FOOTBALL is always just about to prove you wrong. This is the most important thing it can do.
Picture the scene:
Rob Gutmann: I’d do Allen for Can here.
Neil Atkinson: Nah.
Rob Gutmann: This is a bit of a role reversal.
Neil Atkinson: I just think Emre Can is more likely to get us a goal than Joe Allen.
All the best.
Bear every word of the above in mind as we go forward.
Anyway.
I’m fuming. Two dropped. Quite the two dropped. Two lashed. Two daft goals to concede before a decent one. Two daft goals that felt like spliced footage in a film, felt like a jumpcut. Felt like deja vu in The Matrix. Whoa. Deja vu.
Yeah, deja vu. All over the show. Deja vu to last season against these. Deja vu to a goalkeeper who keeps conceding from corners. Deja vu to a team terrified from set pieces. Deja fucking fucking vu to hard won draws that should be hard won wins. Deja vu on toast. Deja vu coming out my ears, dripping down my face, lodging in my bellybutton. Deja vu.
They went in our box five times and scored three goals. There is this question: why work your plums off when it is getting lashed in? Because Liverpool did and they did. But they must be fuming. Everything is office politics. Imagine working in that office where a lad lashes it in.
That is a bad office. Not one I would like to work in. Simon Mignolet is not the lad I would put in charge of the most mundane operation. It isn’t for him. Not even the tea.
What else? Liverpool did loads of Man City stuff in their 4-4-2. Loads of ‘hold it, hold it, hold it, there’s-my-runner-release’ which gladdened the heart and quickened the pulse.
Liverpool did loads of football well.
They closed down the passing lanes, which all the cool kids are doing these days. They tried to turn Arsenal around, Henderson especially empowered to play the agricultural big one. They worked and thought and won at least 60 per cent of the battles. They were the thing or two thirds of the thing.
Henderson was working brilliantly. The only issue is the legs but then the legs are the issue. There aren’t enough Liverpool players mooching round even close to fully fit. Few footballers are fully fit but too many of Liverpool’s are returning to fitness.
Regardless the night is as Beckettian as it can get. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
The manager said the first half wasn’t perfect in some senses but it was close. United on Sunday. Loads were happy with four points. Fail again. Fail better.
Just don’t fail each other.
Up the Reds.
No one is interested glasses. It’s all about ratings, football manager and streaming.
Give us some stats from the fecking German league up and coming.
I give up.
(New keeper, fuck kolo off)
Yeah, very similar to last season’s draw in this fixture and the 08/09 draw (the old laughing and crying game innit, Neil) so I suppose the 3-3 makes sense.
Having to bludgeon them and ourselves to get the fucker over the line only for Van Persie to just win the game with two sniffs at goal under Kenny was another brilliant, not at all frustrating one. Why is it so hard for us to get a result whereas they can just turn up and be gifted points? Is this the crux of why they are nailed on top 4 every year while we languish?
We shouldn’t need a Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling forward line to beat them after working that hard with Firmino turning up and Giroud shouldn’t be made to look so world class either. Honestly if they end up top by season’s end it’s embarrassing for everyone involved. I’ll take an Arsenal title win much worse than I would have ever expected.
The fuck is tha first comment all about???
Don’t worry about him hes the local loon.
Previously known as crazy bob he stalks Neil and seems to be obsessed with him.
He tries to be funny (Calls him glasses because he wears glasses- such wit i know) but just comes off as a bit of a twat.
Should get him on AFQ.
Was thinking the same thing myself. He obviously doesn’t realize that this is a quick reaction piece rather than the in-depth analysis of the Tuesday Review. Think the lad needs to get laid if that’s how crap his life is.
haha! I thought it was tongue in cheek
He’s TAW’s equivalent of The Guardian stalker LeftPegger.
I’m being bullied!
#crisps
And what a tool that Left pegger comes across as – mind you theres loads on the guardian site.
Yeah. We were cracking the first 20mins. Thought Sako was unlucky for Ramsey’s goal as he was disorientated with the head collision with Giroud. Really chuffed for Joe Allen. Benteke though really really frustrates me now even though he did well for Joe Allen’s equaliser. Just a bad buy to be honest. Rogers pushed for him and it’s clear Klopp is not hot on him. For a while I felt for him a bit but now I’m just frustrated with him. I think you can see he’s been asked to change his game a bit and try to run into the channels but it’s obvious it’s not his game. He also does have the physical presence like a Drogba to hold the ball up. All the best teams nowadays don’t play with a front man that is not mobile, hasn’t got speed and can get in behind defenders.
Meant he doesn’t have the physical presence. He bloody should given his size but he doesn’t use his physical presence.
I’ll take the result though given the way the game panned out
Gutmann is becoming more and more my “I’m with that lad on this one” on the podcast. Except I’d have left Milner on the bench and played Ibe with Firmino and Lallana up front, Allen-Can-Hendo in the middle closing down lanes, pressing in packs, being a constant nuisance, and threading passes on the slickened ground.
Anyone else notice that two of the most exciting games this season have been draws with Arsenal?
Well written as always. Could’ve won, should’ve won… I’m frustrated too, but no shame in two draws against a serious title contender, for mine. Encouraged by our new habit of late goals, just wish one of them would be a winner instead of a point-saver. Side note: wasn’t Allen’s last EPL goal before this in our last 3-3 draw?
Newcastle at home towards the end of last season.
Fair result in the end. Great game, particularly the first half, but once again infuriating from a Liverpool perspective. We did the hard work but gave away 3 soft (but well taken) goals. So many of our chickens came home to roost tonight: Sakho giving the ball away needlessly, Can dwelling on the ball, Milner that yard too short, forever sprawling on the ground, Lallana ineffectual, Ibe no end product (yet, he’ll get there) and I never, ever want to see Moreno take another free kick. On a more positive note, Can was good when he wasn’t being caught in possession, Kolo had a decent game, Hendo looked hungry and progressive and Firmino showed signs of life. Sadly we’re still short of 3 or 4 quality players. Pleased as punch for Joe Allen who deserved a start after Stoke, but I hate Simon Mignolet (the footballer, not the man!).
I think he scored against Newcastle at Anfield last season
Should have brought Allen on earlier, Can was losing the ball a lot by that stage, his lack of awareness at times is extraordinary. Though the midfielders played well, it was a game that cried out for Lucas’s nous in front of the defenders. Sacrifice one of Lallana or Ibe and flood the midfield.
I agree. I wanted that sub a few minutes earlier and actually thought Allen should have been on from the start and I am not a fan at all of midfielders who are neither Mascherano nor a (general) goal threat. We looked like we could really kick on until Mig’s second gift. I honestly don’t see how Klopp can make an accurate assessment of the rest of the team while they are playing in front of that.
Also thought Ojo would have been a nice option to have in the last few. How did we end up bringing in a CB on loan from the Championship up top against the league leaders? I like Caulker by the way, and he may well have a significant role to play in the rest of the season.
Neil’s right, a very Beckettian performance, particularly from Emre, who seemed to be waiting interminably for something…..
God???
Oh…
We could have done with Robbie tonight!
As Beckett would say, unceasing are the forms in which the formless seeks relief from its formlessness. As I would say, we sure do find new unique ways to give up the same goal from corners over and over again
with a better keeper, we go in half time 2-0
with Migs …. well
arsenal is challenging at the top now, if we swap keepers I believe we can swap our position
Cech was just as bad, if not worse for 2 of our goals. Lets bear this in mind here.
I’ll cut mignolet some slack on the first – the speed and position of ramsay meant it was a percentage call for the GK. a step to his left to protect the near post and ramsay drills it in the other side from 6 yards. Could he do better? yep. was it a howler? deffo not.
The second? you don’t see many GKs saving a ball that comes through a crowd and deflects 2 yards in front. Sakho and Lallana more culpable for me. Could Mignolet have done better? Of course, he could have kept it out. All keepers could. Was it a howler? again, deffo not for me.
Oh sound, Mignolet is obviously good enough then. Panic over lads.
Not my point at all. Was just trying to put a bit of a different view on it based on what actually happened.
IOM, everything about his positioning and balance was completely wrong for the second goal. It might still have gone in if he had been better set but I could have lived with that.
Appreciate they aren’t exactly ‘clangers’ in terms of him throwing them in the net. I think the general response is just exasperation now though.
Considering Mignolet is supposedly an excellent shot stopper, he doesn’t actually do much of it.
Their second was played to near post and got through Moreno first, who was looking outfield, and then the ever useless Lallana. They’re more at fault than Mignolet.
Was a good match, well led by Klopp, and a fair result.
fantastic game of footy. lets not forget arsenal are a top team and top of our league and we battered them for long spells. no comment about our GK or defenders and defending ! Great noise last night… its coming back, Now lets batter the mancs on Sunday. Get the kids and a few others on v Exeter, Sturridge must be on the horizon, watch out stoke
I’ve lost count of the number of different centre back combinations, but the full backs and keeper have been there for the greater part of the season (Bogdan’s cameos excepted). And still we look vulnerable to corners and set pieces. It’d take someone with really big bollocks to bring in a young keeper for a ManU game, but I reckon it’s on Klopp’s mind now, 5 year contract or not. The lad’s full of confidence returning from a good spell at Aberdeen so I hope he gets his chance.
It’s unbelievable the amount of people calling for Ward to be handed his debut on Sunday – probably the same people who were insisting that Bogdan should get a chance around the time of the West Brom game. I expect Ward will get the start against Exeter next week – and we’ll get an idea of what he can do.
In relation to Mignolet as some have said here, and Klopp is quoted today saying something along the same lines – there are 2 or 3 other guys should have been doing their jobs a lot better before the ball went past him for their first 2 goals.
Surprised how down so many supporters seem after a great game of footie. I only watched it on tv but we better than the league leaders in 2/3 of the pitch and that is with:
i) Rogers squad,
ii) only half the team being match fit,
iii) Klopp’s influence only starting to come through.
This performance showed me that next season is going to be very exciting and we still could take a top 4 place if we want to this year.
I’m starting to feel sorry for Mignolet (although I think he’s quite ordinary and among the least competent EPL keepers). I’ve never seen or heard of a game at any level where ANY outfield player was faultless, but keepers are expected to be. The less work they have to do, the greater their errors are magnified.
Having said that, he doesn’t command the penalty area and his distribution of the ball when he has it is woeful and frequently comes straight back at him. As an everptesent in a consistently shaky defence, no matter who is selected, he needs to be replaced.
I’m being entirely genuine here.
Can someone explain to me why we are giving Mignolet a 5 and half year deal plus a pay increase??
He’s 2 and a half years into a 5 yr deal so if we’re doing it to protect his value then give him a 1 or 2 year extension.
He was on 60k a week and we are about to increase that. You don’t give your 2nd choice keeper more than 60k a week so that points to him to being first choice.
Surely that can’t be right, can it??