I gave myself some time to think about this one. This is only the second time I’ve written after a defeat, and the first one was that game where the ref sent about 5 lads off then ruled the goal out for offside when he was about 4 foot onside. This one was different. They weren’t robbed, they were just beaten by a team who looked like they wanted it more, which is a shame given the situation, and also the performance they put in during the week against Chelsea. I’ll be honest, I didn’t fancy this one. I didn’t fancy it all week, and then when I saw the team Jurgen put out, it didn’t fill me with loads of hope. I’d have rather seen Nunez start and have to come off on 60, and deal with that later in the game, than him coming on to try make an impact in a game where they were all miles off it. The goals that were conceded, they sometimes happen. I should add, not very often. The goalkeeper is the best I’ve ever seen wear the Red (or black, or yellow, or green) kit, and the CB is too. They’ve got more than enough credit in the bank for me.
The whole team was poor. Really poor. From front to back. They were second to every ball, sloppy in possession, didn’t cause Raya nearly enough problems between the sticks. It’s just a massive shame cause a win would have been such a big statement. In truth, it was very unlikely that the Reds were going to go the rest of the season without losing. Liverpool have gone on ridiculous winning runs before, but this team doesn’t quite look up to that standard just yet. They’ve clearly got a very high ceiling, but I don’t think they’re a winning machine. They’re not quite there. I think the biggest shame is that in recent weeks they’ve looked like a team that could go and win any game at any moment. Hopefully it’s just a blip. I back them to bounce back. It’s probably the first time since he left the squad for AFCON that Salah was a noticeable miss. I think Arteta and his boys will have been thrilled that he wasn’t playing. Even just taking away his goal threat, he’s a handful, and he always seems to have fun playing Arsenal. Massive miss, especially with Darwin out of the team. I’m hoping the Reds just bounce back into action and not let it affect them, cause let’s be honest, Man City are probably winning 90-95% of the remaining games this season. No one wants a phone background this weekend