately that was one and when you make a mistake like that, you always want the team to win and you to try to contribute in different ways. “Luckily, I popped up at the other end and I didn’t let that get to me. "So, I’m pleased about that. And hopefully the next time that ball comes in I’ll clear it 60 yards the other way. The Scottish captain said that the respect was high for their opponents especially as Mikel Arteta has turned the North London club into a much more resolute outfit than the soft underbelly that they had displayed under the latter tenure of Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery. “You know by now that our game is based on hard work, first and foremost. We have so much individual quality. Defensively, we’re strong; attacking, we’re strong. But if we don’t work hard we don’t win games, it’s as simple as that – and that’s what has been drilled into us from the manager. “Since [Mikel] Arteta has come in, he has turned Arsenal around as a club, as a team on the pitch and off the pitch. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. Both teams 100 per cent records so far this season, and they have played with a lot of confidence. So we knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but we knew if we could do what we can do, find [space] in between the lines and get the boys on the ball up top, we believed we could win the game. “Luckily, the work-rate and the quality all rolled into one and it was as close to a complete performance as we’ve done this season.The Impact of the Liverpool Full-backs is unparalleled throughout the league and a indication of that is since Robertson’s arrival in 2017/8 they have been involved in 66 goals (33 a piece).That is 11 clear of the next defender on the list (Cesar Azpilicueta).Robertson says he loves his role of being a creator, but he certainly sees himself primarily as a defender.“I love scoring and I love assisting but, first and foremost, I love defending. "That’s why a part of me still won’t be happy about tonight because I know I caused the [Arsenal] goal. “But the fact that we’re walking away with three points and I helped put the team in front and steered us to three points will probably help me sleep tonight. "Of course, creating goals and scoring goals is something I like doing and something I want to do, so long may that continue. “Hopefully I keep popping up in the right areas. I think I showed a bit of composure there – Mo or Sadio would have been quite happy with that!”

It was 10 years ago this week that we were humiliated at Anfield by Northampton. Obviously the club has come a long way since those dark days and we’re now the best team in the land, but I thought it was quite fitting to see the second string perform like they did at Lincoln. Northampton wasn't a one off either. We’ve spent decades struggling in these type of cup ties when the big hitters were rested and we had to call on the kids and fringe players. Now? I actually look forward to these games as much I do the ‘proper’ matches. Some of the most enjoyable games we’ve had in recent seasons have been when the second string has played in the cups. Arsenal and Everton last season were great. So too was the Shrewsbury replay when it was a team full of kids. This was more of a mixed line up but we had a bit of everything really. We had the star quality of Van Dijk, we had the fringe players like Shaqiri and Minamino, the wonder kids Jones and Elliott, the unknown youth teamer unexpectedly thrown in at the deep end as well as a couple of new signings making their debuts (Tsimikas looked good I thought). We also had a couple of lads in Big Div and my boy Grujic who maybe won’t be here much longer. Everyone played their part though. It was a real mish mash eleven and in the past whenever we’d done anything like this it would usually end up in a risible performance and a cup exit. Spurs away jumps out at me for some reason. I couldn’t even tell you who played that night but I remember it was a real shitshow. Probably people like Degen and Plessis were involved but I’ve kind of wiped it from memory so can’t be sure. Generally in the past when we've thrown together a team of kids and misfits, they've played like total strangers. That doesn't happen anymore. Win or lose they always look like a Klopp team. This was great. Not perfect, and the second half wasn’t good defensively after Virg went off, but scoring seven times away from home with a second string against the League One leaders isn’t anything to be sniffed at. The quality of some of the goals was ridiculous too. Shaq’s free-kick to open the scoring was a belter. I saw that coming a mile off and called goal before he even took it. I watched it at my parents house and as I'm sure I've mentioned before, Shaq is like the son my Dad always wanted. I don’t mind that, I love Shaq as well and wish he was my little brother so I could playfully slap him in a headlock and ruffle his expensive new hair. Love that little guy, he's fucking boss. So yeah, anyway, as soon as the free-kick was awarded I said “This is a goal, Shaq will put this in the top corner”. And he did. I was on point with my predictions all night actually as before kick off I called goals for Jones and Grujic. The only one I got wrong was saying that there was absolutely zero chance that Jota wasn’t scoring when he came on. Other than that I was…. what do the cool kids say these days…. oh yeah I was FIRE!!!! But enough of that, back to the footy. Shaq’s opener was glorious but Minamino matched it with a fabulous first time hit to make it 2-0. He just looks so much more comfortable and settled these days, but that's hardly a surprise as new signings into this team generally take a few months to start showing their form. Some are so good they transcend that. Mané, Salah, Van Dijk and I'm pretty sure Thiago will be another. So that was a lovely goal that came about from Lincoln trying to pass it out from the back. Lads, you’re League One and we’re the World Champions. You really think you’re going to succeed where the likes of City and Chelsea have failed and play through our high press? Talk about delusions of grandeur. Jones then made it 3-0 with a superb finish after Origi had cleverly knocked down a long pass from Rhys Williams. Nice moment for Williams and the first half will have been most enjoyable for him. Playing alongside Virgil and basically not really having to do anything other than pass the ball around under no pressure was an ideal debut. The second half was much tougher for him but he did well all things considered. Jones made it 4-0 with a goal that just reeked of Phil Coutinho. That’s who he is turning into now. A tall, scouse, Coutinho. He shares so many of the same attributes as O Magico and that cut inside and bend it in the top corner thing that Phil had down to a fine art is something Curtis has down to a tee. In fact, I might just start calling him “Curtinho”. Yeah I’m pleased with that one. “Curtinho”. Nice. Feel free to use that if you like, I don’t mind. So yeah, 4-0 and it could have been more as we played some lovely football. Klopp said that if the lads were wearing a different kit he’d still know it was Liverpool based on how they played. They basically were wearing a different kit as that one we were wearing was nothing like a Liverpool kit. In general I’m not one for being arsed about kits and I don’t even mind this one even though I know loads hate it. What I don’t like is that the shorts are not the same colour as the shirt and that just makes it look shit. I’m sure you were all as surprised as I was that Virgil started the game. With Matip and Gomez unavailable it made some sense for him to play but it’s still not something you expect to see at this stage of the League Cup. I would have thought Nat Phillips was a more logical choice but he wasn’t involved at all, so must be close to a move and they didn't want him cup tied (same with Brewster). It will have been great for young Rhys to have that half alongside Virg, but the difference in our performance from first half to second was alarming. Was that just because we were so far ahead and took our foot off the gas? Or was it because Van Dijk wasn’t there after the break? I suspect it’s more the former really. We went 5-0 up within seconds of the restart as Minamino grabbed his second of the game. It wasn’t spectacular but it was a great goal because of the desire shown by Taki. He won the ball initially and then sprinted to get in the box and was rewarded when the loose ball fell to him for a tap in. He was really lively throughout and thrived in a rare outing as the number nine. He’s pushing hard for a starting spot at the moment given Bobby’s lack of goals. So it's 5-0 and I’m thinking we might get ten. And after that, it was a bit shit and all of a sudden Adrian was having to do stuff. He made a great double save and then followed it up with another good one. Lincoln were slicing through us at will and as easy as it is to put that on Virgil not being there, it has to have been more than that. I just felt as though the intensity of the whole team slacked off and that left the defence more exposed. Lincoln deservedly pulled one back when Neco was caught trying to do too much and then Rhys was unable to retrieve the situation. Fabinho didn’t cover himself in glory either. Neco didn’t have the best of games. He wasn't that bad but sometimes he needs to keep it a bit more simple and not try the stepovers and the chops or whatever they’re called. It’s the way of the modern game now that full backs are all trying to do moves like Ronaldo, but there’s a time and place. He hasn’t been at his best when he’s played the last few months but if he wasn’t the real deal he wouldn’t be getting these opportunities. We all seen what he could do in his first half dozen or so appearances and I’m sure he’ll come through this little dip. Apparently he’s had to delete his social media accounts because he was getting stick off ‘fans’. Honestly, I know I keep going on about this kind of shit but I get unspeakably angry about it. It’s bad enough abusing players after a loss, but what kind of despicable little fucking shithouse rat sends abuse to a teenage lad after a 7-2 win? A law needs to be passed whereby any fucker who does this can be exposed and some lads can be sent around to sort them out. I’m not even joking, these fucking shithouses need a good kicking or even worse. If I ruled the world then death row would be full of cunts who sent abuse to people on twitter. So Lincoln were making a game of it and they continued to look dangerous, but we did too and Grujic grabbed himself a goal with a low shot from the edge of the box to make it 6-1. Adrian then flapped at a corner to allow Lincoln a second goal before Origi ran clear to score at the death. Jota was inches away from a debut goal but otherwise couldn't seem to do anything right. I don’t know what to make of Origi’s inclusion in this game. Not just that he started, but that he got to play the full game whereas Elliott was subbed early (I thought Harvey played well and was disappointed to see him brought off). If Div’s going, why is he getting this playing time? The more I think about it, the more I think he might be staying you know. He probably shouldn’t, because he’s behind Minamino, Jota and possibly even Shaqiri now in the forwards pecking order. Maybe he’s ok with that and just likes being here? In fairness to him, there was nothing wrong with his attitude in this game. He took his goal well (he usually does, he’s a clinical finisher) and he had a nice assist. He’s a good player and would be a nice acquisition for someone. He just doesn’t really fit the profile of player we need for any of the forward places. By that I mean we’ve got Minamino now as the deputy for Bobby because he can play the role in a similar way. Jota will do the same with Salah and Mané. Origi is just completely different to all of them. Maybe that’s a reason to keep him around another year? I wouldn’t, but then I’m not Jurgen Klopp so there is that. Basically, I’m good with whatever they decide because clearly they know what they’re doing. If I had to bet on it though I’d say Grujic, Brewster and Wilson will leave and Shaqiri and Origi probably won’t. That should bring in a decent amount to help offset the Covid losses though. Going back to Klopp’s point about the identity of the team, I feel like that’s actually really important. It was the same last season in the cups. Even when none of the first team were playing you could still see the same shape and patterns of play. That Shrewsbury game was a great example. The midfield trio of Chirivella, Cain and Clarkson pulled off a fine impression of the senior lads. This was similar in many ways, but it was also different. Shaq was in midfield for one thing. We haven’t seen that before. We might not see it again considering we’ve got about ten players fighting for three spots, but he did well. Curtis was brilliant in there too and he’s got much more chance of getting regular minutes. It’s going to be hard keeping him out of the team at the rate he’s progressing. Probably the biggest indicator of how deep we are in midfield though is the performance of Grujic. He was fucking boss I thought. I’ve always liked him but how can you make a case for him playing when there are so many superior players ahead of him? Grujic could play for most teams in the Premier League and he deserves to play regularly. He’s been going out on loan but the time has probably come to just let him leave permanently now. Another loan is pointless as it’s not as though a midfield spot is opening up for him in a year or even two. He was a contender for the star man but really it came down to a choice between Jones and Minamino. I’m not even going to choose between them, they can both have it and I’ll just happily sit on the fence. We now have to play Arsenal twice in a week. I’m still pissed off about how we let them beat us in the league and that we didn’t put them back in their box in the Charity Shield. This is a chance to set the record straight and I expect a Thiago inspired rout on Monday. The cup game is a different story and anything could happen there. Last year’s game was a fucking belter and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw something similar. I actually can’t wait for it. It’s weird really. I put virtually no importance in the domestic cups these days in terms of actually winning them. We have bigger fish to fry and I’m fully on board with the selection policy we’ve had for the cups. In fact, it’s that selection policy that makes these games so much fun. I expect we’ll go a little bit more experienced next week and I wouldn’t expect to see Rhys Williams anywhere near the side for that one, but most of the other lads will be involved again. Maybe Grujic will have left by then but Milner can easily step in. I’m surprised he didn’t play in this one actually. Get him back in there and let him lead the reserves to Wembley. Be boss seeing Milner doing the Hendo shuffle. Team: Adrian; N Williams, R Williams, Van Dijk (Fabinho), Tsimikas; Grujic, Jones, Shaqiri (Keita); Elliott (Jota), Minamino, Origi: