After thoughts AC Milan 1 Liverpool 2

McMOTM podium

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I must admit when the team was named I waivered a bit and thought we might lose especially due to the changes in defence. I couldn’t bring myself to forecast a defeat so I went for a draw instead but I should have had more faith. This win says so much about our strength in depth and we still have Firmino, Jones and Elliot to add to the mix.

Alisson: As usual, one brain fart and two really good saves, even if one did unfortunately end in a goal for them 🙂

Williams: A bit rough with too many fouls given away and some iffy passing. But he’s young and for the most part did well defensively

Phillips: Another monster performance from Nat. It looked like he’d never been away and he even showed off the turn which he taught to Lallana.

Konate: Talking of monsters had a great game showing real promise for the future. He was one of my joint runners up for McMOTM

Tsimikas: I thought he looked solid defensively though his crossing wasn’t up to his usual standard and he might easily have given away a penalty for a clumsy challenge even if it would have been harsh.

Morton. Looks like we have another gem coming through. You would never have thought he was 18. He looked like he’d played there all his life.

Ox: Starting to look like the Ox we saw before his injury and could be a real asset as we enter the hectic Christmas period. He offers something different in our midfield and as you know I am a great believer of having a Plan B 😉

Minamino: He didn’t look out of place but didn’t really have an impact either, though he did get an assist…..even if it was for them:-) He came away from the post and got caught out by a flick on which led to their goal which was very much against the run of play

Mane: Had a bit of a quiet game but, like the rest of the team, he worked hard to help cope with all of the changes to the side.

Origi: Another of my joint runners up for the McMOTM. Very quick reactions for the goal though he should have scored with another header that he somehow managed to steer wide of the post.

Salah: A class act as always, worked hard and got his goal which makes him my third runner up for McMOTM

Robertson: A quiet game by his standards but did just enough to beat Salah, Origi and Konate to be named McMOTM yet again 🙂

Subs: Great to see Gomez back playing and for the kids to get taste of a European game. What more of a spur do they need than to play in a side that wins away at the San Siro? Another great motivational move by Jurgen Klopp.

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Ok, this is not a Jock esq. match review article, but I will mention the performance and the benefit this win can and will have on the team, especially the youngsters.

I hear ( annoyingly ) that some people wished we lost last night, because they hate Atletico. Well let me tell y’all, I don’t like them very much either.
With saying that I would not or could not “hope” our team is defeated for the greater gain of another team.
We play to win, not to lose.
It’s not just on this site I’ve witnessed distain towards our historic victory last night, but in other sites too. I’ll be blunt here, take ya fooking head for a wobble.

Last night.

Defence.
Ali was just Ali, commanding in all he did and does on a regular basis, which is why he’s the World’s best goalie. He was not at fault for their goal.

NAT the legend Philips has shown once again why he is trusted. Cook calm and friggin awesome. That drag back was sublime. One Milan player fell over, the other was on a different planet, he certainly wasn’t on this planet after NAT made a fool out of them both, oh well..

The backline were new, as a formation, I don’t think that back four have ever started together, though I could be wrong.

Konate had a couple of wobbles but over all a damn fine performance from him on the European stage. Neco and Tsimi did great too.

Midfield.
Tyler Morton.
What can ya say about this young fella?
19 years of age and once again he was bossing lower midfield, shouting out instructions to the established players. Guess what? They listened.
Tyler Morton is going to boss our midfield for 15 years. He will also be captain of the team.
Taki had a offish game, a bit lacking in ideas and strength but that will develop. Was he at fault for their goal? That’s debatable but he certainly didn’t help the situation.

OX?
This fella is getting back to his best after many injuries. Given a run of games he’s showing what we all knew when we signed him. He’s a shoot on sight kinda fella, which will benefit others as spills occur, which was evident last night when Mo picked up the scraps..

Forward line.
Mane tried but his ups and downs are a concern.
Salah is, well what can you say about Mo? Has his all round game reached a new level because he wants his contract sorted? I can’t answer that because I don’t know.
What I do know is his game has evolved massively this season. He will for sure be remembered as an all time Liverpool legend.

Origi?
What a conundrum we have with him.
Do we keep him?
Do we sell him?
It’s a head scratcher to say the least.
He ambles around the pitch not really adding much n yet time and again he delivers the goods. He’s a pain in the butt with his general play but fook me he knows how to win a game.

The kids that came on during the latter part of the match would have set their confidence levels through the roof. They will return to the under 23’s or under 18’s with a spring in their step.
They all performed outstandingly.
8 changes and yet we bossed 90% of the game, nah, 99.9% of the game.
Outstanding lads.

Summary.
As I said top of the shop, I can never understand why people hope we lose in order to benefit or hinder other teams. In my opinion it’s the wrong mindset, but that’s just me talking.

Imagine this.
8 changes, the team doesn’t gel and we get beaten.
How do you think that would play on the minds of our starters?
Tyler Morton has been fantastic every time he’s played. Do we accept his mind might be a bit fooked up if we lose?
No.
Do we allow Conor Bradley or Max Woltman to gain valuable experience if we are losing?
No.

Those players, especially Tyler will be buzzing today after wearing the Red of OUR club.

We play to win.

As I said, it isn’t a Jock esq thread, no one can produce post match articles like our Jock.

Just remember what you wish for?
we are LIVERPOOL and Fook the Rest.

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