Liverpool continue to knock every negative narrative down with each passing win, going 11 clear of Manchester City atop the Premier League…
ELEVEN high.
Yes, 34 minus 23 is 11 and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
As we enter the last month of the year, The Reds sit 11 points ahead of their main rivals and two ahead of Inter Milan in the other league.
That’s 34 points from 39, 15 points from 15.
Libpool,
Top of the leagues,
Libpool, Libpool,
Top of the leagues.
And, I know. 11 clear of City but only – only! – nine ahead of Arsenal. There’s no offence implied or intended there. Arsenal are an excellent side, but they don’t keep me awake at night. Arsenal don’t have me cheering draws.
Such a glorious day, though I was disappointed with the press reaction to the Pep Guardiola song and his reply. All very silly. Let’s just boil it down to facts. We took the piss out of him and he did the same to us. All will sleep soundly. There’s no ‘disrespect’ on either side. We just stare across a motorway at each other, that’s all.
If anything, the exchange was a compliment. I don’t recall such songs about Russell Martin and Thomas Frank. I don’t recall him waving six fingers at Eddie Howe for that matter. This is just top table stuff with people making out it’s worse than it is.
There was a lot of talk about this being the end of days for that team. I wish someone had told my bowels beforehand. True, this game did seem a little easier than our usual bunfights, but I was still glancing at the scoreboard every couple of minutes from the 12th minute onwards. There’s no assurity of a routine win against them.
They brought on De Bruyne and Grealish at the end. Hardly shite, are they? Getting too old? Never really settled in? That’s the benefit of hindsight talking and, again, my bowels would like a word.
They’re still the challengers for me. Anyone who can win 15 on the spin are challengers and none of this means they’re finished. They’ll still batter the mentally weak.
They could have easily equalised today. Then where would we be?
They’re the main contenders, but not the main lads.
It’s nuts to say that this side still isn’t the finished article when the manager’s posted 18 wins from 20, but here we are again. Two weeks ago I had the infernal gall to suggest that a run of Southampton away, Real Madrid and Manchester City would be problematic. Now people are talking about Newcastle and Everton without Ibou Konate and Conor Bradley.
We’ve beaten all three in seven days with only one goal and a dodgy penalty getting in the way, but we’ve already moved on. You get very little time to reflect in this league. Madrid and City done – dispatched even – but here comes Newcastle. The hustle never ends.
Eleven high.
Joe Gomez. First start in ages, rumours that he’d be released before the opening week of the season ends and he’s suddenly staring down the barrel of Robocop and his irritating little mate behind him. He gets a clean sheet.
Darwin Nunez. Probably gutted he didn’t get a start today but comes on, legs everyone senseless, makes a great tackle in his own box and sets up Luis Diaz to win the penalty.
Dom Szoboszlai. Not my favourite, but imagine how sick you’d be at him just running at you and past you relentlessly. Imagine living with that.
But it’s more than that. They’re just players, albeit ludicrously gifted ones. It’s the calmness that binds them. It’s the manager.
There was a part of the second half that got under my skin. A tired Trent Alexander-Arnold being spun by Doku and it looked like he was going to get lucky at some point. No bother. Arne sticks a kid on who’s played 45 minutes of Premier League footy this season and City have to think again.
The midfield gets overrun so he takes off Mo Salah and brings on Curtis Jones to calm things down. No panic, no drama, no late goal for City. This may not be a perfect side, but it’s one that’s learned to adapt.
You win and you move on. That’s what we do now. Bowels (and voice) will recover. They’re going to have to.
Libpool, Libpool,
Top of the leagues.
Eleven high.
Ride away.
