7th February 2019 - Tuesday,
January 29th: elation. Wednesday, February 6th: deflation. I hate football at
times.
From the moment City lost at Newcastle, things have gone pear-shaped
for Liverpool, at least in the context of this relentless title race. A
glorious chance to open up a seven-point lead gone, a predictably feeble
performance by Arsenal at the Etihad, a limp showing at West Ham and Everton
replicating the Gunners’ generous antics has seen the title race take another twist.
The West Ham game was a curiously flat night for anyone of a Reds
persuasion, whether it be Jurgen Klopp, his players or even the fans inside
the London Stadium.
You would have expected them to fly at their opponents, proving a
point to City after they cruised past Arsenal, but it was the opposite. It
felt like an April game when the Reds are sixth in the table with nothing to
play for. When Sadio Mane put Liverpool ahead, aided by the latest hapless
piece of officiating, it still didn’t feel right. The energy was lacking, the
passing wasn’t crisp and the equaliser was inevitable. From that point on, a win was never coming the visitors’ way. West Ham
fully merited getting a point in the end and arguably deserved all three.
They were excellent, particularly Declan Rice, who looks one hell of a
prospect.
I hate talking about injuries but I’m going to talk about injuries.
Liverpool were unquestionably hampered by them, making for a mishmash of a
display that never clicked at any point
Joel Matip is looking more inept by the game and is even a major step
down from the error-prone Dejan Lovren, whose stock is rising purely by being
out of the team. Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s continued absence at
the back is particularly troublesome, however, with two of England’s brightest
young players adding so much when they play. They are already indispensable.
A makeshift defence featuring James Milner at right-back looked all at
sea throughout, with even near-perfect duo Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson
not at their best.
"Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum are also influential figures who
were unavailable, with a midfield-three of Fabinho, Naby Keita and Adam
Lallana taking to the field for the first time together."
Any team without four such prominent players is going to struggle and
this West Ham side are dangerous when they want to be. Under the lights of
the London Stadium, with the whole country watching on, it was always going
to be tough. A quick word on Roberto Firmino, by the way, who is Liverpool’s
most unique, intelligent player - arguably my favourite in red - but who played like a hungover
50-year-old on a Sunday morning at the local rec. He was truly horrific.
After the final whistle, the predictable comments surrounding
Liverpool being ‘bottlers’ and crumbling under pressure resurfaced, but this
is a minor speed bump in an otherwise fantastic season. They are under pressure for sure, and are a young side who may not
always cope with it to perfection, but don’t let two draws fool you. I
fully understand that it’s all part of the tribalism that exists these days,
and yes the Reds have pathetically only won one trophy in the last 12 years,
but this lot are not bottlers. As someone naturally pessimistic as a football
fan, take my word for it.
They haven’t even lost during this two-game lull, for christ sake, and
have only been beaten once in the Premier League all season. They are on
course for the best points total in the club’s entire history. A club with 18
league titles and five European Cups under their belt. Bloody bottlers. If
they don’t win the title this season it will be for one reason only: they are
up against a wonderful City team who look increasingly like peaking at just
the right time.
There was no chance Liverpool were ever going to win at the Etihad
last month, opening up a 10-point lead in the process. It all sounded too
perfect, and frankly, Pep Guardiola and his numerous world-class players were
never going to allow it to happen. This resurgence is no surprise in the
slightest - Guardiola is over-egging it, which I get - and it isn’t some
remarkable turnaround like Manchester United managed in 1995/96, or City did
to their local rivals late on in 2011/12. But the narrative doesn’t allow you
to think that way, does it? Liverpool have supposedly lost about four in a
row and their rivals have gained 15 points on them! Since the turn of the
year, City have picked up 12 points from a possible 15, while Liverpool have collected
eight from 12. That includes the meeting between the pair, when City were
both expected to win and slightly fortunate to. So, the Reds have dropped one
more point than City and not lost in 2019 to date. What a crisis.
The biggest concern from a Liverpool perspective shouldn’t be the team
not recovering from back-to-back draws - they will - it’s what City are now
capable of.
They know how to win, which is a huge advantage. The ability to get
over the finish line can be a priceless asset, as Real Madrid have shown in
winning three Champions Leagues in a row. They haven’t been the best team in
Europe that time, not even close. They just built up a winning mentality that
proved unstoppable, as well as benefiting from endless poor refereeing
decisions and good fortune.
City’s defeat at Newcastle may begin to feel like an increasing
anomaly, I fear, with the reigning champions in such control of every match I
watch.
They have strong characters throughout the team, from the still
underrated Ederson right the way through to Sergio Aguero, who is in such
good form I fear him every time City play. Fernandinho could be one of the
most snide players in Premier League history, which is a huge compliment from
someone who adores a snide player in his own team (Liverpool lack them). He
is a born winner. His ability to commit about 54 yellow card offences a game
and rarely even get booked is unfathomable, and he is also a master a winning
his own free-kicks. Bernardo Silva is what I like to call an underrated
snide, too - a player who isn’t tagged as a master of the dark arts because
he is a creative talent. See also: Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso and Dennis Bergkamp,
to name but a few.
He is a horrible little pest, getting in the faces of referees,
wasting time and generally being a nuisance. If you hadn’t noticed this, it
sums up why he is an underrated snide (and a fantastic footballer)! So, on we
go to the next batch of fixtures. For all that has been said, you could be
forgiven for thinking Liverpool are now about five points adrift and in
danger of falling away completely.
In case you missed it, they will go top again with a win or a draw
against ournemouth, having played the same number of games as City. Not bad
for a team supposedly falling apart. Of course, fresh question marks will be
raised if they fall short against the Cherries, not least the question of
“what in god’s name happened on that training camp in Dubai?”, but I expect
both a tough game and a return to winning ways.
City will beat Chelsea as well, with Eden Hazard no doubt getting
prepared to shrink at the Etihad before turning into Lionel Messi at Anfield
in April. They are in total command at the minute and don’t see how the west
Londoners a) keep them out and b) cause them enough problems going forward.
If you think I’ll be one of those childish fans revelling in
‘bottlers’ Liverpool being top again for 24 hours all least, should it
happen, you would be absolutely correct.
It’s no more pathetic than the many who have overreacted to two
below-par draws against two of the strongest teams outside the ‘big six’.
City
are undoubted favourites in my book, but don’t go writing Liverpool off just
yet.
–Henry Jackson
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