Liverpool FC – Week 4 Summary
As we approach the first corner of the long and winding race that is the Barclays Premier League, we take our weekly look at the events at Liverpool Football Club. The four biggest talking points this week.
The first has got to be the result at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night. A more intriguing 0-0 you’d struggle to find. The term bore draw had no place here! What it did have was plenty of drama. Thrills and spills. Like the most exciting of MB Games – If you’re old enough to remember them. A disallowed goal, woodwork rattled on numerous occasions and some superb goalkeeping at both ends. This match had it all. Much noteworthy, very little cringeworthy.
One noteworthy element was the fact that The visitors kept a clean sheet under a barrage of attack from the hosts. A sign that if you want to beat this Liverpool side, you’ll have to work for it – and bloody hard too. Harder than Arsenal did anyway and boy did they try. The resilience the side showed in the second half, following a first half of dominance shows the side is far better than last season. For all the fuss we supporters want to make about the exclusion of Mamadou Sakho and Lucas Leiva, Brendan Rodgers deserves the plaudits. And support.
Speaking of Lucas, we come to the second point, the recall to the side of the Brazilian defensive midfielder. His performance was deserving of a mention and the reason why after much speculation, he’s still a Liverpool player. It’s as if every season there is speculation surrounding his departure but year after year he remains. Not many would argue the loyalty of the longest serving member of the LFC playing staff. When quizzed about Lucas’ immediate future in so far as staying, Rodgers told the Independent “Yes, Lucas is our best defensive midfield player we have”. Rumours were that Reds’ target, Asier Illarramendi’s move back to Real Sociedad has sparked the manager’s apparent u-turn. Personally, I’m not bothered about Illarramendi who I maintain is in no way a Liverpool player. The club has been spared another dud – as if they don’t have enough already!
News also in this week is that Wales international Joe Allen will be missing for that little bit longer. Four Four Two magazine quotes Dragons’ boss Chris Coleman as saying the midfielder has had “…a little setback…” Which I guess means the 25 year-old will be out for some while yet. Exactly how long he will be out for has not been confirmed but it’s thought the trip to Old Trafford on 12th September may indeed be too soon. This is incidentally the date being banded about for Daniel Sturridge’s long awaited return from injury. Let’s hope he doesn’t have any “little setbacks” either. Please God!
Last and in no way whatsoever least, is the return of Mario Balotelli to his spiritual home AC Milan. The Italy International remains a Liverpool player as the arrangement is a loan deal with the Milan club reportedly paying half of his supposed £80,000 a week salary according to the Guardian. However, unlike Jordan Ibe during his loan spell at Derby County, the 25 year-old is unlikely to be recalled! To be fair, I do have a tinge of sympathy for him. Let’s face it, his style of play was never suited to Brendan Rodgers’ approach as anybody with a fraction of footballing knowledge will tell you so why the club bought him I’ll never know. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear – or vice versa with respect to him.
Balotelli strikes me as a (basically) well intentioned lad. The same report in the Guardian states that he was due a six-figure “loyalty bonus” had he stayed beyond the end of the transfer window. This has clearly been foregone. Now we can all say “He doesn’t need the money…” Blah blah blah... Yes we could, but we could also show some humility. Let’s face it, where is Fabio Borini right now? Where is José “I’m not bitter” Enrique? I’m sure they’re earning not insignificant amounts of money on the sidelines. At least Liverpool’s No. 45 has made an effort to do something about his situation and not sit on his a*rse complaining about it or feeling sorry for himself.
So now I’m off my high horse, let’s look forward. Liverpool welcome West Ham to Anfield on Saturday with Slaven Bilic looking to improve on his side’s poor start to the season. Preview to follow. Watch this space.
Follow us on Twitter: @TheLFCFile
