Football and fandom aren’t the most rational of things. Liverpool F.C. takes the antithesis of rationalism to the extremes. Nothing is remotely straight forward with this club, nor is with the team. It’s a juxtaposition of attractions and opposites.
After the impeccable 2008/09 season, particularly its finish, you would think a bright start this season would surely follow as surely day follows night. Another English rather than Indian summer put paid to that. The sun didn’t shine much and we were finding ourselves more often with long faces waving the last goodbyes at the departures rather than beaming with a bouquet in our hands at the arrivals. Pre-season arrived and there weren’t much to get too excited about, but then what would you expect from a squad who was jet-lagging itself around Asia to finance someone’s debt.
Spurs was a disappointment but it was all soon forgotten when Liverpool quite simple rolled over last season’s pain in the arse and unscratchable hitch Stoke City. And on Monday night Aston Villa visited. Liverpool started as well as they did the Wednesday before against the aforementioned. They didn’t unlock the score soon enough due to lack of luck and admittedly lack of clinicality. In a particular moment the Villa penalty area looked more like an over-sized flip-ball with their defenders the paddles rather than a rectangular patch of green. Anyway, that was that and slightly after the half-hour mark Liverpool conceded a free-kick in a hardly danger zone but a hapless defending header was deposited into Liverpool’s net. Just before half-time, a corner was conceded. Reina looked animated more than usual and got booked. With his name on the book and his wits probably all over the place he could only pick the ball from the net for the second time. Being a Monday night, I was watching alone at home and couldn’t believe what was going on before my eyes. And this time I couldn’t even blame the ale.
Liverpool did answer back as soon as the man in black signaled the start of the second forty-five minutes. They did get close and tested the ex-Friedel more than a few times. Friedel had a good game but the cynic in me suggests he was just very efficient. He didn’t pull out of the world saves. Torres finally slotted in and another comeback looked likely as much as a happy ending in a Hollywood movie. I don’t like Coldplay too much and I didn’t like even more the captain reminding me of their album ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’. Gerrard’s a legend make no mistake about it, but that kind of tackle in his penalty area was more akin of him in his teenage years rather than now, with countless games under his belt and a football brain fitting a statesman of Liverpool F.C. That was that. Liverpool went 3-1 down.
The coldest fact of it all, the result put aside for a single minute, was that while time wound on and Rafa started to reshuffle the side and his tactics, he brought fresh legs but no added impetus. The two substitutions weakened the side. Voronin looked out of it and jumped out of tackles. A player of his calibre should be thanking his lucky stars he found himself at a club like Liverpool, and make up for his lack of talent with at least effort. Babel once again disappointed and blew another chance to impress the gaffer. Considering Rafa’s limited budget over the years, and him costing around £10m to bring over, he makes splashing out dosh during a recession reasonable.
Three games, one win, two defeats. I was much more optimistic before the season started rather than now. At times am finding myself more inclined to look over my shoulders rather than ahead. The last time Liverpool ended in the second place, they followed with a horrendous season that was the beginning of the end of Houllier’s reign. I believe this squad with all its limitations in its numbers is made of sterner stuff than that one. And while being sterner it is more flexible and creative too. Goals haven’t really been the issue. Six goals in three games could have returned sixteen to eighteen points in five games in past seasons. Till the next match on Saturday I’ll bide my time in silence. But I remind myself that this is Liverpool F.C. and with that rationality never mix.
After the impeccable 2008/09 season, particularly its finish, you would think a bright start this season would surely follow as surely day follows night. Another English rather than Indian summer put paid to that. The sun didn’t shine much and we were finding ourselves more often with long faces waving the last goodbyes at the departures rather than beaming with a bouquet in our hands at the arrivals. Pre-season arrived and there weren’t much to get too excited about, but then what would you expect from a squad who was jet-lagging itself around Asia to finance someone’s debt.
Spurs was a disappointment but it was all soon forgotten when Liverpool quite simple rolled over last season’s pain in the arse and unscratchable hitch Stoke City. And on Monday night Aston Villa visited. Liverpool started as well as they did the Wednesday before against the aforementioned. They didn’t unlock the score soon enough due to lack of luck and admittedly lack of clinicality. In a particular moment the Villa penalty area looked more like an over-sized flip-ball with their defenders the paddles rather than a rectangular patch of green. Anyway, that was that and slightly after the half-hour mark Liverpool conceded a free-kick in a hardly danger zone but a hapless defending header was deposited into Liverpool’s net. Just before half-time, a corner was conceded. Reina looked animated more than usual and got booked. With his name on the book and his wits probably all over the place he could only pick the ball from the net for the second time. Being a Monday night, I was watching alone at home and couldn’t believe what was going on before my eyes. And this time I couldn’t even blame the ale.
Liverpool did answer back as soon as the man in black signaled the start of the second forty-five minutes. They did get close and tested the ex-Friedel more than a few times. Friedel had a good game but the cynic in me suggests he was just very efficient. He didn’t pull out of the world saves. Torres finally slotted in and another comeback looked likely as much as a happy ending in a Hollywood movie. I don’t like Coldplay too much and I didn’t like even more the captain reminding me of their album ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’. Gerrard’s a legend make no mistake about it, but that kind of tackle in his penalty area was more akin of him in his teenage years rather than now, with countless games under his belt and a football brain fitting a statesman of Liverpool F.C. That was that. Liverpool went 3-1 down.
The coldest fact of it all, the result put aside for a single minute, was that while time wound on and Rafa started to reshuffle the side and his tactics, he brought fresh legs but no added impetus. The two substitutions weakened the side. Voronin looked out of it and jumped out of tackles. A player of his calibre should be thanking his lucky stars he found himself at a club like Liverpool, and make up for his lack of talent with at least effort. Babel once again disappointed and blew another chance to impress the gaffer. Considering Rafa’s limited budget over the years, and him costing around £10m to bring over, he makes splashing out dosh during a recession reasonable.
Three games, one win, two defeats. I was much more optimistic before the season started rather than now. At times am finding myself more inclined to look over my shoulders rather than ahead. The last time Liverpool ended in the second place, they followed with a horrendous season that was the beginning of the end of Houllier’s reign. I believe this squad with all its limitations in its numbers is made of sterner stuff than that one. And while being sterner it is more flexible and creative too. Goals haven’t really been the issue. Six goals in three games could have returned sixteen to eighteen points in five games in past seasons. Till the next match on Saturday I’ll bide my time in silence. But I remind myself that this is Liverpool F.C. and with that rationality never mix.
posted by jean paul at 10:39 pm
1 Comments:
chelsea is my favourite
Bathmate
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