LFC 22/23 – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly – Gameweek #15
Such a pity against City, but the class at Villa Park was stark. Is the club going stale after being out up for sale? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Another week reviewed at Liverpool Football Club.
Season’s Greetings!
Before we get stuck in, I’d like to take the chance to wish all of our readers – all three of you this year, a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! All the best for 2023 and may the Reds be with you.
The Good
Getting back in the Premier League groove with three points. The 1-3 victory against Aston Villa is exactly what the team needed after the break.
Of course, a clean sheet would have been ideal but then, beggars can’t be choosers as the expression goes. The goals were sweet enough to gloss over the clean sheet element.
The strikes from Mo Salah, a rare Virgil van Dijk effort and a nice goal for youngster Stefan Bajcetic were worth waiting three weeks for. Especially seeing academy graduate Bajcetic getting his first senior goal for the club.
At 18 years old, maybe he’s just realised Santa isn’t real after all. Villa were the unlucky opponents on the wrong end of his ire and disgust.
Darwin Núñez was both wasteful and exciting in equal measures. You just don’t know what to do with this lad. One minute you’re mesmerised by his almost super-hero like speed… the next you’re calling him a useless w&%ker for missing another chance!
Speaking of super heroes… Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass to Andy Robertson for his assist to Salah’s goal… get the boy a cape!!
⏱ FULL TIME ⏱
🟣 Aston Villa 1-3 Liverpool 🔴#AVLLIV pic.twitter.com/EgLGdqb59i
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) December 26, 2022
At the proverbial end of the proverbial day, we have another three points on the board. On the current standings, at least we get to perform beneath ourselves in the Europa League, with Manyoo doing the opposite.
The Bad
Well no diplomas for guessing the 3-2 loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup during the week. Sadly, there’ll be no run of penalty shoot outs this season. The team was thwarted by the utterly rotten luck of the following City out of the hat in the draw.
The annoying thing about this game, is that it kind of summed up Liverpool’s season so far.
- Going a goal down.
- Chasing the game.
- Equalising.
- Going a further goal down.
- Chasing the game.
- Equalising.
- Going a further goal down.
- Chasing the game
Equalising- Losing the game despite (seemingly) 99 shots on goal to return to the loop at point [8].
To be fair, this game should have carried a health warning. It really was end-to-end stuff and no doubt a great spectacle “for the neutral”. Of course being Liverpool fans, this isn’t a category we fell into for this game. Hence the feeling of frustration.
I was impressed with Fabio Carvalho however, who got Liverpool back into the game [3] with a nice technical finish. The shame is that the Portuguese youngster looks as if a strong gust would have him tangled in the roof trusses of the new Anfield Road stand extension. Such is his slight frame.
A fact that wasn’t wasted on the City players, who clattered the poor boy on numerous occasions.
Salah though, seems to be hitting some sort of form at the moment (if two goals in two games is indeed “form”). Credit goes to Núñez for his incredible burst of pace and for setting up the little number 11 for Liverpool’s second equaliser [6].
▶️ Highlights
Man City knock out holders Liverpool of the @Carabao_Cup after a five goal thriller. #CarabaoCup #MCILIV 🔵🔴https://t.co/4H7VekWva2
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) December 23, 2022
Núñez was again – perhaps more guilty of profligacy in front of goal, as chance after chance went here, there and everywhere but the goal [8]. Thus in the end… see [10] above.
The Ugly
I have a bad feeling about Liverpool at the moment. The club, as we all know, in this world and the next, is up for sale. However, nothing seems to be happening, apart from support staff leaving.
Head of Development Tim Jenkins has joined Premier League rivals Bournemouth, to assist Cherries manager and former Liverpool Under-23 assistant, Gary O’Neil. What a tangled web we weave.
Jenkins departure comes hot on the heels of the high profile departure of sporting director Julian Ward, and that of director of research Ian Graham. The departure of Graham May not raise many eyebrows but that of Ward will.
The 41 year-old, like Jenkins has been around Liverpool for the last 10 years and the news has gone down like a lead balloon with the club. Goal.com has mentioned “surprise” and “disappointment” as Liverpool’s reaction. Likely livid and pissed are probably more accurate.
With so many influential members of backroom staff leaving . This is a worry sign. If Ownership is not sorted & Fenway fails to find the right owners, Liverpool are heading towards massive troubles #LiverpoolFC
— Nabeel (@EnterTheHangman) November 25, 2022
Watch this space. I doubt this and Liverpool’s totally average season so far are unrelated. The influence of the support staff is, in my opinion massively underestimated. As it is in sport in general.
Ultimately in these circumstances, as it is in life, it’s not how hard the knock is that counts, but how you get up. This period of flux and uncertainty can’t be good for the club. I want to see how they get up.
Despite FSG’s (almost clumsy) claim that they’re not in any hurry to sell, the current situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible. Especially if the club has ambitions of signing the likes of Jude Bellingham.
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