Kabak and the Bolton Baresi making a difference for Liverpool…

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Molineux mails
Get well soon Patricio. That looked dreadful. I have a feeling that they are testing a system to automate offsides and when you look at an injury like today that really can’t come soon enough. I get why they don’t flag offsides instantly anymore but it has already looked like it might endanger a player and today it’s caused some real harm. The trouble is that if you change back to the old system then everyone will grumble when a flag goes up incorrectly so refs really can’t win.

For Liverpool overall it was a strong performance. We controlled the ball and kept the tempo up for long periods. Mané was a bit wasteful and a lot of the best chances fell to him. You feel like he’s probably going to end up scoring a hat full of goals if he keeps getting in the same positions. Trent was better today and I think a large part of that was he was trying to cross it a bit less and keep the ball down.

Special mention to both centre backs who were outstanding. Not only did they both handle themselves well but they actually picked a few aggressive passes into the midfield which helped to build some attacks. Those passes have really been missed; up until now the guys in at centre half have often passed without breaking the lines; they’d play short passes to the 6 or play wide to Trent or Robertson but those passes through the lines made such a difference to our attacking threat. We were far less predictable and it meant that they couldn’t throw loads of people forward to press us as hard as they may have done otherwise.

I need to know; do all fans think Tyler on commentary is utterly shite or is it just Liverpool fans? The worst thing about crowds not being in stadiums is that you have nothing else to listen out for except his awful opinions on football and his worse jokes.

Finally, Fred, London – please tell me how a ball hitting an out stretched arm in an unnatural position is not a penalty?! Also please tell me you remember that you lost that final 2-0 not 1-0? Just keep writing in about how lucky Liverpool were because it’s hilarious to see how blinkered an opinion someone can have.
Minty, LFC


F365 says: Five touches of the old Liverpool amid the new


…Lucky? Yes.

However, it felt great getting a ‘dirty’ win that makes top 4 very unlikely rather than impossible.
Aidan, Lfc (Thiago is a red card waiting to happen)

 

Kane’s dark side
Is Harry Kane an excellent striker who just happens to play for Spurs and so his physicality annoys Arsenal supporters?
Yes.

Is Harry Kane a player with form for late, off the ball hits and leaning into players when they’re in the air hoping they’ll think twice about jumping again when he’s around?
Yes.

Do England Captains tend to get a little more leeway from Premier League referees?
Yes.

Is Harry Kane England captain?
Yes?

Can all these things be true at once?
Yes.
Doug, AFC, Belfast

 

… We need to talk about ‘arry

I can be as myopic as the next fan but thayden and Rob Pearse take it to another level. Just because we won means we can’t comment on Kane? No sir, that’s also bizarre.

Is Kane good? Yes he is. (No, he’s not the best striker in the league/Europe) And I’ve no problem acknowledging that. He’s been a thorn in our side longer than I care to remember. No issue with that too. But that does not mean his ‘tackling/challenges’ can’t be criticised without it being a conspiracy theory. For the record, I don’t think it’s because he’s England captain. But I do think he gets more attention because of it.

Was it a red card? No. Could it be reviewed? No. But that’s a silly rule. Enough about the terrible application of VAR already. Was it a yellow given that it was “a late shoulder barge”? Absolutely.

The argument that you see this multiple times in a weekend and that somehow makes it a normal part of the game is the real problem here. It’s not just a foul. It’s a deliberate attempt to hurt your opponent when you have no intention or possibility of getting the ball. What other reason could there be? The pundits like Michael Owen who also criticised the second yellow for Lamela, are the delusional ones. You catch someone in the eye or neck and it could cause a really serious injury. Can you establish your position or shield the ball without swinging your arms in that manner? Of course you can.

The real conspiracy is that these pundits are there to stoke the flames, because controversy sells.
Tired (of bad punditry) Gooner

 

Thayden: There are few things better in football than watching rival fans having a meltdown after being handed down a proper beatdown in a derby game. Had a real good laugh at Jenas crying about it on television, made the win that much more enjoyable. Thought that would be the end of it but luckily we have thayden, master of eloquent spaff, calling out us “delusional maniacs”.

I, for one, feel thoroughly put down by thayden, the last standing bastion of truth in this country. Master of constructing nonsensical strawman arguments weaker than even Gabriel, going on and on about one season wonder and swearing on daughter’s life. Everyone knows that’s exactly what every Arsenal fan has been spouting after sending Spurs packing. If only Gabriel had been stronger at not getting whiplashed from being hit off the ball from a shoulder charge only meant to injure the player. Shame on Gabriel at not seeing that coming, should have had his eyes purely on the player instead of the ball like Sir Harry “the brave” Kane. Its not like our esteemed hero doesn’t have a long and proud history of throwing similar hissy fits on the pitch, clearly the opponents simply need to be stronger.

Its incredible that Arsenal fans are crying about blind side shoulder barges that are illegal in every other sport just because an injury hasn’t happened yet. Clearly you need to wait for an actual serious injury to happen before calling it out. Unless, of course, you just get to be sad about it later on in which case its all forgiven, eh Son?

Thanks for enlightening with clearly not nonsensical gibberish. I guess when you have as sh*t of a game as the “bestest ever striker who lived” had yesterday (not a single shot on target, 13 duels lost, 1 out of 6 aerial duels lost, couldn’t pass, couldn’t control the ball, couldn’t challenge, could barely get a touch of the ball), the apologists really do have to come out. Shame your hero didn’t try his party trick of throwing himself to the ground in the box instead of outside, might have made himself relevant in the game.

Glad we were able to cheer you up though fella, heaven knows you lot needed it after another Mourinho masterclass. Can’t be easy putting up with that week in, week out.
Falooda in NY (when is the DVD for Lamela’s goal coming out?)

 

Rob Pearse and thayden (and Jermaine Jenas, for that matter)… OOF! Take care, my loves, that savours strongly of bitterness. 1: Harry Kane is a world class striker. I reckon most Arsenal fans would acknowledge that. 2: Arsenal have been on the receiving end of a lot of bad refereeing decisions in the last couple of seasons. But, I’m sure a lot of Arsenal fans would dismiss the notion that there is a conspiracy against us, especially when you look at what happens to other clubs as well. 3. England captains Gerrard, Rooney, Terry? A fair point. But, they wore there aggressive play on their sleeves, whereas Kane is the blonde-haired, blue-eyed England poster boy… like Beckham. I think that does go some way in affecting the sub-conscious. On the penalty, if Sanchez is not hindering Lacazette’s shot then he is still clattering into him without taking the ball. It’s a foul, even after the attempt. The ball was still in play. It should be punished. Indirect free kick inside the box or penalty it’s still a foul. Get over it. And what about defenders holding back strikers in the box from reaching crosses? Is that not a foul? Had Alderweirald done that to Laca (first half) anywhere else on the pitch a free kick would have been given, so you rather got away with that one. If your defense of foul play is that it happens all the time then maybe sit the debate out. The truth about Harry Kane is he is a dirty c**t. He’s a dirty sh*t c**t. A dirty f***ing sh*tty c*nty c**t, and you must accept it. Mourinho wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ve all seen the Nothing documentary on Amazon.
Simon, Norf London Gooner

 

…As Tottenham Hotspur come to terms with another galling defeat in the latest installment of the North London Derby (congratulations to Arsenal by the way). I noticed the future of their talismanic captain and chief goalscorer, Harry Kane, was once again a subject of some debate on various online forums.

The dilemma facing the enigmatic Mister Kane is rather complicated and far from straightforward.

Tottenham Hotspurs fans love the chant ”He’s of our own, he’s one of our own Harry Kane is one of our own”.

By abandoning his boyhood club in their hour of need, Harry would suddenly be labeled a “Judas” by these same adoring fans. Yet, Tottenham have been in this situation before.

First Teddy Sheringham and then Dimitar Berbatov both felt the need to head to Old Trafford in the pursuit of much sought-after silverware.
Both players were, of course, correct in their decision, as Alex Ferguson would no doubt attest to.

So, is history going to now repeat itself once again?

I think that it is, as Tottenham is not now in a realistic position to consistently challenge for the major honors in the game, as, ironically enough they once were under former managerial incumbent Mauricio Pochettino.

The aforementioned Mister Pochettino could lure Harry Kane to Paris Saint Germain, where he would be practically be guaranteed a domestic treble in most seasons and also play alongside world-class players such as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

An interesting summer awaits, if Tottenham Hotspur should win one, or indeed both of the Europa League or the Carabao Cup, would Harry Kane be still tempted to swap North London for the Parc des Princes, Ethiad Stadium, Old Trafford, or, hopefully, Anfield.

Only Harry Kane will be in a position to determine his next destination.

Kind Regards
Upbeat Liverpool Supporter.

 

Move on
Just to be clear, Fred, it doesn’t take Liverpool storming to another 95+ points season to know you are talking ‘b****cks.’

This last email was angrier and much more of a teenage temper tantrum than even the prior emails. On the weekend when your team were beaten by what most people would consider an inferior team in a derby, you are spending all your fury venting about a team that won the CL, the PL and the World Club (you still have to get there), a second in the PL (with a points tally that would have won many seasons and a CL final before that. That has to be considered spectacular success. But oh no, to fit your rosier than rose tinted glasses – it’s all luck.

Liverpool, by their recent standards have been woeful. Yet when we look at the stats and the games, they are, frustratingly, not far off. Part of it is that they have lost that aura of invincibility that affected teams recently when playing against them. Same as when teams went to City when they are in full song and don’t compete. Happens. Happened to Utd when in their pomp and glory. Utd made their ‘luck’ by constantly pressuring the opposition with high tempo attacking football, which is why they were attractive to watch. It also affected teams before they even went onto the pitch.

Liverpool have not played well, consistently, since the Covid break last year. They have not played well at home, consistently, since the fans have not been allowed in the ground (yes, albeit a short period of partial fans.) So perhaps there is something in the fans being the 12th member of the team?

Whatever, why don’t you just focus on the deficiencies in your own team and manager, instead of trying to misdirect everyone’s attention elsewhere. (A nice way of saying just get over it.)
Paul McDevitt

 

…Fred, congratulations on ‘outplaying us with 10 men’ when was the parade? Can this count as the soon to be 28 year old Harry Kane’s first trophy? Bobby Firmino was actually rather good that year and also came back from injury for the final. He was clearly not up to it and was replaced by Origi…remember him? Maybe your bottle job of an ex-manager could have made a change too? Your first shot on target was after the 70th minute and frankly the quality of chances you created was shocking. We beat you and won the trophy, we went on the romp the league the following year…and won the trophy. It doesn’t matter what you think, the history books will show us as the winners and spurs as spursy.

On another note, injuries have impacted us this year, VVD, Gomez, Thiago, Henderon (twice), Fabinho (twice), Matip, Keita, Ox, Jota, Milner, Trent, Alisson have all had significant periods of time out. Other teams have had it too but not to this extent. At least 7 of that list are first 11 players. Either your really bitter about the 2019 final or your missus ran off with a scouser.
Pete, Birmingham (My money is on the Mrs)


MONDAY MAILBOX: Moyes treats Man Utd like an ex-girlfriend he can’t get over


Fred from the Monday morning mailbox appears to have boiled down the debate about Liverpool as one between 2 camps- Liverpool has been lucky over the last 2 or so years (his view) and Liverpool is one of the greatest teams in Premier League history (the supposed view of those who disagree with him). This is a classic false dilemma as it should be obvious that there is a whole spectrum between those two positions.

I’m a Liverpool fan and I don’t think our team deserves a place in the pantheon of the very best clubs in the PL era just yet. However I think those two years of consistent excellence do mark them out as a great team. Plenty of others will agree with me- a great side but not an all-time great yet.

However it is genuinely hilarious to sum up 2 years of excellence as ‘luck’ and then decide that 2 and a half months of bad form is the real reflection of the team. Surely using his own logic, we need to wait a little bit longer to draw such a conclusion? If he was unconvinced by 2+ years of consistently good results how can he be convinced that less than 3 months of dodgy results is sufficient time to prove his point? Just strange on so many levels.
Turiyo Damascene, Kigali, Rwanda

 

…Fred. It was 2 years ago. Get over it. I’ve never seen someone who writes into the mailbox who is clearly so traumatised by a single event. Spurs lost the 2019 Champions League final. It happened. It wasn’t luck. Liverpool scored early due to a penalty that is given 9 times out of 10 in the modern game. They then held Spurs at bay quite easily. Spurs didn’t have a shot on target until the 73rd minute. They then managed a few shots on goal, none of which seriously troubled Allison. Spurs being unable to score in 90 minutes is not luck. It was a comfortable and deserved victory. Seriously Fred, have a word with yourself. It’s time to move on.
Mike, LFC, London

 

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