3rd April 2019 – “Please be ‘Spursy’, Spurs”.
Those were the four words I wrote in the last instalment
of this bias-fuelled take on what continues to be a thrilling Premier League
title race. And my God Tottenham came up trumps. Liverpool have been
magnificent this season, but recent weeks have seen dominant all-round performances
replaced with shaky, unconvincing displays.
Every great team experiences such periods, so it is
nothing to be ashamed of. The difference is that Reds sides of the past would
have crumbled a long time ago now. This group of players are the most
mentally resolute at Anfield in 30 years, though, led by a special manager in
Jurgen Klopp.
The Spurs game was another harrowing experience, in
a match Liverpool did not deserve to win. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have
consistently been the best side to visit Anfield in the last two or three
seasons and they impressed again.
Liverpool had a chance to put Spurs to bed after
Roberto Firmino’s opener, but as was the case against Leicester and West Ham
recently, they got sloppy and allowed their opponents to equalise.
Then there was the Moussa Sissoko moment - an
incident that drew comparisons with Eidur Gudjohnsen’s last-gasp miss in the
2005 Champions League semi-final second leg. It could be equally as big come
May. As the midfielder raced through, images of Willian tapping into an empty
net in 2014 came flooding back, and the dream was on the cusp of dying. Then
Virgil van Dijk decided to show why he is the world’s best defender, closing
off the space to Son Heung-min and forcing Sissoko into a shot with his
weaker left foot, before he blazed over.
If that had been Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren or most
other mere mortal centre-backs, Liverpool would have conceded, but Van Dijk
is a true colossus. He didn’t panic, gambled on Sissoko missing and the Reds
stayed alive. The last-minute own goal that followed was one of those ‘name is on the trophy’ moments for neutrals
watching on, but I have experienced far too much heartbreak to ever be
thinking that, Rival fans will be saying it is written in the stars that
Liverpool will
be crowned champions in May - nice try with the reverse
psychology, lads - but we’re not stupid. People were saying exactly the same thing in 2014 and during last season’s
Champions League run. Look how they both cruelly panned out.
I mentioned last time that luck was going to play a
pivotal role in the title race and there is no doubting that Liverpool
benefited from it against Spurs, and have done numerous times this season. Hugo
Lloris’ mistake can sit alongside the goalkeeping howlers produced by Jordan Pickford
and Julian Speroni at the Kop end, and Toby Alderweireld’s subsequent own
goal was a hugely beneficial moment. As stated previously, though, I
firmly believe Liverpool are due some luck in a title race, biased though
that may sound.
Let’s not kid ourselves about them having all the
luck, though. Winning breeds hate, which is why so many are being left
infuriated by ‘Lucky Liverpool’, but they have experienced plenty of misfortunate
as well. Examples include: the ball being millimetres from crossing the lines
against Man City, Vincent Kompany avoiding a red card in the same game and
Naby Keita not winning a penalty late on against Leicester. I could go on.
Have the Reds been lucky? Absolutely. Is it the key
to their title charge? Not in the slightest. If you think that, take up
rugby. I’ve spent an awfully long time speaking about my own team when I
should really be focusing on City, but everything is a little low-key and
frustratingly easy for them at present.
Their fixtures seem eternally easy, there are no
dramas whatsoever and they are serenely getting closer to achieving what
would be the most remarkable of quadruples. I can’t remember the last City
game I watched with any great interest, simply because their matches have
been so routine and lacking in drama. The Fulham game followed a pattern that
has become the norm this season: gift City an early goal and let them saunter
through the rest of proceedings.
This is all one giant compliment to Pep Guardiola’s
men, of course, who make everything look so ridiculously straightforward and
barely even look like they are in a pulsating title battle currently. Bernardo
Silva yet again proved to be an inspiration, and while Sergio Aguero and
Raheem Sterling have been superb all season, the Portuguese has been the main
man for me. He is the one I fear - the one who will keep producing big
moments when others around him are
potentially flagging. What a footballer he is.
It is easy to put a pessimistic stance on any of the
Reds’ remaining games, but the trip to St Mary’s does look awkward. It is a
Friday night game with the whole country watching, and the home crowd will be
fired up, particularly as they loathe Liverpool for signing all their best
players in recent years. Saints have also won their last two games and remain
in need of points. Get through that and it will be another significant three
points for Klopp’s men, ahead of what becomes a far more taxing run for City.
They are in FA Cup semi-final action this weekend,
which will likely be another one-sided win over Brighton - I will be more
engrossed in the Grand National, summing up what the cup has become to me
these days. We will reconvene next week, with the mouthwatering Champions
League quarter-finals taking
place and City’s legs and resolve finally set to be
tested.in those the final eight games
But for now, thanks for being Spursy,
Spurs…
-
Henry Jackson
|
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
DISPATCHES FROM THE OTHER SIDE 19
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
ON THE WINGS OF DESIRE
City's total domination of English football continues. Those that decried the self-styled one-sided end of football, this morning whoop...
-
To all those who have shared the pain, to all those sent half insane, to those who'll never be quite the same to all those swimming in...
-
To celebrate a new book published this week by Howard Hockin and myself, here is an extract from one of the games that did not make the cut...
-
Bobby Charlton by Mark Meadowcroft This is a flex, but Sir Bobby Charlton did play for “Manchester” in Bert Trautmann’s testimonial. In ...
No comments:
Post a Comment