LFC 21/22 – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly – Gameweeks #23 & 24
The Clarets and the Foxes are put back in their boxes. Cardiff City were shown no pity and a fully fit squad, shows there is a god. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Another week reviewed at Liverpool Football Club.
The Good
Building another unbeaten run of games. The Reds have now gone nine games without defeat in all competitions. The last loss was ironically, against Leicester City at the end of December.
The most recent game against the Foxes saw no repeat of that. Liverpool ran out comfortable 2-0 winners after a Diogo Jota double. The Leicester ‘keeper Kasper Schmeichel’s heroics prevented a cricket score as Jürgen Klopp’s charges humbled their East Midlands rivals.
𝔻 𝕀 ⚽ 𝔾 ⚽
Your @carlsberg Player of the Match from #LIVLEI! pic.twitter.com/9risJrpXqy
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 10, 2022
There was a start for new signing Luis Diaz and his performance showed why the reported £38m fee may well turn out to be one of the bargains of the season. Simply summed up as “incredible” by the boss.
A tricky encounter at Turf Moor saw Liverpool defeat a plucky Burnley side 0-1 courtesy of a rare Fabinho goal. The Brazilian’s effort capped a tough fixture where wind and driving rain made for difficult conditions.
“Rainy, windy. Men’s football. Everything here was set up for a banana skin…”
As the scoreline suggests this was a tough game and although a victory was to be expected, Klopp was grateful for the three points against the side propping up the Premiership.
𝐀 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐲 🙌 #BURLIV pic.twitter.com/imRSWMZAMm
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 13, 2022
Sadio Mané and Mo Salah were restored to the starting line up and indeed looked sharp following their Africa Cup of Nations exploits. However, neither were able to get onto the scoresheet. No doubt the north east weather reminded them of what they’d left behind this last few weeks.
The (Not) Bad
A young side overcame stubborn opposition to win 3-1 against Cardiff City in the FA Cup. Liverpool endured a tough start to this game since the team contained mostly fringe players.
Jota continued his excellent form, giving Liverpool the lead in the second period after a largely unremarkable first half. That said, credit must go to Cardiff City for a resolute display up until then.
Takumi Minamino added a second – assisted by Diaz, to put the game beyond doubt. Harvey Elliot, a 58th minute substitute capped a super performance to score on his return to competitive action, after breaking his ankle just over for months ago.
The relief was there to see on the youngster’s face after his turn and shot flew past the despairing City goalie. “He is still an incredible footballer,” enthused Klopp post match.
FULL TIME!
LIVERPOOL 3-1 CARDIFF
WHAT A WIN 😍#LIVCAR #LFC 🔴 pic.twitter.com/mXmuC7ELi9
— Reds Report (@_RedsReport) February 6, 2022
Cardiff City scored a consolation after 80 minutes when Rubin Colwill’s low drive gave the visitors some cheer as the game wound down. A moment he won’t forget in a hurry that’s for certain.
The (Sm) Ugly
Ahead of tonight’s Champions League game against Inter Milan, Liverpool have a fully fit squad available.
✅ Fully fit squad
✅ Champions League knockout football🤔 So what is #LFC's strongest XI? pic.twitter.com/tkCvTijLt7
— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) February 16, 2022
I haven’t checked, but if someone told me this is a first in Klopp’s reign, I’d find it hard to disagree.
With Liverpool now trailing Manchester City by nine points – potentially even six should they win their game in hand, this is fantastic news for Klopp and the fans alike.
Can Liverpool catch City? Well…, they have 14 games left to play. We all know that anything can happen in football. With a fully fit squad and all options available, the team now has the best possible chance to mount a serious challenge.
Let’s see how this pans out. Another fantastic run-in awaits, folks. Hang on to your seats!
Good News
The latest edition of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is now available. “3rd Against All Odds“. A bit late this time, but better late than never as they say! Follow last season’s exploits with relevant Tweets in full colour. Order a copy from the Amazon store here. Or Apple Books here.
