What goes around…

Disclaimer: If you’re a blind faith, eternally optimistic, glass always full to the brim kind of fan, it’s probably best if you stop reading now…

Having had time to reflect, not just on last night’s game but the 1st leg as well, I can’t help but think that it may have been the most bizarre two legged cup tie I can remember.

First leg we were awful. Didn’t turn up at all, looked levels below PSG in terms of quality, got absolutely battered for 90 minutes, yet somehow managed to come away with a win. To say we rode our luck in that game would be a massive understatement. We didn’t just ride our luck, we rode it like sea biscuit, wiped it on the curtains and then sneaked off into the night, kicking the dog on the way out for good measure.

If we’d lost the 1st leg 4-0, we could’ve had no complaints. As it was though, we somehow managed to bring a 1-0 lead back to Anfield. I’m always confident when we have a second leg at Anfield, even if we’ve a mountain to climb from the first leg. Special European nights at Anfield are probably the single biggest standout part of our footballing identity as a club. So often we’ve defied the odds, the Anfield roar causing even the best and most experienced players in the world to shrink before our very eyes and it’s always extra special when it’s one of the European heavyweights that have come to town and given PSG had been very vocal about how it wasn’t just the case that they COULD win, but that they WOULD win, you’d have thought both team and crowd would have been right up for it. And they were… for all of 10 minutes…

The game started according to the script. A stirring rendition of YNWA, a raucous and vibrant atmosphere in the early stages and we were a team transformed from the first leg. We pressed and harried PSG from the first whistle, confident and on the front foot and they were wobbling as we created a number of early chances. An early goal seemed inevitable at that stage and we got one… just at the wrong end.

Much like the one we conceded against Southampton at the weekend, it was a bit of a car crash. I could see exactly what was about to happen and it was like I was watching it in slow motion. Conceding early goals from our opponents first attack is FAR from an anomaly for our club and its supporters now though. Quite the opposite in fact, it could almost be described as the norm. The fact that more often than not we turn it around however, meant there should have been no need for any heads to drop, especially as while a goal down on the night, it only drew our opponents level in the tie. To that end, I was absolutely astonished by what happened next.

The goal killed the aforementioned raucous crowd stone dead and they never recovered from it. The reaction from the fans in the stadium was as if our opponents had arrived with a 3-0 lead from the first leg. We’ve overturned such deficits before and so the hope was not lost but then conceding after 10 minutes put paid to that hope. To react like that when the score was 1-1 is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen at Anfield before and certainly not on a European night, hosting one of the favourites for the competition. The place was like a library in the first half, the PSG fans audible throughout.

The team seemed to lose a bit of belief as well, PSG grew into the game and if we’re being honest they probably edged the first half, certainly in terms of who had the better chances. Again though, we’ve become accustomed to being a second half team and turning games on their head after a poor first half, as we had just three days earlier.

Halftime then, a chance for fans and players alike to reset after a disappointing first half, ready to go again in the second and to be fair to the players, they were much improved second half. Unfortunately, the game followed another theme that we’ve seen more times than we’d have liked over the last 2-3 seasons and that was our profligacy in front of goal. Chance after chance went begging, as our shooting and/or final ball let us down again and again. It was the CL final against Madrid all over again. Or the 0-0 at old Trafford where we had almost 40 shots without scoring. When the Quansah header came back out off the inside of the post, I just knew it wasn’t going to be our night.

Despite the much improved second half display from the players however, the fans still didn’t turn up. There were a few half hearted songs and chants but Anfield was unrecognisable to the cauldron we’ve become accustomed to on big European nights. It pains me to say it but the fans let the team down last night, encapsulated by the second half of extra time. We’re 1-0 down at home, yet all you could hear were the 3,000 PSG fans, as their team knocked the ball about with ease, practically unchallenged. We on the other hand, looked beaten from the minute that second period of ET kicked off.

There were some decent performances from the boys to be fair. Trent in particular was showing the kind of desire and aggression that can be so lacking from his game at times, as he tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck and I felt if anyone was likely to change the game, it was him. Szoboszlai was pressing like a demon as well and Mac Allister excellent in receiving and recycling the ball. Our problem was our forwards…

I said on the match thread at half time that the difference between the two teams was that PSG’s defenders were winning pretty much all of their individual duels with our forwards, while we were only winning about 50% of ours at the other end, as time and again they were cutting through us with just two or three passes.

In the reverse fixture, Mendes won 8/8 of his individual duels with Salah and that trend continued last night. By midway through the second half, you could see it had got in Mo’s head and was affecting his game. He was still looking our most likely to score out the front three though, although he really should have bagged a couple with the chances he had.

The other two though… Jota’s form has fallen off a cliff since the injuries and the player himself acknowledged midweek that he’s struggled this season. We can only hope it’s temporary, due to being unable to find any rhythm with constantly being in and out the team but his form, coupled with his fitness issues, is giving cause for concern.
As for Diaz, he started the season like a train. The one thing that’s held him back from being genuinely world class is that he doesn’t score enough goals but it looked like he may have turned a corner in that regard with his early season form in front of goal. Alas, he’s suffered last season’s Szoboszlai syndrome of being electric for the first 10 games of the season or so and then fizzling out. He’s easy on the eye and has a fan friendly style but too often he’s all fart and no shite. It’s all well and good looking good on the ball but ultimately it’s what you do with it that counts and his end product has been sadly lacking in recent months.

By midway through the second half, we looked shattered and out of ideas. We were all screaming for substitutions but we shouldn’t have bothered as my god, were the subs awful when they came on. We saw the worst of Darwin, headless chicken on a completely different wavelength from the rest of the team and it’s quite clear he’s having a crisis of confidence. He was awful in pretty much every way and I was 100% sure he was going to miss his penalty as he walked up and he duly obliged. Sometimes for reasons nobody can explain, it just doesn’t work for a player at a certain club and I think in Darwin’s case, we just have to accept that and try and move him on. The thing is, I have no doubt he’ll love to another league and start banging the goals in again but it hasn’t and is showing no signs of working at LFC.

Then there was Jones. We saw the worst of Curtis as well – holding onto the ball too long and losing possession, trying to be too clever when there was a simple pass on and there was one point in extra time where he did his best impression of Trent against United this season and literally just watched as PSG players strolled past him, five yards from our penalty area. Not even pretending he was going to try and challenge and unlike our usual midfield trio, he can have no excuses of fatigue or burnout.

Then we had Gakpo. My god, he’s only been out for a couple of weeks but he looked like he hadn’t played in two years, not to mention he also appeared to be wearing lead boots. I thought Rhys Williams or Fabinho had sneaked on in his place, he looked like he just couldn’t run anymore. Also awful when he came on. Chiesa must be wondering just how bad some of the others need to perform for him to get even a sniff of a 5 minute cameo.

It’s also becoming increasingly apparent that when Mac Allister isn’t playing, we have absolutely no midfield control. As soon as he went off, we looked clueless and PSG started taking control of the midfield battle for the first time on the night and we never really got going again as we finished the game unbelievably meekly, with the fans mirroring that meekness in the stands. Truly a first that I can think of in a CL second leg at Anfield, with a game in the balance the way it was.

That brings me to the manager. We’ve been waxing lyrical about Slot this season and quite rightly so! He’s been nothing short of outstanding in his maiden campaign with us but he’s made a right arse of this last week in my opinion. I couldn’t believe he didn’t rotate more against Southampton – a side on course to be the worst team in PL history. Not only were our regular starters shattered after the shellacking they’d been on the receiving end of in the 1st leg against PSG but I also think he’s been very poor at rewarding the fringe players for good performances, notably Harvey Elliot this week. Came on and changed the game against PSG and it’s not the first time he’s done that this season either. Scored the winner but despite his heroics and the players ahead of him being exhausted, he’s back on the bench. Thats not good man management as it’s very difficult to remain motivated when no matter how well you perform, it makes no difference in your standing with the manager and that’s especially true for a player as young as Harvey.

It’s been a theme this season though. Darwin by Slot’s own admission is having a crisis of confidence but the manager has never let him build on the good things he HAS done. He’ll have been flying after his two goals at Brentford and I was sure he’d start the next game on the back of it but nope, barely got a sniff for the next few games and was then singled out for criticism by the manager after the Villa game. I’m not a Darwin fan but you can see he’s both an emotional character and definitely a confidence player. If you don’t reward him with more minutes when he DOES play well, you take away any platform he may have had to build on that. That’s the main reason I think he’ll be away in the summer because I think if Slot had it in his mind at all that he’d still be here next season, he would WANT him to build on these displays but it seems he has him pegged as an impact sub and rotation option no matter what. As for Chiesa, he must’ve run over Slot’s dog or pumped his missus, as Doris the tea lady is ahead of him in the pecking order. He’s also not been provided any kind of platform to build on a promising cup performance, or find any kind of rhythm.

Then you’ve got Endo!! The lad has been outstanding in almost every single minute he’s played this season and against PSG, he’d have been very useful, especially away from home when we were run ragged. There are other means of midfield control and game management, other than simply being in possession. Gravenberch has been a revelation this season but he’s only 22 and learning a new position. He’s been overplayed, especially given he’d barely started any games in the previous two years and it’s showed at times. Even when we’re being totally overrun and dominated in midfield, he still doesn’t get a sniff and I’m not a fan of a management style that’s so rigid it won’t be changed, even when it’s clearly not working. The man management style and stubborn rigidity we’ve seen at times from him has given me Rafa vibes that I don’t really like. One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a fascinating transfer window this summer.

A bit of a reality check last night then, after what has been a dream season up to now. We’ve all been crowing about being the best in Europe and to be fair, we have been but the two games against PSG have made me somewhat question if we’ve benefitted from the other elite teams of the last few seasons, suffering a major drop off and/or season of transition. It also highlighted our need for another reliable goal scorer in the side, for when Salah is shackled as he was across both legs of this tie, by a fullback that simply seemed to have his number.

As if all that wasn’t bad enough, we’ve also lost both Trent and Konate to injury, at a time when their replacements in the squad are also out injured and I suspect we’re going to start the cup final on Sunday with a back four of Quansah at RB, Endo and Virgil at CB and LB will depend on Robbo’s physical condition after last night’s exertions I suspect. If we have to add Kostas to that back four, then it’s giving me the fear ahead of our game with the camel molestors. Isak must be rubbing his hands together.

Anyway, we can take solace in the fact that we’ve pretty much wrapped up the league title, the trophy we’d have pretty much all picked as our first choice to win this season if given the choice. I do wonder though, if our canter to the league title has been papering over some cracks. We’re not quite the finished article as a team or squad. We’re 90% there but we still need a few tweaks in my opinion and that’s the next acid test for Slot. Recruitment under Klopp was as good as I’ve ever seen, with the vast majority being an unquestionable success. One or two notable exceptions of course but that’s part and parcel of football, there’s no such thing as a sure thing when signing players.


Believe it or not, I’d intended on keeping this short and sweet… So much for that. To that end, that’s plenty from me. Time to put the disappointment of last night behind us and look forward to the cup final on Sunday. A little less confident about it than I was 48hrs ago though, I must admit. Walk on!!