Liverpool and Anfield show once again that they’re both at their best when explosive, as the Reds blew through Newcastle United…
THERE ARE moves in chess which are termed explosive. These are moves played after the opening which are either risky gambits or ones which blow defensive games open. I suspect that they’re called ‘explosive’ because it’s not always possible to know which way the shrapnel will land and the whole tactic can backfire without proper planning.
I’m a big fan of world chess. There’s usually, though not always, a bonhomie that exists between the elite grandmasters and all are keen to talk about their reasoning after the game. I could spend hours watching multiple World Championship winning Magnus Carlsen analyse his games. In fact, I do.
After weeks of ponderous football where the sole aim was not to lose, Liverpool too had a go at the explosive, both in midweek and on Saturday night.
Alright, Newcastle’s opening half hour may not have rendered the game ‘defensive’ or prosaic – after all, one player had already left one in on the goalkeeper and whacked another on the windpipe for the price of, yes, just one yellow card — but Liverpool had castled and were building a battery to keep the enemy out. It didn’t help. Newcastle got in all the same.
Liverpool weren’t having that. They’d had enough of feeling sorry for its position.
Instead the Champions played a series of explosive moves.
I love Hugo Ekitike. The comparisons with Fernando Torres are well-founded but they also damn him with faint praise. He’s his own man and his balance and strength are incredible. What’s more, most one-on-ones with the keeper have a lovely inevitability. El Nino had a similar trait and it’s one that every striker wishes they had.
Great celebration too. I love a shout at the Main Stand.
I love Florian Wirtz. Obviously, his quick feet and mind stand out but his shooting is simply gorgeous. He seldom finds the need to belt the ball goalwards, but calmly slots it so it spins away from the keeper and clips in off the post. He brings goalscoring down to its essence by putting the ball where no one can reach it. Again, a wonderful gift to have.
A different celebration too. An almost embarrassed half smile. ‘Yeah, I just did that. Hope you enjoyed it.’
But not everything has to be explosive. Ibrahima Konate was exemplary at the back throughout the entire game – a fact that was largely ignored by the TNT commentary team until the last five minutes. Mind you, the comms team were an odd pairing. How could anyone confuse 55,000 people calling the referee a cheat with getting frustrated at the Reds’ performance? I mean, you’re in the ground and they’re shouting ‘Cheat!’ Ah well…
Newcastle may have seemed the better team to the world, but that wasn’t enough. You can have as many corners as you want but games are won on goals scored and conceded. Come the end, and the scoreline, they couldn’t live with us. Newcastle, as energetic as they are, just played too many gambits and were caught out by Wirtz twice, a long ball and, finally, my own Man of the Match.
Hopefully, Arne Slot will see the last two performances as the blueprint for future games and high-tempo pressing will replace the slow, glacial build ups we’ve seen recently.
What will help especially is the nascent partnership between Ekitike and Wirtz, as well as Milos Kerkez’s best games for a while. Jeremie Frimpong was showing some form too (before his injury) and the biggest name of them all will be back soon.
Maybe we’re getting somewhere.
Yes, we still need defensive cover and this current line up is a waste of Szoboszlai, but this team is gradually showing personality. There’s a long way to go but this should be the first signs of green shoots.
These things take time and there may be more further setbacks on the way but they’ll build character.
More than anything, wasn’t it great to see Anfield jumping and doing what it does best? Getting behind the lads on the pitch and celebrating every small victory.
Small steps, but sometimes they head in the right direction.
Explosive moves are the best and I apologise if the chess vernacular is misplaced but…
Never play f3. Trust me on that.
Didn’t Saturday feel great?
