Neil Atkinson’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Chelsea 1 Liverpool 1 in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge…
HEY now, little speedyhead.
The game changes but players adapt.
Today it was remarkable the level of players passing forward or final-third, sideways 30 yarders. There were so many genuinely excellent line-breaking passes from both teams it was breathtaking. The quality was mind-boggling.
It was also anxiety inducing. How can they? Do we need to be better? Is the shape right? Across the course of this campaign every one will have to have a plan for Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling. But everyone needs a plan for Mo Salah and for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Everyone needs a plan for Luis Diaz.
I loved the opening goal. I need to warn you that these words will be as soppy as ever. If you want calm analysis you should go elsewhere. I loved the opening goal. It is end to end stuff – a counter attack without a proper attack to have countered. Liverpool are excellent in every phase and there is so little that Chelsea can do about it.
This is an important point – Chelsea are just at the mercy of Liverpool’s brilliance from the split second Alexis Mac Allister gets it if not before. What do we think about that? Because while we should praise our players we need to remember this will, from time to time, happen to them.
Chelsea are amongst the most expensively assembled outfits on the planet. They pay wages that place them top 12 on the planet. They have one of the best managers. But they were at Liverpool’s whim. On more than one occasion.
And then, from time to time, Liverpool were at theirs. Because they have exceptional players who are well coached. We play in a super league. Yesterday Aston Villa, coached by one of the world’s best managers, shipped five at St James’s Park. The reality of where we are is that we have eight games a season away from our own grounds that will be absolute battles. Eight minimum. But definitely eight.
I loved it. The game changes but players adapt, but we need to adapt too. We need to revel in the battle, enjoy the uncertainty. If we can do so well on and off the pitch it will help us in the end. It was football at the ragged edge.
First half, we are the dominant force until we have hard lines with the offside around the second and Chelsea grow in different confidences. The goal makes them 10ft tall, but it is both fortunate and rubbish.
Second half, we are the better side for 10 minutes and should be awarded a penalty. I think Taylor referees the game well. But he can’t see the handball. The issue with what the monitor has theatrically become is they can’t just show him it. But he should see it, no blame attached and then decide. It is, for all the world, a penalty. Harvey Elliott has a claim for one late on too.
But Chelsea are by far the better side from 55 to 70 and they turn the screw very well bar the last bit, the penalty area bit. Ibou Konate and Virg van Dijk both play ever so well and it will be missed because your heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Trent Alexander-Arnold was excellent on the cover. Andy Robertson from nowhere is the game’s defining player from 70 to 85 and Liverpool look likelier. They look better again.
I can’t be bothered hating opposition footballers any more. The game changes but players adapt. Conor Gallagher grew into an incredibly difficult game for him. Thiago Silva is a man worth following into the very mouth of hell. Ben Chilwell was ever so good.
But Dominik Szoboszlai will do for me. He was indefatigable. Mac Allister tired but then was playing two positions. When Darwin Nunez’s hairband went akimbo, I was convinced the winner would be his.
I am glad Mauricio Pochettino is back, glad he has his footballers primed for a big year. Maybe I am old, but hey now little speedyhead. The job getting harder suits us, suits you and me too. I want sides capable of doing one another. I want to build a season.
It’s a good point. It always would be a good point. It was an emotional maelstrom, it was highs and lows, it was just the first step. All of this is coming your way.
We can win this league, you know. We have Luis Diaz looking like a glorious backpost demon. We have Mo Salah. We have Curt Jones and we have the best goalkeeper the game has ever seen. We have the best one.
I hope we end with a season to love, to hold one another. I have missed you and missed feeling like this and missed that bit of my brain that unloads and expands when they play on the grass and it matters. Me, my thoughts are flower strewn, with ocean storm, bayberry moon.
Strength and courage overrides. The privileged and weary eyes. All of this is coming our way. I promise. The game changes but players adapt. I’ve missed you and I’ve missed this, and it is soppy nonsense but it is ours.
I want to gaze on it all like a newborn. I want my breath taken. This year, give me the thrillers and give me the thrills. We have the best goalkeeper and the best forwards. The rest we need to sort, yes.
It’s a solid point. The game changes but players adapt. We have some of the best ones. We are in for the best time. But we won’t win every week.
You know that, right?
Into these.
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Don’t think that performance today deserved such an upbeat, positive review such as this.
Chelsea looked like they had played together much longer than we have. You’d have thought their manager was there 8 years and our manager here 8 weeks.
I’m worried about Klopp to be honest – every time he has time with the players they get worse. Same last season when he took them to Dubai and they came back more confused and more unbalanced than ever.
The system is a shambles and we could buy peak Viera and Makelele and it wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference, so splashing £111,000,000 on a 21 year old Ecuadorian won’t either. All the problems of last year are still there. Off the ball we are bottom six levels. If nothing changes we’re conceding 50-55. Legless and clueless. Mentally fragile. As soon as we give up one chance, that’s it, our heads go. We start to retreat in the press. It isn’t just that we concede so many big chances, but there are so many chances to create chances against us.
I’m worried mates. Very worried. We’re in a race for 4th, not a race for the title. Make no mistake about that.
LFC will not win the league with such a small squad and without further investment
the reporter needs to elaborate on the goal chelsea scored – almost seems to ignore the bad things that we do for fear of highlighting the need for investment
For those of us that didn’t take an E before kickoff, the reds were the better team for half an hour then progressively worse until Harvey and Ben come on. If mo’s goal had counted that would have been game over. Then Trent lost his man for two goals in quick succession, luckily second was disallowed. Looks like cutting the dreads off hasn’t improved his awareness in the box so forget a DM we should buy a world class right back so trent can play midfield where he belongs. As well as cover for virg. The two new boys looked good. Diogo had a bit of an off day, Cody in midfield didn’t really work. No was brilliant first half. Let’s hope Henry has his chequebook with him. If we don’t buy big there’s no chance of winning the league and top four will be tough
Er, Jacko – why the f*** not both? We not o nly need a DM, but another mid, a centre back AND a full time RB. If you believe what you wrote, you’re drinking the FSG Kool Aid, mate.
Cue “Like a new signing”-fest incoming soon.
Yeah we need three Scott but knowing the owners like I do that ain’t happening in this window
Atko has been drinking the FSG Kool Aid….
Why are there so many fan sites that just try and pedal the FSG narrative?
Are they really LFC supporters?
The comments here – bloody hell, it’s going to be a long season…
Read Ken Early in the Irish Times and hard to disagree. If we can’t land a match-ready, top class defensive midfielder, then maybe we should look for a right back and put Trent in midfield for keeps. Spend the change on a good centre half. It’s definitely a bit of a mess but we will always rise again (unless you drink the FSG kool aid, swallow some chem trails, get sucked into a 5G vortex etc etc)
Like a rose sprouting from a crack in a trash strewn back alley, so goes Atko with the romanticism of the first day amongst the doom and gloomers. Thanks for the prose.
Looks as if Lavia is going to the Chavs . What’s plan C for signing a midfielder & defender ?
Pollyanna
noun
Pol·ly·an·na ˌpä-lē-ˈa-nə
Synonyms of Pollyanna
: a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything
I’ve tried hard not to call FSG out since they arrived (Klopp, the trophies, the ground alterations etc), but its getting beyond a joke now. This is a badly run club. Why have we got a constantly revolving door for so called directors of football? Why was the latest fella only given a 12 month contract with the option to leave at the end of August if he so wishes?? Well go now mate, because its not like you’re doing anything worthwhile. Henderson & fabinho have a lot to answer for as well, leaving Klopp in an impossible situation so close to the start of the pre season training camp. And dont tell me they didnt know they were leaving. Nobody makes life changing decisions that quick. We’re a laughing stock. Nothing would surprise me this season. And i really mean nothing.
Winning the Europa is doable .
Find the River. Really surprised me but it’s spot on in terms of how I feel as a lifelong Liverpool supporter and season ticket holder at 67. Nothing may be going our way but enjoy the ride Reds because a lot of this is outside our control. That’s not to say criticism isn’t valid but we have a choice in todays environment. Sell your soul and try to buy trophies either for politically driven owners or a PEF who want to monetarist the PL or remain a sustainable if frustrating business exposed to the childish teenage whims and fantasies of kids and their manipulative agents. I genuinely don’t know the solution or to some extent what I want, but being a monetarised or political puppet holding a trophy bought by some entity who has fuck all real interest in the club or fans feels a bit empty to me. Which is probably why you could easily buy a ticket at the Etihadd but not Anfield.
Man City and Chelsea have skewed football. What they are doing is unsustainable unless you have Arab billionaire owners who don’t care for making a profit. I would love Arab billionaires as owners but FSG are the next best thing. People have short memories. FSG aren’t all that bad. I’m 39 and under their reign, in my lifetime at least, we’ve never had so much success.