TEN talking points from TAW contributors in the aftermath of Liverpool’s 2-0 wins over Sunderland and Leeds United.
Karius Kicks For Touch
Our goalie kicked a goal-kick out for a corner. My dad reckons had it gone out in the box it would have been retaken. Not sure where he’s pulled that from. @johngibbonsblog.
Gibbo, ask your dad what would have happened if he’d just kicked it straight into the goal. @paul7cope.
In case anyone missed Loris Karius' superb goal kick against Sunderland. pic.twitter.com/6ZnG5v6FQC
— Andy Ha (@_AndyHa) November 26, 2016
Hendo Debate
Thought Henderson was outstanding. Proper captain’s performance and better every week. Back to his best. @PaulSenior1.
Was Henderson fuck man of the match, Mr Senior. Not many candidates to be fair, but he defo wasn’t one of them. My vote goes to Firmino. Henderson’s quality on the ball was poor, and it’s not like it’s all about the movement and the pressing, sitting in front of the centre-halves against a team that didn’t want to attack. He has to look to give us more going forward in this type of game. Did a great thing in the closing mins when he wins it back deep and knocks it forward quickly, but that was about it. @RobGutmann.
I don’t want him forcing it, Rob. The more patient he got the more we turned the screw. There are five lads ahead of him and arguably two full-backs, if you want more. I like it when he pings it forward 25 yards especially along the deck, but the pass has to be on and often wasn’t yesterday. Starting again, shifting it left or right was the best course. Setting the tone of patient. When he was forcing it with lofted balls into the box he was doing my head in. @Knox_Harrington.
Yep, and when he did try and force it he kept putting air on the ball. Also you need more mobility from your centre mids against a low block. Henderson too often content to be an unneeded third centre-half. By the way, I don’t think he was awful, by any means, just nowhere near a man of the match. @RobGutmann.
If you are calling him a third centre-half that is sound but then, simultaneously, let’s acknowledge he has seven players ahead of him and one of them should be the ones making it happen, with him directing attacks rather than leading them. @Knox_Harrington.
Neil, I’ll stress again , I don’t think he was terrible, or his performance worthy of any particular negative comment, but for the man of the match claims. And not even in a ‘best of a bad lot’ sort of way. I’ve seen a few ‘Hendo superb ‘ comments. I don’t begin to see how there’s anything to celebrate in that kind of display. @RobGutmann.
Bloody Bobby
I’ve never been the biggest Firmino fan, to be honest. He had me pulling my hair out most of last season and, though he’s improved immeasurably this term, I’ve been a bit resistant to his mysterious Latin charms. But today he was marvellous. Easily the best game I’ve seen him have. Particularly after Coutinho went off. He was the one who took responsibility, became the creative hub, never stopped probing, always inventive. He looked shot to pieces when he went off. That was a proper stint. Keep that up and I might even not want to burn everyone who calls him Bobby. @66zimbo.
I don’t think Bobby is far away from being our best player. In the absence of Coutinho he really took responsibility for being the spark we needed and making chances. He’s got it all. @NeilDocking.
Love me some Bobby F. @whichdave.
Bobby. @robbohuyton.
Clean Sheet Sequel
Three clean sheets in a row now. Only conceded more than one in one game since Burnley. Think it has to be said now we are good defensively. Klopp is right. @johngibbonsblog.
John, spot on. Worth remembering we conceded five in the first two, when looking at the goals against column. @Knox_Harrington.
Samuel ‘Liverpoool’ Jackson
LIVERPOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) November 26, 2016
Phil Fears
Coutinho five to six weeks, lads. @Andrew_Heaton
Gutted. Could have been worse, but with so many games coming up it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Get him fit and firing for when we lose Mane. @StephenEvans75.
Could have been far worse, to be fair. @Andrew_Heaton
Ben’s Bright Future
Never in doubt!! Ben Woodburn my hero. @stuwright78.
What a moment for him. He’s gonna find his first go at sex dead underwhelming now. @whichdave.
Just try to imagine how Woodburn is feeling right now. Literally just lived out all of our dreams the absolute hero. @dpvdecorators.
United We Stand
Almost died during the “stand up if you hate Man U” sing-along from both sides in the first-half. Abysmal. @Danny_Austin14.
That stand up if you hate Man U song was toe-curling cringe. @StephenEvans75.
'Stand up if you hate Man U' sing the @LUFC fans. Apparent agreement in the ground but Kop rightly prefers to sing about #LFC
— Andy Kelly (@AndyK_LivNews) November 29, 2016
Longing For Lallana
I do wonder if the key to all this, is Lallana. He’s so important to the press, and the intensity. Messi leads the press at Barcelona and, when he’s not there, they don’t look half as intense, and it’s purely off the ball for me. I think Lallana has taken on that role with us. Hope he’s back for a trip to his favourite lappies, this weekend. @PaulSenior1.
Stoked On Trent
Great to see Trent AA perform so well again, looks a belter, and you’d fancy him to do a job should Clyne be missing at any point. Klopp’s made the point before that a player being Scouse shouldn’t be the first consideration, and he’s right, but it’s good for the city, the club, and the support when there is someone from the area in the side. Some might say it’s romantic and misty-eyed (and so what if it is) but it’s good to have some sort of connection on the pitch, and something for the kids who live around the ground to aspire to. We lost that with Carragher and Gerrard going so good luck to Trent. Loved seeing him and Woodburn laughing away at the end because they’d both enjoyed it. What it’s all about. @robbohuyton.
Yeah it’s far more exciting watching a kid from near by score who has grown up immersed in the traditions of the football club than a new signing who cost £35million. @C_Hannan7.
Must be mad for TAA and Ejaria though — have had a few starts now and doing really well, then Woodburn gets half an hour, smashes one in the top corner and the whole world’s obsessed with him. Goal scorers are selfish twats. @paul7cope.
Ejaria got released by Arsenal. Can’t wait until he scores a hat-trick past them in the final. @johngibbonsblog.
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Your Old Dad is of course correct. The ball had to leave the area to be in play.
If the ball crosses the goal line it has left the area. The pen area doesn’t have a wierd bit where the net is.
If the ball had gone into the goal, it’s not an own goal; it’s a corner to the opposition. There’s an entire Law of Football covering all of these weird eventualities on goal kicks. The most relevant ones are you can’t be offside from one – I recall Kuyt getting a late winner in a home Cup tie vs Man U where Carroll flicked it on, and Carroll could not be offside – and the oppo can’t enter the area until the ball leaves the area, a rule ignored in the recent home game with Leicester, where Vardy’s goal should have been disallowed as someone pressed Lucas illegally.
Anyone else notice the lack of articles in the media about Man City’s lack of clean sheets? Seems like they couldn’t resist the lazy narrative that we are strong in attack, but frail in the back, but somehow Guardiola more or less gets a pass.
Migs nearly won the PL Golden Glove in 14/15, something that would have been unthinkable at this point in the season. Wonder how long the odds are this season for Karius…