Liverpool FC – Gameweek 14 Review

A south-coast mugging, the loss of key staff and the greedy side of football. All in a week at the world’s favourite football club, Liverpool FC. The not so good, the bad and the downright ugly elsewhere in footy.

The Not So Good

Without a doubt, this has to be the loss to Bournemouth over the weekend. If it wasn’t bad enough losing in he last minute of injury time. It comes courtesy of a goal keeping howler from someone whom, according to Jürgen Klopp represents an upgrade on Simon Mignolet. My opinion? Nonsense!

I’m sure most Liverpool supporters would agree, Loris Klarius is by no means an improvement on Mignolet. For me, they’re both prone to the same errors. Perhaps the only advantage, and this is the ONLY advantage the German has over the Belgian international is that his kicking is better. Does that win you games? Not if you get mugged off in the third minute of injury time it doesn’t.

I’ve never made any secret of my disbelief in Klarius. I know he’s only 23, but it’s clear he has a long way to go before he’s ready for the demands of winning the Premiership. He’s unconvincing at best. This will make the difference between a successful season and another “nearly” campaign.

Simon Mignolet must have been secretly laughing his head off on the bench. For all the sweeper-keeper claims and how much better it is, nothing replaces the ability to stop a shot.

Sadly, it’s clear that Klopp has fallen for the same banana-skin as many before him. Fixing what wasn’t broke. Or, if it was broke, at least make sure it works better than it did before. In Klarius for Mignolet you see the analogy fits.

The Bad

News broke this week that Under-23 coach Michael Beale will soon leave the club to join Brazilian Série A outfit Sao Paolo as assistant manager. This will come as a blow to Liverpool, who have seen the ex-Chelsea youth development officer work his way up from under-16 coach to his current role.

Personally this seems more that a little odd as he met new São Paulo manager Rogerio Ceni at an FA coaching conference. The ex-goalkeeper must have made some impression on Beale for him to pack-in a job many would give their right arm for. It feels like an 18 year-old daughter running away to some far-flung corner of the earth to marry someone she met on holiday. Very bizarre.

Should the reports be true, then leave he must. Beale’s tenor has seen the likes of Raheem Sterling, Cameron Brannagan and Kevin Stewart break into the first team. Not to mention the current due: Ovie Ejaria and Trent Alexander-Arnold. An impressive record indeed.

He’ll be sorely missed. Just as it seemed as if Liverpool was getting some continuity in terms of development. Let’s hope Klopp doesn’t recruit the coaching version of Klarius – otherwise the future may well take a sudden swerve from a very promising road.

The Downright Ugly

Nothing particularly ugly per se this week, so let’s turn our attention to the noisy neighbours and the report in the Sunday Times calling for José Mourinho to face criminal charges for tax evasion. Oh dear!

Authorities in England and Spain were allegedly misled in order that the 53 year-old could hide up to £10 in earnings in Caribbean tax haven. It is also claimed the ex-Chelsea boss fabricated expenses in excess of £1m through the shell company based in the British Virgin Islands.

If the allegations prove to be true, this represents a smack in the face for every football fan, subscriber of pay-to-view television and customer of the numerous advertisers. All who’s money allow the sky (excuse the pun) high sums to be paid to clubs and players alike – and likely don’t have any choice in how much tax they pay.

I don’t know how much Mourinho earns, but I’m sure it’s in the region of £5m per year plus given his status in the game and the “going rate” in the game currently. From this, is it really that hard to live off £3M after paying 40% at the top rate? I think we all know the answer to that one.

For now, it’s all speculation. However, as the old saying goes: there’s no smoke without fire. I just hope it’s not to the extent portrayed. Don’t get me wrong, we’d all like to keep the tax man out of our affairs, but there reaches a point where frugality stops and greed begins.

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