Anthony McIntyre ⚽ A nightmare at the opera where the rendition of YNWA was so badly out of tune.  

What a horrible start to Liverpool's title challenge. Where is the vibrant side that beat Manchester City 3-1 in the Community Shield and promised so much, leaving pundits to speculate on yet another two horse race? Now one horse is galloping in the direction of the finishing line while the other seems to be limping towards the Knackers Yard.

The terrible Manchester United, considered as poor as they have been at any time since the disastrous 1973-74 season when they were relegated to Division 2 having accumulated only 32 points, now have more points that Liverpool and are perched above them in the table having thoroughly outplayed them last evening in front of their home crowd.

Years ago defeat at the hands of Utd was a considerably more bitter pill to swallow. Now, while the taste is not pleasant, the medicine goes down easier. In my case the lingering enmity towards them ended when I took my son to watch them play Sampdoria in the Aviva. Hard to hate what your children love - drill music might be an exception. Good soccer is to be admired no matter who plays it and bad soccer is to be frowned upon. Last night at Old Trafford Manchester Utd pirouetted the beautiful game while Liverpool performed the ugly duckling, with nothing about their performance to suggest they might evolve into a majestic swan this season. Those that played the better soccer thoroughly deserved their victory.

On top of that, there is a curiosity about how Eric ten Hag might transform the fortunes of a side that has plummeted from hero to zero in such a short period of time. I feel the same about how Jesse Marsch and Eddie Howe will fare at Leeds and Newcastle respectively. More guests are dining at the soccer banquet and it can only be good for the quality of the applied sport.

The former Ajax manager is too astute to think that the victory over Liverpool is a turning point, that an instant treatment for the rot has been found. Like antibiotics, you won't know until you finish the course. Despite Utd's fine outing ten Hag will hardly have marvelled that Liverpool failed to beat his side. Truth is Liverpool have failed to beat any side this season. Their campaign has been shambolic. Their penchant for playing catch-up, having fallen behind in every game, leaves them having to score at least twice to win all three points. In three cup finals last season they failed to manage a single goal even with Sadio Mané, which does not engender confidence that goals are gonna come easy. The side wilts when confronted by high octane opposition, seemingly bereft of any game plan for reversing the tide. Gifted as Klopp is, he can't be expected to work half time magic every game.

After the 1981 Boxing Day defeat at home to Manchester City that saw the Reds drop to 12th position, Bob Paisley ruthlessly culled the team, starting with the captain. Five months later they were champions with the League Cup under their belt for good measure. Jurgen Klopp might think about doing likewise. There are injury concerns, for sure, and the Great Uruguayan Hope bit the hand that fed it. Yet, that hardly explains the pedestrian effort that characterised yesterday's performance. The defence was woeful, it's complacency in the face of a full frontal assault inexplicable. The midfield - what midfield? Might as well put pot plants across the centre line. This is an area of the park that demands vigour not vintage.

Liverpool's powers of recuperation are sublime but the problem with recovering is that it is often too little too late - the title is gone. Acting as a pacemaker for Manchester City is not what Liverpool should be about. The fans deserve better than to see their team perform like a second fiddle. YNWA needs played on the Stradivarius, otherwise it is just noise. Much like drill music.

⏩ Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.

Shambolic

Anthony McIntyre ⚽ A nightmare at the opera where the rendition of YNWA was so badly out of tune.  

What a horrible start to Liverpool's title challenge. Where is the vibrant side that beat Manchester City 3-1 in the Community Shield and promised so much, leaving pundits to speculate on yet another two horse race? Now one horse is galloping in the direction of the finishing line while the other seems to be limping towards the Knackers Yard.

The terrible Manchester United, considered as poor as they have been at any time since the disastrous 1973-74 season when they were relegated to Division 2 having accumulated only 32 points, now have more points that Liverpool and are perched above them in the table having thoroughly outplayed them last evening in front of their home crowd.

Years ago defeat at the hands of Utd was a considerably more bitter pill to swallow. Now, while the taste is not pleasant, the medicine goes down easier. In my case the lingering enmity towards them ended when I took my son to watch them play Sampdoria in the Aviva. Hard to hate what your children love - drill music might be an exception. Good soccer is to be admired no matter who plays it and bad soccer is to be frowned upon. Last night at Old Trafford Manchester Utd pirouetted the beautiful game while Liverpool performed the ugly duckling, with nothing about their performance to suggest they might evolve into a majestic swan this season. Those that played the better soccer thoroughly deserved their victory.

On top of that, there is a curiosity about how Eric ten Hag might transform the fortunes of a side that has plummeted from hero to zero in such a short period of time. I feel the same about how Jesse Marsch and Eddie Howe will fare at Leeds and Newcastle respectively. More guests are dining at the soccer banquet and it can only be good for the quality of the applied sport.

The former Ajax manager is too astute to think that the victory over Liverpool is a turning point, that an instant treatment for the rot has been found. Like antibiotics, you won't know until you finish the course. Despite Utd's fine outing ten Hag will hardly have marvelled that Liverpool failed to beat his side. Truth is Liverpool have failed to beat any side this season. Their campaign has been shambolic. Their penchant for playing catch-up, having fallen behind in every game, leaves them having to score at least twice to win all three points. In three cup finals last season they failed to manage a single goal even with Sadio Mané, which does not engender confidence that goals are gonna come easy. The side wilts when confronted by high octane opposition, seemingly bereft of any game plan for reversing the tide. Gifted as Klopp is, he can't be expected to work half time magic every game.

After the 1981 Boxing Day defeat at home to Manchester City that saw the Reds drop to 12th position, Bob Paisley ruthlessly culled the team, starting with the captain. Five months later they were champions with the League Cup under their belt for good measure. Jurgen Klopp might think about doing likewise. There are injury concerns, for sure, and the Great Uruguayan Hope bit the hand that fed it. Yet, that hardly explains the pedestrian effort that characterised yesterday's performance. The defence was woeful, it's complacency in the face of a full frontal assault inexplicable. The midfield - what midfield? Might as well put pot plants across the centre line. This is an area of the park that demands vigour not vintage.

Liverpool's powers of recuperation are sublime but the problem with recovering is that it is often too little too late - the title is gone. Acting as a pacemaker for Manchester City is not what Liverpool should be about. The fans deserve better than to see their team perform like a second fiddle. YNWA needs played on the Stradivarius, otherwise it is just noise. Much like drill music.

⏩ Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.

13 comments:

  1. Being beaten by the team with most premiership titles is not that embarrassing 🤣🤣

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  2. The numerous injuries and the loss of Mané are showing their toll at the moment. Klopp is such an intelligent manager that he will find a way to right the ship, or at least patch the holes to sail on to top three or four shores. Henderson and Milner are getting a little long in the tooth.

    Do Liverpool have some youngsters in the wings, ones who have come through the club? I don't know. That manner of producing players seems to be a thing of the past, even at places like Barça with its La Masia school. Man United are certainly not out of the woods after one decent performance, and as you said Mackers, the course of the antibiotics has not been completed--great analogy that. The disease might be beyond a medicinal cure. Whatever the case, the season is throwing up some interesting sprouts: Leeds and their Yanks for instance.

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    1. Michael - Henderson proved himself a good leader but he was more a work horse than a graceful midfielder. They need to stem the tide by bringing in midfielders rather than rely on the youngsters at the club. Third or four is not good enough although the fear is that is all they are going to get. They have been masking the smell of rot for a while and maybe now is the season to put things right ahead of next season.

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  3. Reds have no midfielders in the 22 - 26 age cohort . Ox has played his last game for the Reds , he still has £ 5 mill to collect in wages ! J K has worked miracles for 7 yrs @ Anfield , Dortmund , Mainz - his time may be up , unless FSG give him the cash to keep competitive with the big spenders from London & Manc land . Robo , Hendo , etc are exhausted from last seasons near misses ; squad rebuilding should of started in June . Recall Tyler Morton from Blackburn . Playing for fourth & avoiding dropping into this seasons Europa is as good as it gets .

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    1. That is an interesting observation about Robo - he has been going off earlier than we would normally expect.

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  4. Well I thought United were lucky. Liverpool conceded when twice their right back was out of position. Apart from that they didn't look troubled.

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    1. Not the same game I watched Steve. The midfield was static. I would prefer Trent in midfield and away altogether from right back. He has the ability to work in the middle and deliver that telling pass. He is not a good defender. They need somebody on that side with the same positional awareness that Andy has on the Left.

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    2. Dunno. Early days yet. But I wouldn't be too concerned at the minute, I think the bruhaha is more over bragging rights over the Mancs than any deep seated rot at Anfield. This is also why I'm not overly concerned with us at the minute, Tuchel knows what he's doing.

      Looking forward to The Gers v Liverpool games!

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    3. It is early days - much too young to call. Nevertheless, if you are to take off you need fuel in the tank. Where is it coming from in Liverpool? The midfield engine room can just about get on the runway. A serious reservicing is wanted.

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  5. It is true, Anthony, this is, so far with the exception of Monday the worst United team sinse 74. Although, to be fair in that ill fated season, we did play snippets of good football and our crowds held up. The first two encounters of this season we did not even play snippets of good football, and hardly against the best oppossition. I remember York City playing Brentford, regularly. Then again, I remember York City playing Man Utd, div 2 in December 1974 at Bootham Cresent. United won, just, 1-0.

    Modays game and all of a sudden United bounced back at a very opportune time. We could not have gone toe to toe with Liverpool for 90 mins, Ten Hag knew it, the fans knew it and Klopp knew it, not ready yet. When we meet at Anfield hopefully the jig-saw will be complete and we will match and beat you in all departments. Ten Hag played an excellent strategic game, playing to our strengths which ruled out 90 mins toe to toe. It did nor rule out victory though.

    Eh, it'd be a scream if scousers go down, just like us in 74 it could be; "division two, is calling you, Liverpool" instead of the terrace taunts being aimed at us. We could meet for a pint to disect their season😅🧑‍🎄. I doubt I could be so lucky, Liverpool are "too good to go down" which is exactly what they said about us in 1974!!!!

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

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  6. It is more likely that their neighbours across Stanley Park will go down.

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    1. there is more chance of Man Utd winning the EPL this season than of Liverpool going down. And that is zilch. Neither team remotely near that situation.

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