Anthony McIntyre ⚽ A few minutes ago, beer glass in hand, I left the living room having just watched Liverpool draw 2-2 against Spurs.


Better to write about it now before the whiskey glass takes the place of the beer one. Small glasses fragmenting on the rebound from the wall leave fewer shards! Fortunately, it never gets to me that badly.

I had fully expected Liverpool to win, the mournful swansong of many a gambler staring tearfully into the dregs of their glass, with not enough left in the wallet to buy another round. When the rubber hits the road the Spurs legs have all too often turned to rubber. Not today - Allison Becker had to perform like Rubber man to keep them out. 

It was a great game with plenty of crisp, neat Red passing in spaces so confined that Health And Safety would expect risk assessment procedures to be in place before anyone was permitted to enter them. I am relieved that the Reds leave London with a point they did not deserve. Spurs should have done what Aston Villa did last season and put seven past Liverpool. Villa managed it even with Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of the defence, which was noticeably porous in his absence this afternoon.

Spurs boss, Antonio Conte has to be thinking that his earlier management foray into the EPL was to coach a team, in Chelsea, that would never have performed so lamentably in front of goal as his side did today. Sitter after sitter, open nets, Spurs squandered a bagful of opportunities, each time looking wistfully to the skies in disbelief that the Heavenly saviour had opted to perform miracles elsewhere this Sunday. Allison Becker is nicknamed the Holy Goalie by Van Dijk for his overt religiosity - maybe that explains the miracles between the sticks in the Liverpool goal. But the bearded Brazilian certainly made the difference despite misjudging a through ball that led to Spurs' second goal. He ventured out only because he could not rely on his defence. 

The outcome was no more than the Londoners deserved. Normally on a bad day, even a team as dull as Spurs could be expected to send a Liverpool side as defensively deficient as today's, on the road North to Merseyside much as West Ham did a few weeks ago. The number of times the backline was caught flat as a ball was either lobbed over their heads or scythed through them with precision invited comparisons with the Leeds performance yesterday against Spurs' London rivals, Arsenal. Only Kane, Song and Deli Ali were as poor up front as Matip was in the centre of defence, this could have been a rout.

Andy Robertson was shown the red card for an uncharacteristically reckless tackle. He deserved it. But so too did Harry Kane who earlier had lunged through Robertson but played on to squander endless opportunities. Karma, for those who believe in it. Despite his absence, Liverpool continued to press for the winner with determination. A man down they failed to show it. As one pundit said, they were prepared to risk defeat in the attempt to emerge victorious. 

Jurgen Klopp has to know that today luck was on his side and that his defence will be punished by teams like Manchester City, who Liverpool now trail by three points. Luckily, the Etihad side were playing Newcastle today rather than the men from Anfield. What an embarrassment that could have been. City could easily have swept today's side away much as Liverpool did with Manchester United a month back when it not only hammered the Old Trafford lot but hammered one of the few remaining nails into the coffin of Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Steve R occasionally comments that I am much too critical of Liverpool, even going so far to recently express surprise that I had praised them for something. I prefer to see it much like Michael Ignatieff's cynic who is equipped with a healthy awareness of the gulf between what people practice and what they preach.

 ⏩ Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.

Tottenham Squanderers

Anthony McIntyre ⚽ A few minutes ago, beer glass in hand, I left the living room having just watched Liverpool draw 2-2 against Spurs.


Better to write about it now before the whiskey glass takes the place of the beer one. Small glasses fragmenting on the rebound from the wall leave fewer shards! Fortunately, it never gets to me that badly.

I had fully expected Liverpool to win, the mournful swansong of many a gambler staring tearfully into the dregs of their glass, with not enough left in the wallet to buy another round. When the rubber hits the road the Spurs legs have all too often turned to rubber. Not today - Allison Becker had to perform like Rubber man to keep them out. 

It was a great game with plenty of crisp, neat Red passing in spaces so confined that Health And Safety would expect risk assessment procedures to be in place before anyone was permitted to enter them. I am relieved that the Reds leave London with a point they did not deserve. Spurs should have done what Aston Villa did last season and put seven past Liverpool. Villa managed it even with Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of the defence, which was noticeably porous in his absence this afternoon.

Spurs boss, Antonio Conte has to be thinking that his earlier management foray into the EPL was to coach a team, in Chelsea, that would never have performed so lamentably in front of goal as his side did today. Sitter after sitter, open nets, Spurs squandered a bagful of opportunities, each time looking wistfully to the skies in disbelief that the Heavenly saviour had opted to perform miracles elsewhere this Sunday. Allison Becker is nicknamed the Holy Goalie by Van Dijk for his overt religiosity - maybe that explains the miracles between the sticks in the Liverpool goal. But the bearded Brazilian certainly made the difference despite misjudging a through ball that led to Spurs' second goal. He ventured out only because he could not rely on his defence. 

The outcome was no more than the Londoners deserved. Normally on a bad day, even a team as dull as Spurs could be expected to send a Liverpool side as defensively deficient as today's, on the road North to Merseyside much as West Ham did a few weeks ago. The number of times the backline was caught flat as a ball was either lobbed over their heads or scythed through them with precision invited comparisons with the Leeds performance yesterday against Spurs' London rivals, Arsenal. Only Kane, Song and Deli Ali were as poor up front as Matip was in the centre of defence, this could have been a rout.

Andy Robertson was shown the red card for an uncharacteristically reckless tackle. He deserved it. But so too did Harry Kane who earlier had lunged through Robertson but played on to squander endless opportunities. Karma, for those who believe in it. Despite his absence, Liverpool continued to press for the winner with determination. A man down they failed to show it. As one pundit said, they were prepared to risk defeat in the attempt to emerge victorious. 

Jurgen Klopp has to know that today luck was on his side and that his defence will be punished by teams like Manchester City, who Liverpool now trail by three points. Luckily, the Etihad side were playing Newcastle today rather than the men from Anfield. What an embarrassment that could have been. City could easily have swept today's side away much as Liverpool did with Manchester United a month back when it not only hammered the Old Trafford lot but hammered one of the few remaining nails into the coffin of Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Steve R occasionally comments that I am much too critical of Liverpool, even going so far to recently express surprise that I had praised them for something. I prefer to see it much like Michael Ignatieff's cynic who is equipped with a healthy awareness of the gulf between what people practice and what they preach.

 ⏩ Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.

13 comments:

  1. Anthony

    At the end of the day it was not Liverpool's fault that Spurs passed up so many opportunities and so on that basis Liverpool deserved to take something from the game.

    Your defence can never be as bad as ours at the moment although you do not have the excuse of an epidemic of hamstring injuries!

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    Replies
    1. true, it was not their fault but they rode their luck.

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  2. Without Virg, Hendo, Fabinho, the Reds would always struggle 🆚 a well rested Spurs side. There was a 30 yrd gap between defence & midfield ❗London hasn't been a happy hunting ground this season , for the scousers .
    Replacements will be needed for Milly, Keita, 🐂 ; will the Yanks cough up next summer ❓
    Will any more games be played in 2021 ❓ Afcon should be cancelled . Playing it every two yrs is nonsense .
    The Reds are the only team capable of catching the Manc Oilers ⛽.
    Lfc may have to be satisfied with winning the Champions league. 🙏

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    Replies
    1. Fabinho, Henderson and Van Dijk certainly make a difference. I am wondering about Keita: thought he did some neat stuff on Sunday

      Delete
  3. VAR was a disgrace in that game. Jota should have had a pen, and they asked the useless Tierney to review Robertson's foul but not Saint Harry's? Liverpool are shite without VvD and I fear the title race will not be as close as previously predicted!

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  4. I know the feeling, not having enough in the wallet to buy another round. Days in Manchester, having watched United lose, and I did not back a hundred to one shot horse which came in. Had I backed that horse it would have made life bearable🤢 and another roud would have been no problem.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

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  5. That Kane tackle was a red form any angle, but no way would the England Captain get one.

    And I point out your constant critique only in the sense of bewilderment, Liverpool even when they lose have a certain style that is pleasing to watch coupled with an outrageous European pedigree.

    I love my club but over the years some of our play has been efficient but God awful boring to watch. It improved under Tuchel but covid has buggered up consistency. So frustrating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am a constant grump so complain about everything anyway

      Delete
    2. Steve R

      "...but no way would the England Captain get one."
      Do remember back in the day the number of awful tackles Shearer got away with? And commentators played them down too.

      Delete
    3. Peter,

      I remember he nearly decapitated Lennon for having the nerve to tackle him and didn't even get a ticking off.

      AM,

      Really? Never would have guessed (!)

      Delete
  6. Scousers got away with murder, as usual, that Anfield lot will win nowt.

    KM

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    Replies
    1. what murder did they get away with on this occasion Caoimhin? Seems they were luck to get away without Spurs murdering them

      Delete