“I CANNOT, just cannot, begin to describe the size of the hook I’d give Coutinho at half time. I don’t have the vocabulary to do so.”
Neil Edward Atkinson, 13:25, 31st October 2015
Makes fools of all of us, the football. One of its most brilliant things. Fewer more brilliant than being made a fool of quite like that.
The best players aren’t mercurial but mercurial players can be the best. That is the thing they do. They are the footballers that make you so happy you could be float away, the footballers that make your eyes prick and your heart pound. The footballers that make your afternoon suddenly look spectacular. Make you float.
Coutinho’s first half was poor until he scored but Liverpool’s was broadly good. They pulled Chelsea about and made them answer questions they perhaps couldn’t be bothered answering. They’d done the hard part. They’d gone a goal ahead. Why won’t these lads in Red leave it? Why won’t they stop doing this?
The answer is, in at least small part, the manager. 1-0 and he is telling them, chin up. Chin up lads. When you walk through a whatsaname and all that. The manager set them up to pose questions, to probe and find and stretch. The manager set them up to always have one more. The manager set them up having rested them to make it a ninety minute game, to make it a pressure occasion against a Chelsea side that might not want to know.
His players, intelligent footballers on the whole, responded. They responded to his selection, they kept their chin up. They stretched. They found one more. They made it a pressure occasion.
It is fair to say that Liverpool after the first ten found themselves much the better side. The only exception being the ten minutes before Liverpool’s second goal. Football makes fools of us. Be good for ten minutes and get nothing. Be very good for fifteen seconds and score. It perhaps isn’t entirely fair. It doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t work like that.
Jose Mourinho knows football, knows more about football than most of us. Very obviously so, look at his honours. He knows that fifteen seconds works like that sometimes, he’s made a career out of being very good for fifteen seconds. It’s fair to say though that all is not terrific in the thing he oversees.
But this Liverpool win isn’t about Jose Mourinho. It isn’t about Jürgen Klopp. It is about Liverpool’s eleven back to front. A goalkeeper who could do better early but who does brilliantly when he could have been embarrassed. A centre back pairing who won their battles without fuss and with certainty. An experienced midfielder who sees things as they happen and whose legs are returning by the week.
Moreno and Can occasionally brainless but always always willing. They are brainless for Liverpool, they are giving everything they have for Liverpool. They love Liverpool and Liverpool will therefore love them, whatever the cold light of day may say about decision making.
It comes back though to Coutinho. To lads who are capable of finding the calm in the storm. Lads who can let you down, lads who can lift you up.
Lads who want to do the business for us and a manager who wants them to do that. For us. Understanding and tapping that seam. This is where we are.
For this mad thing to work and odds to be overcome, it will be about the collective. The support. The diaspora. It will be about the desire for battle. Travelling Reds in full voice this afternoon.
I saw the table on the final whistle. Said this:
“Six points off the pace.”
Makes fools of you this thing.
“Six points off the pace.”
Always has done. Always will.
“Six points off the pace.”
Let’s do the next thing. Because we can. The champions have been defeated today.
“Six points off the pace.”
Suddenly suddenly suddenly can you hear your heart pound?
The game is afoot.
Special 1 Normal 3
Oh JURGEN KLOPP
oh jurgen klopp
IS WUNDERBAR
is wunderbar
OH JURGEN KLOPP IS WUNDERBAR
HE HATES THE MANCS AND THE COCKNEYS
OH JURGEN KLOPP IS WUNDERBAR…..
Having said I would’ve left Coutinho out in place of Firmino for this match, feel a bit silly now
Haha, me too. Was adamant that Coutinho should have been rested.
I thought the Milner sub was great. He wasn’t having the best game but would have been easy to take of any of the front 3 or Can. Klopp knew the game was there for the taking and went for it. Really brave.
Klopp is the first Liverpool manager since Bob Paisley in 1974 to not lose any of his first five games in charge.
P5 W2 D3 L0
Goals for: 6
Goals against: 3
Happy days!
Coutinho had a poor first half!!!!!!! Are you mad, drunk or just plain insane. After first ten minutes they all played well and Coutinho was excellent. You sir are a dolt!
Coutinho was mishitting passes left and right. Too far in front, too far behind, into overly congested areas…he was poor up until the goal. After that seemed something clicked.
Confidence from the goal,
Gets down on himself when things aren’t working.
It’s on.
Ya I was right in the middle of a Couthino strop during the first half also,
What a really composed performance from the reds today.
I’ve decided I quite like this gangnampressing thing. Lucas was the man in this match – absolutely terrific game. I wish he had a shot on him.
Two other observations. First, Klopp didn’t shy away from hooking Milner (quite rightly). Second, I love how the players seem to really like each other and celebrate as a team. Bodes well.
Can’t wait ’til Hendo and Studge are fit again.
agreed with you about players celebrating all 3 goals as a team…and in the dressing room after the match.
team spirit will continue to improve along with on field performance.
it is 3 points, no doubt, but it is a big big moral boasting win for our team confidence….
Don’t forget about Flano!! He’ll help out immensely at either LB or RB.
State of that cunts interview after the game btw. And that fucking smurf in the club coat giving Klopp grief for like, managing and that. Probably after chanting for Mourinho without seeing the irony. “Sign on! Sign on!” sang loudly and proudly as well the horrible Tory twats. Not to go too Kevin Keegan I’d love it if we beat them but I hadn’t buzzed off Liverpool goals that much since we were going for the league.
BT are largely atrocious but fair play to them for the shot of Mourinho where lee mason’s moon head is blocking him out. My moment of the match. Almost makes up for Howard Webb being on the pay roll.
~ thoroughly deserved win!! out thought, out played them….Amazing performance
~ when the match was at 1-1, any lesser manager would have closed shop and ultra defensive. Not JK. as Neil mentioned above, he sent on Benteke in place of a more defensive Milner.
~ when we were leading 2-1, Ibe was sent on to explore space expected to open up and counter attack with speed.
~ this is the type of Liverpool we want!…FEARLESS, FUN, and COOL….(and not afraid to fight 11 against 11, or against their bench. Well done.
Taking Milner out for Benteke was ballsy. JK went for pace and attack, and he needed to against a fast Chelsea side. Would like to see Milner bounce back with a solid performance.
really hope Milner bounce back with more confidence soon too. we need him especially for away matches and also to hold the fort till Hendo comes back.
My favourite thing about today was….. well, in fairness, the 3 points. I also enjoyed the performance. It’s hard not to enjoy seeing the Chelsea fans streaming out gutted too, or piling the pressure on Mourinho but my other favourite thing was seeing the players so happy. I loved Lucas’s reaction to the equaliser. I loved how all the players were in the corner celebrating the second and third goals with big smiles on their faces and I loved the dressing room photo’s released on Instagram. There was a real sense of team spirit and the smiles looked closer to laughs. Great seeing them all enjoying it so much. The usual suspects were in the middle of the group buzzing off it, Sakho and Moreno but the new lads were loving it too. Clyne, Firmino, Benteke especially. It really pleased me.
The other thought I had was about gamesmanship. Obviously, Chelsea are renowned for being the worst when it comes to surrounding the ref and their all round behaviour was quite poor today, from players to staff, but my question is, was Skrtel right to ignore the Costa kick? Chelsea should have been down to 10 men but the reason they weren’t was because Skrtel chose not to roll around on the floor. In some ways I’d admire his honesty but had we not won then that could have been a major reason. There’s merit in both approaches, I suppose.
In hindsight, Skrtel was 100% right to ignore it. Costa may still be punished by the FA and Skrtel strengthens his cred as a no-nonsense professional.
Damn straight..! Well put, mate
In hindsight, definitely. Let’s say we don’t have hindsight and we go on to lose. Then it’s not so admirable. Do we want our players being gentlemen and making sure opposition players stay on the pitch? I don’t. If someone commits a violent offence in front of the ref (as he does every week) I want him sent off and banned for 3 games. Skrtel and Costa have been at it for years. It’s all a game and Skrtel should be playing along. In this case we’ve got away with it. Next time we might not. Although Costa’s over weight and pretty wank at football, if he was now looking at a 3 game ban then Chelsea would be in even more disarray. I think we missed a trick.
Ya I get what you’re saying Robin but all the same I’m not sure I want Skrtel rolling around like a drama queen,
The carry on of Mikel and that total scumbag on the Chelsea sideline trying to get Lucas sent off was deplorable,
You stay classy Chelsea.
Well impressed with the way we are starting to kick people a bit more though.
I would want to see him acknowledge the fact that’s he’s been booted hard, studs up, in the chest. A simple clutch of the chest with agony on his face for 5 seconds would have been enough. Football’s more than about how well you play the game. Unfortunately, this type of thing will be used against us, and has been – Markovic’s opponent probably cost us a place in the CL group stages against Basel last season. We can’t be a soft touch if everyone else is doing it, horrible though it is.
to be fair, Costa didnt make too much of Skrtels forearm smash in the first few minutes. And our rotation fouling of Willian who was their most dangerous player, was dark arts page 1.
when Coutinho scored the second goal, some unusual scenes~
1. Ibe was about to come on, and the way he celebrated at the substitution area was as if he had scored the goal himself…on his knees…
2. another player warming up ran into the field and joined in with the Phil and group to celebrate too (not sure who he was…but it showed team spirit)
I wanna mention BT Sport too, played the Mourinho after match interview 3 times in full.
Then went live to the press conference after the game, broadcast the whole thing.
Fair play to McManaman for continually drawing the after match discussion back to Liverpool as the others concentrated on Chelsea.
What happened to Harry Redknapp? – He looked about as happy as an old age pensioner on Hallowe’en night.
PMSL about Redknapp, couldn’t agree more..and credit to Macca for highlighting Mourinhos lack of class in his press conference for failing to give us credit.
He nailed it with the lack of humility shout. I usually like ripping McManaman because of his silly hair and he left right before I remember footy so I’m never gonna be too arsed with him anyway but he was on point like.
Great how Mourinho did the whole ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ bit in the interview and then they show the press conference where he goes full Hodgson and can’t seem to shut the fuck up. The game reminded me of the Old Trafford 4-1 in terms of putting an appalling beaut of an opposition manager firmly in his place; how’s ‘winning the mind games’ treating you when Liverpool turn up at your gaff and just decide to be better?
Obviously not “box office” enough for Henry Winter… Thinking on, whatever happened to Ollie Holt’s righteous pursuit of the Rooney Rule in English football btw? Did he spew it before Terry got taken to court? The fucking ming.
Class from Skrtel that even helped Costa up off the deck as though to say “your not winding me up and your eyes are to close together now get back in my pocket lad. ”
One of the best moments for me was Mignolet coming out of his box to collect the ball as the flag was up for offside.
Cue Johnny come lately Chelsea fans shouting for handball as the camera cuts to the lino holding up the flag and in the background our end all jeering the soft shites. Jealous of that end looked a laugh that.
Just a special, special day. This is what being a fan is all about. We’ll have bad days in the future, but today is worth celebrating!
Gutted, the only Chelsea fan I work with is on holiday next week! Well done you Red Men!
We love you Liverpool we do
We love you Liverpool we do
We love you Liverpool we do
Oh Liverpool WE LOVE YOU
Herr Klopp:”Simon what do you do when the ball is passed back to you?”
Simon:”Well start an attack by passing to….”
Herr Klopp:”No Simon,you hoof the bloody thing as far as you can.”
Herr Klopp:”Martyn what do you do when you receive the ball in space?”
Martyn:”Well I pass to Dejan,then Dejan passes to me,then I pass to Nathaniel,then Nathaniel passes back to me then….
Herr Klopp:”From now on Martyn you pass to Mama and he’ll decide what to do!”
And this is just the beginning!
Haha, yeah, just give it to Sakho for feck’s sake. Job done.
A most splendid day indeed.
JM your are a complete t**t
can i just give a massive pat on the back to our supporters as well today… magnificent the bloody lot of them. We should arrange for them to be together behind the kop and get some of the bloody old farts out, make some noise as its looking like Klopp and theses boys are going to deserve it
I might have this all wrong but why were the Chelsea banners still in place an hour after full time?
The ground was empty and the ‘Born is the king’ or some shite banners were still there
Are these actually set up by the club?
My son said ‘Who’d you hook at half-time?”
“Coutino”, I said. “He is completely out of touch and has been rubbish for weeks” as he shimmied to his left and finished the first half with and exquisite strike….
What a result!!! What a player!! What a manager!!! What a team!!!
Bring back Markovic (can’t see Balo fitting in, though).
With Sturridge’s skills and Ings’ energy, players used in their proper positions, we’d be back in business big time. The nightmare of ‘par’ mat well be over.
YNWA.
Best moment of the match was after Benkete’s goal with all the boys celebrating in front of the travelling Kop. Watching it on the tele in Pakistan it felt like 13 14 again. Damn.
I thought we were outstanding and showed great character in coming from behind to win
It’s true 6 points off pace and this is a bang average league this year, two wonderful fantastic brilliant clever signings in January one being a central midfielder, a real player who can dictate make us tick be clever – you just never know oh and if Daniel gets fit…..stays fit…. Goals….. ynwa
By December LFC will have played away at Spurs, Man City, Man U, Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal and will have home games against them all in the new year. Stay in touch by Christmas and it’s all to play for second half of the season #YNWA
We’ve won away at Stoke and Chelsea, drawn away at Arsenal, Spurs and Everton – over a season you’d take that. Just happens to have arrived in one block of 10 games for us.
The best tactictical victory since Rafa. Our sum was considerably greater than our parts. 3 phases to this game. Press and push a high line to contain them in their half. Benteke & Ibe on and stretch the game to hit them on the break, finally see out the win and take 3 points and put Lovren in midfield. Willian identified as their greatest threat and managed out of the game.