LIVERPOOL beat Arsenal 5-1. In the days since, celebrated pundits, while shovelling the customary rationalisation onto a newly disoriented Wenger, have actually taken time to point out that in the process, Liverpool put one of the most impressive quarters of football together in living memory. I won’t dig the quotes out – you’ll have seen them.
GOALS GOALS GOALS! Martin Skrtel celebrates another. (Pic: David Rawcliffe / Propaganda)
The new week’s podcasts and papers devoted quite some attention to Liverpool’s title credentials. 606 on Saturday? They were running predictors for all the top four clubs and trying to figure out where they’d end the season. Why not? It’s fun. Ourselves here at TAW? We ended with predictions. Neil predicted we’d win it. It was a lovely moment. It always is when he does that. The Times “Game” podcast? “Are Liverpool Title Contenders”. Rinse and repeat.
Now, as I say, that’s nice. But stick a pin in it.
Things might not go to plan. The run in, while it features the big clubs at home while we’re increasingly rampant (imagine if we’d added Konoplyanka to that four by the way), also features a number of bloody tricky aways against mid- and lower-table battlers. Things might get a little wobbly. So while we’re here, and we’re euphoric, just remember the feeling you’ve had this last few weeks.
In June, Brendan Rodgers atoledo.com said, “I”m looking to bring 20 more goals into the team. …we scored 47 goals the season before I arrived and this time got 71, and we hope to add to that amount.”
So the target for the season was 91 goals. That’s a lot of goals. And this team, under this manager, has already scored 63 of them. After 25 games. That’s 2.52 goals per game. Score at that rate for a full season of 38 games, and that’s 95 goals. 4 ahead of target. (And we did have a slow start, didn’t we?)
This team, under this manager, is serving up something you’ll remember for the rest of your days. It’s not unlike the sequence of 4 goal blitzkriegs in 2009. I’ll take that sequence to the grave – we all will. So just enjoy this ride, regardless of the league-related hopes and the inevitable torment that comes with it. Stick a pin in it. And make sure you look back and smile, because believe you me, it’s only the lucky football fans who witness this kind of thing first hand.
You’re spot on Roy, some great times have been had regardless this season but a 90th minute winner at Fulham AND coming back twice to win 3-2. 08/09 characteristics these.
Everyone can be dead sensible and have loads of perspective in post-match interviews and press conferences but Gerrard didn’t whip his top off in the mad weather because he thinks a title tilt can’t possibly be on.
We haven’t exactly got Carra, Sami and at-his-best Reina behind all the attackers either so never mind just keeping Tottenham at arm’s length and consolidating 4th. There isn’t many teams I can think of where ‘attack’s the best form of defence’ fits so aptly than us at the minute. Here’s to more Chelsea, City and Arsenal dropped points between now and the end of the season.
Great stuff Neil. Great stuff. That moment of Gerrard celebrating defines our season so far. Madness and Jubilation and Belief.