When Liverpool fans travel to Leicester, for many among them the thought must cross their minds of the two teenage Leicester brothers who were unlawfully killed at Hillsborough Stadium in April 1989. Carl and Nicolas Hewitt were LFC supporters and like many of the dead lived outside the Liverpool area, such is the breadth of the team's fan base. In the 30th anniversary year of their deaths, the club they loved visited their city and thrashed the home side. In my imagination the words "do this in memory of me" echoed.
Last season the game against Leicester was one of four avoidable draws that saw Liverpool blow the English Premier League Championship. There was to be no repeat as the side put on its best display of the season thus far to route a rampant Leicester determined to show that its winning of the Premiership in the 2015-16 season was not a one hit wonder. For LFC it was a blistering demolition of a top drawer side.
A former blanketman sent me a message immediately after Friday night's game while I was still some distance removed from sobriety. He was quoting from a match report he had just read.
How can you beat a team 2nd in the table 4-0 away? Seriously. It is both incredibly impressive and incredibly frightening for their rivals just how comfortable this has been for Liverpool.
That is where it is at for Liverpool. Freshly returned from Qatar as world club champions, they set out to prove their recently acquired title was not a stocking filler but the real thing.
I watched it in the local pub with my son and daughter. She takes a drink and joined me in imbibing the good stuff, but at 14 he abstains, sipping orange and eating sweets. Besides, over the Christmas season I have taken enough to make up for all the teetotallers in Ireland. Spoilt for choice in front of three large television screens, none of the action was missed even if the occasional drinker paused for too long in front of one of the screens on his way to and from the loo.
The thing about this Liverpool side is that while they demolish a top class side like Leicester, they struggle against bottom teams like Watford. Last season Watford would have secured a draw in that fixture. This time despite playing well below par, Liverpool grinded out a 2-0 victory. It is this ability to win those games that distinguishes the team of last year from the current one. As of late, too, the side are starting to keep clean sheets. Despite having world class players at the back the team has inherited a defensive frailty from pre-Klopp era which leaves it vulnerable and over-reliant on the forward line to keep the side's nose in front.
If there was one mistake in Klopp's tactics it was in not taking Jordan Henderson off after the side had gone 3-0 up and there was no way back for Leicester. Last season I felt he should have sent his captain back to Sunderland but this time around Henderson has stepped up to the plate and driven the side forward. With a weakened midfield pool to draw upon due to injuries to Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabinho, keeping Henderson on in a match already won was tempting fate. Watching him limp off confirmed it.
Liverpool should now win the championship for the first time in 30 years. Yet Klopp is determined not to let the complacency of a paradox take hold - that of the the fait accompli still to be achieved. Liverpool showed last season they are capable of putting together a chain of draws while their main challengers are capable of pulling off a string of victories.
The Liver bird is soaring, but let's wait until it sings.
Had you recovered from that cold/flu before drinking Anthony or are you suffering the exuberance now? I’ve prolonged illness by a week making that mistake before.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of sport, Conor is fighting on the 18th of Jan, I will write an article for it. His star has fallen somewhat, the sex stuff and glassing old guys make footballers look relatable now!