The best of times, the worst of times. Liverpool draw with Tottenham in a game they should have won, drawn and lost in equal measure.
Summing it up for us are Ste Browne, Adam Smith, Peter Marshall and John Gibbons. What will they make of those penalty decisions? What about Liverpool’s shape and approach? The atmosphere was electric and Salah’s second sent the ground into raptures. What were the feelings around that? Neil Atkinson hosts throughout.
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Second half was awful. Only one team at Anfield trying to win it and they weren’t wearing red. Once again we capitulated when under pressure. I must have said this 4 times on here now. This. Is. What. We. Do. A team full of bottlers. A team who consistently folds when under the cosh. A team who wilts relentlessly when asked to hold firm. We’re the dog’s bollocks beating the shite sides 3-0 when we have 80% possession, but when a good side pens us in and dominates the ball for a spell, as happens at the business end of tournaments, we turn to jelly. The whole second half it was a matter of when not if. It was a matter of if we could hold on for a 1-1 when they did score. (Luckily we have a freak of nature in Salah to single-handedly get us in front again – but even then we couldn’t hold on. Again.)
The mentality is a joke. Our mentality was discussed on the City Talk show – not enough discussion about it takes place. So sick and tired watching this team crumble when under pressure.
PS: Let’s not allow talk about refs and linos to distract from the above. First one wasn’t a pen and was missed, so they cost us nothing. Second one was a penalty and we cost ourselves 2 points. We’re fortunate not to be in fifth (come tomorrow night).
Not pen. Think what you want.
Bottlers? Don’t think so, Spurs midfield was simply miles better than ours. We had 3 workman like guys who were outplayed by cleverer and more mobile other guys. The midfield has needed an upgrade in class for a while now. Losing Coutinho didn’t help and Lallana’s injury is unfortunate, but we need more guile and mobility for our midfield to consistently outplay top sides and unlock 10 man defences.
Because capitulating vs Watford, Arsenal, Sevilla twice and Spurs and a few other times, including away to Bournemouth last season, definitely doesn’t show there is an issue with this team’s mentality. Nope. No bottlers in Klopp’s Reds.
Oh aye, forget the Europa League final when we went to pieces after conceding the equaliser. So that should be Sevilla thrice. But of course, no issue with us bottling it when we can’t dominate the ball, eh? Must be lovely to live in your world.
Thanks Baz for wishing me well in my world. I was at most of the games you mention, not Seville in the final, and from my perspective they didn’t ‘bottle it’ (lost courage) they simply weren’t good enough. They didn’t do their jobs properly and lost the games. The only time I can recall in recent times when the team ‘bottled it’ was the 6.1 at Stoke. It’s only my opinion but I don’t think our players lack heart, it’s about ability and consistency. For me the team’s ‘mentality’ isn’t deficient in desire it’s the lack of adaptability to cope with unexpected adversity. You can call it lack of ‘bottle’ saying they are cowards, but I don’t see that.
I am an auld bastard and have the dubious privilege of being at Villa Park in 1976 when the nascent European Champions were humbled 5.1, and that was the half time score! Shit happens to the best of teams, the more it happens, in my opinion, is down to ability not heart as players without heart don’t tend to stay long at Liverpool. Then again neither should those whose ability is questionable.
capitulated? are you sure? not sure going 1-1 then having the balls to go up the other end and make it 2-1 is capitulating…..Football involves 2 teams and when the 2 sides are both very good then sometimes the opposition can get control. But Spurs did nothing – tons of possession but created very little. Defending is part of the game and we did it very well today.
“having the balls” – what you mean just lumping it down the field then watching on doing nothing as Salah turned into Messi to gift us an undeserved lead, only to throw it away again? That’s showing balls? Jesus. Okay.
Blimey. My heart can’t take it anymore.
I don’t know why we aren’t allow to win a game when we did not deserve it. I lot of pundits on TV saying a draw was a fair result. I think it’s time we get an unfair result.
The ref was fat. The linesman a busy body. All these people saying every time we touch someone in the box means a penalty – I would like to point to the match where Phil was hacked down twice in the penalty area and we got nothing.
Karius’ shoulder whilst on the floor was enough to trip the greatest English history since Shearer.
Dive, dive, DIVE. When are we going to win a game using some savy?
We need to knock one of these cheating teams out of the top four and win the Champions League. That’s called justice.
I thought all the players played well but we need to learn how to keep the ball and slow the game down when under the cosh.
I would like to know what the conversations were about. Linesman never signalled pen with flag across chest (is that still a thing?). Ref can’t be checking if offside because lad hasn’t put flag up. Cant think of the game put we had a similar one not given with defender trying to clear it. Different was soft lad is not trying to play the ball just jumping in front of it. Surprised not more clammed for red for tackle against TAA, takes the ball clean but he’s off the ground and takes it with studs. Trent tries to control a ball away from him and gets a yellow. As much as I think Karius should catch the ball no one kicks off anywhere near as much when I player misses a clearance . See VVD 3 miskicks that lead to goal last week. But fair play to Karius coming out for interview after the game. We still need a keeper though. Not worth getting too down though. Long way to go yet and plenty of time to put things right
All made more sense before I had to type it!
Was the Irish lad at the same game I was???
Spot on. Not sure it’s his wife who needs the specs.
On MOTD they subtitled the conversation between Moss and linesman regarding 1st pen.
Linesman “unsure whether Lovren touched ball, if he did Kane is onside. If he didn’t then Kane is offside.
Moss “I’m unsure whether he did touch the ball to be honest, see what comes up on TV”(referring to VAR which was unavailable)
Moss then gives the pen, even after the linesman had said Kane was offside is Lovren didn’t touch it, and Moss himself admitting he was unsure. Justice was done with the save, but he’s basically awarded a pen at the dying stage of the match, whilst admitting to his assistant he wasn’t 100% sure. Absolute incompetent shithouse.
Happy with a point.Happy with the performance in the first half, and VVD is bringing leadership,coherence and focus into the defence. Happy to not see Mignolet and Moreno. First wasn’t a pen, but didn’t lead to a goal, so wjo gives a fuck. Second was, and did….next Southampton. I don’t like Southampton fixtures.
Funny how neville and that commentator who hates liverpool talked earlier in the half about how the linesman should of flagged earlier before firmino and lloris clattered into each other yet dont mention it when kane is clearly offside.
This is why I love the Pink. Obviously we’ve now all seen the incidents the decisions were actually correct. But the point remains that the PROCESS by which the decisions were determined was farcical. The ‘VAR through the Backdoor’ was unwittingly a glorious reality of what happened.
As for the actual football I can’t understand how Liverpool or Klopp do not recognise that the Spurs attacking players are occupying space they didn’t previously occupy. This overarching inability to adapt to circumstances. I’d be very interested in a discussion about this in a Gutter type environment with Neil and Andy.
Reds were tired and poor in retaining possession 2nd half . Spurs played through
Can/Milner . Agree that front 3 not gelling . But Klopp loves Chaos . We are on the rollercoaster and those screams of joy and fear we hear? Their ours!