Liverpool rounded off a tricky week by scraping past Wolves at Anfield, but what can a supporter take away from such a strange seven days?
NOW is the time for all good people to come to the aid of the party.
I hated going out of the FA Cup. I know it’s not important and half the first team weren’t even in the same county when we traipsed off the pitch, but I hated it all the same.
I hated the derby too. And I love the derby. Coming from a mixed family growing up it was something you always looked forward to. But I hated what happened at Goodison on Wednesday and it’s a shame because I genuinely love Goodison Park and will miss it.
I hated the second half yesterday. And I love playing Wolves. So many points.
I hated them all because Liverpool lacked rhythm. Liverpool second guessed itself three times.
I hate losing, particularly if we’re in a good run. It’s like an unexpected jolt just as you’re nodding off. Everything feels out of kilter. It also shows the world that the opposition can occasionally leave the pitch in a good mood. I’m dead against that.
The Wednesday draw felt like a 2-2 defeat. We were no good, laughingly got in front and then binned it anyway. We somehow didn’t believe in ourselves. It was Newcastle again. Oh, last-minute goals happen, but all the same…
So yesterday wasn’t that much of a surprise. There are still a ton of questions. That’s fine when we’re great, but now it’s become a thing. We now have to contend with a lack of rhythm.
The broad issues seem to be contracts (Jesus lads, when you’re ready!), Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate’s form, the number nine role, who’s playing on the left side of the front three and an almost inevitable small degree of panic when we don’t score early.
Actually, scratch that. We scored early yesterday and then scored again and you thought we’d shaken off this weird week at last, but there we were. Dancing self-consciously, soberly and worried about drunken onlookers.
But despite that, we still won. We still have seven points more than Arsenal and that could be 10 come Wednesday night. Only 16 teams can win the league now. Liverpool can’t be relegated, and we’ve only just seen the back of Valentine’s Day. Arsenal have no strikers and the two below them are fighting other battles now.
Mo Salah plays for us. Waturu Endo does too, and he can come on and be the new James Milner with his reluctance to stand any nonsense. Come full time yesterday I was suggesting we take down the Liver Birds and replace them with two models of the great man – one looking out to sea, the other looking over the city to see if anyone’s got his ball.
Liverpool have issues, but what a place to get them. What a hill to stand on.
And now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of the party.
Liverpool have issues, but they’re also capable of pulling out a string of performances which could match the Tottenham League Cup game. I’d like everyone to remember that, them included. Self-doubt can kill you in this league.
With 13 to go, that’s 39 points. Three come up in a matter of hours.
Villa won’t be easy if we play within ourselves again or let bad things get into our heads, but it shouldn’t be about them. Wolves didn’t matter for a while, and we were great. Then we got into our own heads. Then the forwards stopped, Virgil van Dijk became increasingly angry with the team and himself, and Cunha and Ait Nouri had a field day.
Speaking of Cunha, I don’t think it will be him, but I agree with Damian Kavanagh on the Post-Match Show. I think next season’s number nine currently plays for another club. Sorry lads, but…
But that’s next season. Liverpool has a title to win and to sort its head out. We do too. Switch off the noise and remember what we can do. The run-in starts now.
And now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of the party.
