Alisson: 8
His hands. Imagine a massage off him? Reckon he could climb The Shard with just his goalie gloves on, like that human fly fella. Brilliant second half in a way that you sort of come to expect. Like it’s easy. It’s not easy. Ask all our other goalies. Great save vs Grealish last minute.
Trent: 7
Was really good today. Played some of his belter crossfield balls like it is easy. Great ball into Naby for the goal.
Joe Gomez: 8
Was excellent. Front foot to everything.
Virgil: 7
Gave the ball away a few times first half with a few sloppy passes, but in fairness he was probably distracted looking at Div’s hair. Glorious. Got back into the groove second half once Div went off. A bit like the team.
Robbo: 6
Grew into it second half when the balance to the team was better. Linked well with Div midway through the second half.
Oxlade-Chambo: 5
Couldn’t really get into it first half, despite grafting all the way through. Little bit sloppy in possession. Felt like the pitch was really slow and it was fucking everyone up, in fairness.
I don’t think you can get too far away from fact that when he plays we aren’t as good. But then, that said, The Reds aren’t as good when any of the first-choice 11 aren’t playing. Whenever we change the midfield up we seem to lack cohesion, tempo and a hell of lot more, though. One of them good problems aye, but a problem nonetheless.
Nearly blew his knee up again trying to play a worldie through ball instead of rolling it 10 yards to Naby. Does really well to get back when they countered four on two second half.
Fabinho: 7
Was good. Playing in midfield with a ghost and a bit of a half of one. Kept the ball well, moved it well.
Keita: 7
Was he the best of the midfielders first half? Probably not, maybe second. Seconds sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
‘How did you get on in the marathon, lad? Second. Absolutely boss that, unlucky. How far were you behind the winner? Just a couple of hours. Oh right, how many did the race in total? Three. Oh.’
Would like a little bit more from him, but then I think Div has offered less than nothing in front of him and being lashed in with Chamberlain instead of Henderson is a blow.
Gave a few shite balls away at the start of the second half, one of which was into Sadio and opened us up to a decent counter.
Funny, isn’t it? Because just as you are thinking we should probably take him off, up he pops in the box, has a belter touch, and then has the composure and intelligence to get his head up and pick a belter into Sadio. Game changer.
Mo Salah: 7
Had our only shot first half. His work rate is unreal all told.
Sadio Mane: 7
Looked like it was going to be one of them days but then Naby picks him out and he bangs as per.
Div: 5
Let’s start with the positives. His hair is wonderful. Top level. There’s not many hair doo’s that makes me miss having hair, but I’m saying this has burst into the number one spot. Just pipped The Million Dollar Man and Barry Gibb. Reckon I could actually grow it a bit, maybe a one all over, and dye it. ‘Has that baldy fella dyed his hair, there?’ You know, but you don’t know. Unnerving.
The problem with Div is that he is nowhere near as good as any of the front three. He looks half decent on the left when he stands his man up and runs and that’s about it. That aside he just doesn’t really offer much. Seems harsh slagging him, but the problem with being a sub for a brilliant side is that you have got to take your chance when it comes. And time and again, he is the first change. Same goes for Ox-Chambo unfortunately.
SUBS
Gini: 7
We just look so much better with him in the side. Does nothing you can notice but by Christ he doesn’t half provide some balance.
Hendo: 7
See above and times it by about 10. There is a huge tempo issues when he isn’t there.
Firmino: 7
He just nits everything together, doesn’t he? The difference between him and Div in that central role is vast.
Curtis Jones: 7
Haha. Mad that, init? Imagine being him. New contract yesterday, goal today. What’s going on tomorrow?
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Views are invariably subjective but I thought Gomez’s general has been poor of late. His heading is hit and miss, his passing is the same. He ball watches too much and is prone careless mistakes. He is quick and is great at blocking shots but I don’t think he’s the answer.
I know a lad who’s like that with Hendo. Just doesn’t rate him. Even refuses to play him on FIFA. Mad that like.
Second half got better but still very disjointed but the title was won in December really………..does it matter that much now?.
Joe isn’t the answer?
What’s the question?
Yes, it matters. Winning the title is one thing, the manner in which you win it is another. This team got here through intense focus, losing that focus now will not serve us well in the long term. Blowing by Man City’s 100 point record is the exclamation point needed on this season and is what will ensure this team is remembered for the next 30 years.
As for Joe Gomez, I’m still unsure about his long term potential, but to be fair I struggled in 2018 to see why Klopp put so much faith in Trent Alexander Arnold. Klopp was right, and I was wrong. Hopefully the same turns out to be true of Joe Gomez.
Ha ha I think you mean knits – nits are those little bugs you get in your hair when you’re at school. Remember the nit nurse?!
The City game was a slap in the face of an LFC side void of any creativity, imagination and the bollocks to take on a fragile City defence.
Yes we left the Etihad battered, bruised and feeling very sorry for ourselves, but there was absolutely no positives to draw on or issues to report. Simply put, we put in a shift that deserved a slap around the head.
All that could be said was “suck it up buttercup” to the whole team that were probably mentally picking their seat on the parade bus, whilst Phil Foden had all the space in Manchester to loft it over Allison.
Yes Klopp was defensive and said the attitude was right, but you can bet your house,partner and kids on the fact that he tore them fresh ass holes and reminded them that not one of them were sacred.
Fast forward to Villa and we are being made to work like lab rats to get something out of a game, whilst reporters are licking their pencils to write the inevitable “Liverpool Can’t handle being champions” or “The points gap is fake” headlines.
All be it laborious and immensely frustrating for fans whilst nursing the super saturday hangover, LFC found a way through, they had answers, fought the difficulty of a largely organised team and spared us all the blushes with two well taken goals.
OK, Villa have been poor, very poor but over two games, they have made life difficult and given nothing to suggest they will be a push over by any stretch. If they had some half decent forwards, we were in big trouble. But once again we swerved the car crash.
But that’s what the speciality is of this very fine oiled machine, grind out results and win. We’ve had a few exceptions to that this season and each one of those occasions you can pin point errors in judgement that are workable. Nothing and nobody is perfect, but the formula has worked and continues to do so, thanks to the right attitude Klopp speaks of. It isn’t pretty and most do not even realising whats happening, until the stats show a team heavily in possession, winning second balls and covering every blade of grass, twice over.
Theres a few on the fringes that add nothing of value, a few cogs in the machine that are not likely turn in the right direction and thats why Divo, Big Shaq and Lovren may soon be driven to the fields of Cheshire for a day out and soon realise Klopp has driven away.
There has to be a genuine challenge in every area and a need for players to understand that they are not promised a starting place, we need a striker, an attacking midfielder a centre back and my God how desperately we need a GK that gives Alisson a reason to break sweat. But, the club once again moves in mysterious ways and very much from the boot room. Business is complete and then announced, just like it used to be and rightly should be.
Its been surreal and it STILL hasn’t sunk in that we are champions. Its been a lifetime for most and its become all too familiar for the rest to see LFC be the nearly men.
We have no idea how to behave and react in this moment. Typical of Liverpool, be wait for them to be champions.. They only go and become World, European and English in the space of 12 months.
This is just the beginning of a period of supposed dominance, but we can’t allow ourselves to be naive and think its a given. We FINNALY understand and deliver consistency, thats why a silly performance or loss hurts that much.. remember when it used to be the other way around?? We are now an incomplete and unfinished article, under Klopp that can only keep on improving, thats the huge danger/frustration for our opponents. We are now a profitable team financially and on the pitch where elite players are desperate to play… So much so, that we can tell the likes of Werner to take it or leave it. Their will be additions, but only those that really add value.. a propper cog!
Back to the slap in the face.. Man City just lost 1-0 to Southampton, 3 away games in a row, their ninth loss of the season.. Yet somehow the gap is fake and City are a real threat… ? Interesting.
The reds will march on and every step will be even more treacherous than the next to achieve glory, but to be champions and challenge for years to come, that needs to be embraced. It turns out that the perfection we were desperate for, is the imperfection we never really understood. Its OK to lose, but its an absolute necessity to win.