IF ever a game acted as a reminder of why we watch and obsess over a team that provides us with arguably as many lows as it does highs, then the incredulous 5-4 victory over Norwich City was that.
There was no rhyme or reason to this game of football. It was so mad it has prompted people to write about undies.
There was frustration born out of our own ridiculousness, short-lived despair at potential points dropped followed quickly by an outpouring of emotion and boundless hysteria at the death.
My Saturday looked spoiled until Adam Lallana had us celebrating on the benches of the Hope and Anchor, choosing TLC No Scrubs on a jukebox and being a lot drunker later on than I led my girlfriend to believe I would be. But all blame lies with Lallana on that one. Nice one, lad.
It was the most emphatic of endings that served not just to cloud the familiar deficiencies shown throughout the game but more importantly to allow us all to enjoy the kind of elation and relief that is felt only after a last-minute winner.
Our mistakes were countless, the manner of them mindless. Ruthless in attack but toothless in defence, it was a game full of individual errors and bereft of any sense at all.
And amidst the twists and turns at Carrow Road there was nothing new to learn, nothing we have not witnessed before.
Again, we welcomed this new-found fluidity in attack with Roberto Firmino up top like at Manchester City and against Arsenal as the Brazilian looks like he’s beginning to believe — or realise — he’s better than those he’s contesting.
In six games as a false nine for Liverpool, he’s managed five goals and four assists. And yet he was let down by those behind him — again.
We saw an all too familiar struggle with set pieces and a goalkeeper who has seemingly decided that he’s dead set on dispelling any notion that he’s a solid shot-stopper.
Simon Mignolet has now conceded seven times from the last eight shots on target against him. Criticism of the Belgian has been constant this campaign, so I have absolutely nothing new to add on that.
But a game like this provides us all with a choice. You can choose to worry about what’s right or wrong with the Reds and fret over flaws because there are plenty of those. Or you can embrace the madness once more and enjoy it because it was a senselessness like this that last gripped hold of us all in 2013-14.
“We are in the middle of the chaos and react. Sometimes we know what we are we doing, sometimes we don’t.” They were Jürgen Klopp’s words at the end.
Since arriving in Liverpool, his team has scored more goals in the last 15 minutes of games than any other side in the league. That means something.
Despite all their shortcomings and imperfections, the Reds boast a new-found resilience under Klopp. A will to win has emerged at a time when everything is a bonus for the German and late goals and games like this will only galvanise the spirit within our squad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkCyGvtNCzo
The players are illustrating the kind of character that’s previously been lacking. Even if results don’t go our way or certain personnel eventually make way for fresh faces, something suggests there is a lot in the way of chaos to come this season and beyond.
The commotion that ensued and the subsequent noise cannot be ignored by forthcoming opposition. We’re no longer beaten when we go behind and instilling that belief is surely Klopp’s greatest feat thus far.
If games like Liverpool’s at Norwich provide me with more Saturdays like the last then I’m absolutely all in. Matches like that do not come often enough.
The detractors will tell you it was only Norwich. It was lucky. That it means nothing in the grand scheme. But that was more than three points — you can see that in the celebrations. It means more, it feels like more no matter the opposition — because we had fun.
Maybe you simply enjoy this game for it was and enjoy your Saturday for what it ended up being.
We’re one game from Wembley and still fighting on four fronts. But it’s the uncertainty of what’s next for Jürgen’s Reds that’s the most exciting thing.
Not sure about us being “ruthless in attack”…where did we suddenly learn that skill? I think they were even worse in defence than we were, though I know that’s difficult to conceive.
1st goal.. their left back plays Firmino onside. Second goal.. who was picking up Henno?.. miles of space. 3rd goal, Firmino ditto..had time to take a touch in the middle of the penalty area… 4th goal… no comment required about that back pass.. 5th goal… defending header back across the area to Lallana.
Now, I’m not complaining, but seriously, that was a crap defensive performance from Norwich.
I’m delighted with the result, but who else in this league will be so generous?
Maybe I am just a miserable bastard but I’m not sure about a lot of this team. Conceding 4 against Norwich is truly woeful. Nice of all the midfield lads to suddenly find their finishing boots a week after they couldn’t hit a pig’s arse with a banjo in a game I had reason to give a shit about though.
It’s almost been gravy this weekend has. Snow is fascinating stuff, live in DC, aye all that power pulsing around me (well that and we went ahead and legalized it, maybe that’s not power) but it’s day three. I’m frozen in more joy. That monolithic brutish and sometimes awesome power that this snowbound city represents to… Places that somewhere close to the Donetsk region. But enough politics. My city is judged by the behavior of the clowns who are entrusted with that power. You can understand my aversion to politics. So Fri night and the snow pours down, keeps me awake, the street lamps make my room glow an orange too much, but my Mates pull through again. Well, the scousers are Mates and The Club is a brother if only in heartbreak and agony (University of Michigan football is the Liverpool of major American sports and the sole American team I follow) and they gave me a really bloody early kick. Amstel Radler is 2% and my own mother claims I’m never prepared. The game oh the game I felt as high as the first 20 minutes of Arsenal. I felt as low as the day Hodgson arrived. I was simply and irresistibly bewildered by physics and time and space and how the bloody hell did that Beach Ball get there?! And then I was elated in a way The Club has never given me before. I’m celebrating a decade now of my idiotic devotion to this far off Corporation and the legions of fellow supporters United by a low opinion of me but I will remember Lallana’s goal and celebration like I Coutinho at Anfield in front of that frothing Red Roar, Rodgers Reds elation unexpected, no time to plan a reaction. And the celebration. I’ve wondered for years what Javier was screaming at Gerrard after Steven had crushed Old Man Toure, er Ryan Babel but that moment and Javier was up for it and Torres was lifting Gerrard. And now Benteke broke the manager’s glasses. Christ, imagine the scene if that had been Benitez.
So this city is still frozen and the Red’s give me the drama to replace The Fall. Just offer them £35m ffs.
Excellent mate. I stop reading most of the comments after the first line now. Moreno’s not that bad, Mignolet’s not to blame for any of this, this is no different to Rodgers, I’ll slightly change the name of a person I’m having a go at which will make it fuckin hilarious. It’s all nonsense. I’m not saying for one minute that my views are correct and anyone who disagrees isn’t but the video of all the goals is embedded in this article. I’m at the point where if someone can watch that Naismith goal 5 times and tell me what Mignolet did was anything other than diabolical then I’ve no interest in them. The first goal came from him punching like a friggin eunuch for the second time in a week. The ball should have been over the half way line not in the stand behind him.
Anyway, I digress. I read your comment twice. I found it interesting and good. Poetic almost but best of all, different.
In relation to the article more than your comment (though on a similar vein which is where I got the idea) I’m gonna tell you about my weekend. I was up at the crack of dawn and out on Saturday, home for 7am, round of golf and back in time for the match. Here’s the point of detailing my weekend though. I then spent 2 hours watching vines of the celebration from 4 different angles. I watched vines people in the away end at Norwich had posted and I watched vines of Klopp’s reactions. I spent nearly an hour trying to lip read something he said.
Tired anyway, but completely drained, I fell asleep for a couple of hours. I woke up and was pleased to see that despite the other games finishing my timeline was still full of vines of our match. So i spent another couple of hours watching them again and reading about the win. I watched Match of the Day and that got me in the mood to watch some vines of the celebration a few more times then I went to bed. Next morning I had that 1 second lapse when I come to and think how did Liverpool get on yesterday. Then I remembered. My lads match was at 1pm so I sat round till then reliving the goals and celebrations again. Apart from watching a brilliant 4-3 win for my lad in a first v second battle and a very respectable (and our highest so far) second in the Sunday night pub quiz, that’s all I did. Sat around watching vines and smoking weed. It was fuckin great.
On that, the thing I’m quite fascinated by is Buvac. I don’t know what it is. I think I worry whether he’s settling in ok and ask myself ‘does he feel it yet’. No idea why I even care but I seem to. I always look for his reaction. I know what Klopp will do but Buvac seems quite level headed. Anyway, he was loving it when we got the winner. Equally pleasing was Krawietz. He actually did a strange celebration. It was similar to David Brent’s dance when he spins round pointing his finger. He seemed genuinely ecstatic. I felt pleased.
I think the point of this is, who cares that conceded 4. We won. Football’s about winning. Away wins in the Prem are to be celebrated bar none. I think it’s a fallacy that 2-0 is a better win the 5-3 or even 3-0 is better than 5-4. Goal difference aside, I don’t think it is. I was buzzing about Saturday. I felt reinvigorated. I didn’t feel worried that Buvac and Krawietz seemed distant. They loved it. I loved it. The players loved it. Klopp loved it. What’s not to like?
Funny, the only other comments I’ve made have been an attempt to create a formula to derive FSGs max spend on an individual player using some vague blend of mathematics and how you compare a baseball pitcher to an attacking midfielder.
Others comment was written on boxing day or something late at night when I was pretty good and drunk that featured the phrase “aye you lucky they held you back fat Sam, just remember Klopp won’t have a heart attack” so I’m clearly going to have to drink more.
Ha, this comments section needs fresh blood. Get involved mate.
This is very good, Matthew, Write more