Liverpool thread 2019/20

[gordondaviesmoustache]

If I remember correctly Liverpool were digging out lucky wins whilst City rocked up and dominated every match in the 14 game run. We weren't a smidgen better, we were MILES ahead of you lot

I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

Agreed. Can’t really be arsed reading the same arguments that were had months ago about VAR, injuries etc. It’s futile.

Fair enough. Let's sort this out once and for all like gentlemen.
@KloppiteE what would you call a large soft white bread roll with chips in it?

 

[KloppiteE]

Fair enough. Let's sort this out once and for all like gentlemen.
@KloppiteE what would you call a large soft white bread roll with chips in it?

*Chuckles.

Well, the last time I was in Manchester, they mispronounced 'chip butty' by 'chip barm.' ;)

 

[Barcon]

*Chuckles.

Well, the last time I was in Manchester, they mispronounced 'chip butty' by 'chip barm.' ;)

Not a bad answer really.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

*Chuckles.

Well, the last time I was in Manchester, they mispronounced 'chip butty' by 'chip barm.' ;)

No mention of the cake related 'm'-word, so fine by me. Enjoy your title.

 

[kaz7]

Injuries are part and parcel of the game mate. You find a solution and get on with it.

We had our goalie go down the first half of the opening league game with a lad we'd literally picked up off the street a week prior replacing him for the next 11 games. His debut being a major European final no less. (However much it gets madly denigrated in our insular thinking Country, the rest of Europe view it as such and you have to win one of the two European majors to have the honour of playing in it.). Doesn't get much more important than losing a World-class goalie for a few months. Keita's missed sizeable chunks. Mané the whole of January. Shaqiri's season has virtually been a write-off through injury. (He's not training even now.). Matip, who was every bit as good as van Dijk last season, went down for a large spell. With Gomez, who he'd replaced through his leg break the previous December, now replacing him whilst working his way back to full fitness. The same Oxo-Chambo who won't be that until next season.

We've both suffered key losses through injury this season bud. That's just football.

As are sides having a dip at some point in the season which every side has. But the signs where they were coming out of that winning the last league game against Bournemouth in a real gritty, fighting display to then absolute wallopped Atlético all over in one of the proudest nights in defeat I can remember that just run out of legs with the away goal swing in extra time.

So beating a smaller prem team and losing in the chumps league game is you coming out of a dip?

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Is it that time already?

 

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

With or without VAR Liverpool have been streets ahead this year
25 points clear surely you must have the honesty to admit Liverpool have been simply far better than any other side this season

As other posters have intimated, Liverpool have definitely been more consistent and therefore more than likely would still be leading at this point.

However, the infuriating part that has been played by VAR has meant that regardless, we (or any other team for that matter) haven't been in a position to apply any pressure to you so we will never know how you would have reacted to it, how your team selection would have shifted upon fixture congestion, how your morale would have stood up etc.

Considering it has generally been intimated by the hierarchy of the Premier League the importance of having different winners and that the larger supported clubs be a success, is it so outrageous to think that people (officials) further down the food chain can be influenced by this? I feel you are blatantly ignoring the intervention (even if for one season) shaped to present you with the 'overdue' Premier League crown at Anfield.......

 

[its grim up north]

Fair enough. Let's sort this out once and for all like gentlemen.
@KloppiteE what would you call a large soft white bread roll with chips in it?

Objection M'lud, soft bread roll = leading question. What about a flat firm Sheldons Oven bottom?

 

[KloppiteE]

So beating a smaller prem team and losing in the chumps league game is you coming out of a dip?

Yeah in context. The signs were definitely there.

They'd just come off a down month with dipped performances that ended with the unbeaten league record going at Watford. But as every single player had a collective off-day that day in a woeful outing, of which a brilliantly up-for-it Watford took full advantage, you just put that down to 'one of them' that happens knowing how virtually impossible it is to go a full season unbeaten in England. But then they follow that with a second straight defeat for the first time in Christ knows when at Chelsea the Cup, when a really strong side where equally woeful, and then you start to get concerned about the recent dip in form.

But to come out against Bournemouth, fall behind, at home, to ramp up the pressure even more, with all the nerves that naturally surround any title run-in, much-less one when you've been waiting 3-decades for the end prize, and dig in, scrap for everything, and dig out a massive 2-1 win, all off the back of 3 defeats from the previous 4 games, was a real testament to the ridiculous mentality within that group and a refusal to not get beat. Lesser sides would have crumbled and dropped more points. But, whilst still not being anywhere near their best, they dug in, sorted it out, and ground out another mammoth win. Having witnessed my side pick up the title 6 times in person, I can remember well that you get NO extra points for style. Getting over the line is ALL that counts at this stage of the run-in. It's rarely free-flowing from here on in. You just make sure you do enough for the points and move on to the next game.

Sign of a proper title side and a sign things were swinging back the other way.

Which they then followed up with an absolutely superb display against Madrid that, albeit falling short in the end result, was a real pride night in an absolutely fantastic game of football, from both sides, which on any other day L'pool win 4/5 without Oblak having an absolute Worldie in the Madrid goal, But you can't legislate for a goalie mistake in extra-time, and when that happens and the away goal advantage swings with minimum time to get that back, Atléti took full advantage and progressed. Fair play to them but you couldn't have been prouder of L'pool on the night as they really returned to style.

So yeah, in context, things certainly appeared to be righting themselves after the mini-blip through February.