Footballers can be susceptible to losing their heads in the face of adversity during matches. Liverpool display character to keep theirs …
I’m fascinated by football’s hard minutes.
Broadly speaking these are the times in a game where everything’s gone wrong and your head’s gone. I experienced several of them on Friday night when my team went 4-0 down in the first 15 minutes. I just wanted to get off the pitch or, at the very least, just sit down for a minute with the lads and try to find a way to plug the leaks. The referee had other ideas about that. We lost 8-1.
But you see these things happen at every level. A ‘now what do we do?’ minute of blank looks or furrowed brows aimed at the bench.
Neil’s book reminded me of the Dortmund game in 2016 when the German side led 2-0 after nine minutes. 3-1 on aggregate and with two away goals to our one. Slowly though, the Reds—and Anfield—got back into it and the opposition panicked. So much so that the Dortmund players got together in front of the Kop for an actual meeting to sort it out.
I’ve never seen anything like that. A meeting on the pitch to sort out a hard minute. I don’t know if that was a ballsy act or a panicked one. Either way it didn’t work. Minutes later they met their fate via Dejan Lovren’s finest seconds in a red shirt.
Things can go wrong. That’s the nature of the game.
It’s going wrong continually for Man United at the moment with yesterday a particular low point. Three minutes in and you’re already a goal down. They’d already been webbed by the Reds there and another heavy home defeat was unconscionable. A hard minute followed by a further 87 they couldn’t navigate. They could not control their fear.
Liverpool can be equally susceptible to this. On Saturday, while fully in control against a poor Wolves side (to Gary Neville’s deep chagrin), Ibou and Alisson ballsed up a routine ushering of the ball to either keeper or stand and let them in. 1-1 and all control gone.
Of course we sorted it out but there’s nothing worse than letting in a side who have begged to be put away. That’s the moment when you begin to question fate and wonder if it doesn’t fancy beating some humility into you. Fate up against your will. A time when shouting at nothing seems to help but doesn’t.
Those are the times which can make or break a side. The ability to come back from them is the true definition of a quality side. It’s also the hardest thing to teach.
We couldn’t do that against Forest. We just decided to be stupid instead, but you’re going to get that with sides who don’t know each other well. Arsenal did it on Saturday and got over the line. That should please their manager more than the points.
And, of course, Jürgen’s sides were masters at it. How many last minute winners? Everton (twice), Norwich, Wolves, Villa … ‘Mentality monsters’
There’s so much to be said for putting your foot on the ball, resetting and going again, but life doesn’t always give you the chance to do that. I’m fascinated by those times. Where head and heart go in opposite directions.
The best armour against such times is not to have them. It was so much easier on the nerves that when we finally won the league, we did it at a canter, but those times are rare.
We put Wolves right. Ibou had a lovely moment of redemption with his block and his chest bump with Ali was like a goal in my heart.
Sometimes character wins more games than ability. Handy, particularly if the game’s awful.
This is a good start but it’s still a young, often naïve side. Maybe even a little flawed, I don’t know. The character we showed though was so, so encouraging.
Top of the league though. Early days, but top of the league.
Waking up to that is always nice.
Control your fear.
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