WATCHING this Liverpool side step it up should take your breath away and we should have been left breathless at the start of the second half.
Should. I’m worried a little bit. Worried we are taking for granted how good this side is, treating emphatic wins and performances as routine. We aren’t enjoying this as much as we should.
That isn’t unreasonable — in one sense we are making it the routine, the norm. But that shouldn’t be greeted as such or taken lightly. To put it in context in 2011-12 we only scored four against top-flight opposition once. That was against a Chelsea side that was still drunk from beating us in the FA Cup final.
We have gone entire seasons without seeing this type of performance or seeing it rarely. Even think back one season — this time last campaign Liverpool were grinding results, especially at Anfield. Indeed, the last game of last February saw The Reds be swatted aside by Leicester City.
Results are results. Results count for everything especially as February becomes March. But the quality and the style should count for something. And Liverpool’s quality in the second half was tremendous. A game went from a little bit stodgy to a red touch paper lit.
It started by being first to everything in the middle of the park and West Ham United were suddenly pushed back and panicked. Their back five with four in front suddenly looked about six players short of what was required. Everywhere were Liverpool, everything was red. It must have verged on disorientating for West Ham, they were dizzy, their heads were spinning. Like a whirlpool, it never ends. And it was those Reds making them spin.
Liverpool won it back, turned them around and squeezed them. Pace and accuracy through the middle of the pitch, the ball arrowing forward to the front three. The second half came alive as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain did. He reflected the increase in Liverpool’s quality and did his best work vertically. Through the whole 90 though, the outstanding Liverpudlian performer was James Milner.
He spent the first half getting walloped and kept coming back but he is in the best possible shape in these games, a combination of brain and brawn. He thought his way through the contest and put himself on the line. He won about 10 tackles through the game, battering into West Ham at every opportunity.
Emre Can looked to play the ball quicker and was enjoying himself, if a bit too much, but we shouldn’t be churlish, scoring the opener and setting up the third always helps. That it was a better contest than expected helped too. The game never felt dead and shorn of tempo. That West Ham had Marko Arnautovic helped Liverpool, in that he played well enough to offer West Ham some (false) hope. First half especially he gave Joel Matip a torrid time and was brilliantly denied by Loris Karius.
But again, the front three all scored and all did so with aplomb. Almost more impressively though, all three missed excellent chances. The game can summed up by that fact — Liverpool scored four. They hit the post. They missed a number of other serviceable chances against a David Moyes side playing 5-4-1.
Will sides be able to frustrate Liverpool this season? Undoubtedly. But should we talk of ourselves as easy to frustrate and contain? At some point we need to acknowledge this problem is no more Liverpool’s than any other side bar the runaway leaders.
This is a very good Liverpool team. It’s alright to say that and it should be screamed from the rooftops. Across the board, this is a side which is worthy of significant respect, but more than that worthy of applause and love. It has made the sublime routine. There is little greater praise and, as a team, that praise, that reality shouldn’t lead to it proving faintly, oddly damned.
SUBSCRIBE to TAW Player to listen to our post-match show…
Recent Posts:
[rpfc_recent_posts_from_category meta=”true”]
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Great result and another “comfortable one” to out away. Don’t miss the little Brazilian much…
Hey, I’ll always miss Lucas! Oh, you mean the ‘Other’ one. :)
Was just thinking the same. Immense credit to Klopp – it’s amazing how little we’ve missed him thus far, given his quality. Even starting to think his leaving might benefit us, allowing space for a player like Keita who fits Klopp’s template more precisely.
All credit to Klopp that we can even start thinking that way. We’re blessed to have him as our manager; enjoy every moment!
I saw a film once with Eric Sykes in called “Rhubarb” were the only word said was “Rhubarb”. My footy banter is the same these days, but instead of “Rhubarb” I say “Robertson”……. Andy Robertson. Did I mention Andy Robertson? Andy Robertson mate. Andy Robertson. Fucking boss that Andy Robertson. Andy Robertson…
Well said, and timely. The atmosphere seemed mundane. A 4-1, that could/should of been 7-0. We are second in the league and I would argue right up there with anyone across Europe. Let us celebrate and dance and sing. This team is great!
Spot on mate
Watching this Liverpool side put in a shift full of desire, guile and exuberance makes any Liverpool fan’s heart skip a beat!
28 League games played and lost only 3 of them. Magnificent.
This lot can do the unthinkable, you know. Klopp and co. can win that shiny one with the big ears this season.
They simply can!
Wonderful game to watch. Really impressed with how the whole team has been working together to get some of those woeful issues that plagued us this time last season.
Credit to Klopp, his staff and everyone at LFC for helping the team with this.
I wish we continue to keep this momentum. The next few games are really going to test this team and Klopp, especially that week with Porto and United coming at us.
Really proud of how all the players stepped up so far.
Come on your Reds!!!
Nice one reds showed the bottle we will need .well done jurgen to flush that dodgy period out for saido he is vital for us .
Glad you picked out Milner there. He was indeed the best. He gave the ball away poorly at one point in the 2nd half & then won it straight back. Iron Man!!!!
Don’t think we actually moved into 4th gear today. We knew we were better than them and always had this one in the bag. That is just the kind of mindset we need without getting in the least bit complacent for the remainder of the season.
Only slight negative for me was the Suarez song. Booing Evra I can just about understand but referencing one of our more sorry moments from the recent past just didn’t feel right to me. And it gives the mancs and Evertonians the chance to claim some sort of faux high moral ground.
Yeah, didn’t sit well with me either, despite being firmly of the opinion that it was all a Fergie stitch up. Evra isn’t worth it.
“We aren’t enjoying this as much as we should.”
So true. I find myself moaning about the goal we conceded. And thinking straight away about the outcome of the games tomorrow. Stupid me.
We have a truely magnificent team. This is the 20th time that the Reds have scored 3 or more goals this season (in 40 games!). 11 of those 20 have been by more than 3 goals. Insane.
Enjoy these Reds. Enjoy these moments.
There are loads of reasons to be cheerful about this current team. However, its not difficult to understand the possible jaded outlook. Playing awesome footbal but 15 points from where everyone wants to be. Having great players yet wondering if they will all be here next year to continue the trajectory. Wondering how many pairs of socks to wear to the game.
Let’s be honest it may be easier to watch some blue team who are shit and know there is no hope of greatness. Verging on sublime is wonderful but can be so cruel.
The statistics this team are putting out are remarkable. What a group of footballers Klopp has put together. West Ham, at least in terms of playing squad, are no mugs. They beat Chelsea in addition to holding Utd and Spurs.
They came to us in their 5-4-0 formation and got hit for four goals. It could have been more.
Our season has been defined by Mane’s red card against City. We lost the player, we lost the game heavily and we lost credibility and we lost confidence which saw us lose meekly to Spurs, minus Mane, only a few weeks later. Add to that the loss of Mane’s confidence for a good few weeks/months and you can really see what a costly moment that was for us.
It’s my belief that we take something from City that day if Mane stays on. We were a goal down but we had them rattled. Mane and Salah had them rocking all over the place. Mo in particular was giving Otamendi a warning of what was to come in January.
The truth is we’re not far off them at all. They’re a majestic, graceful side but I wouldn’t swap our style for anyone’s. They outclass and grind teams down with patience and poise. We overpower teams. Outrun them. Outwork them. Outwill them. We’ll force you to give us the ball closer to your goal than you can live with. One loose touch from an opponent anywhere near their goal and it’s over.
The review is right when it says we shouldn’t take this all for granted. Klopp has created the platform on which to build a heavy metal football team. He may hate the term but it best describes his football teams. Yesterday was brutal. Liverpool are brutal. I think we’ve now scored 4 or more goals on 26 different occasions under Klopp. The greed for goals is unprecedented.
How many sides in our league could sell Philippe Coutinho and actually improve their form?