The Team That Fell Apart

Anthony McIntyre ⚽ There was only one team from the city of Liverpool that turned up for last night's Merseyside derby.

It played in blue and the inhabitants of the much deprived and maligned city can be proud of it.

As we sat down to watch the game, brandy perched at my side, I told my son Everton would take the three points. He did not demur. It was just a matter of time before the first goal was conceded. The moment came to pass, making last night's game the 16th of the championship race in which Liverpool have conceded first.

I no longer roar at the television, having switched tack to merely laughing with derision at Liverpool's spurned chances and conceded goals. I had long given up on them as serious championship contenders. The moment of grim realisation came with that hapless Quansa pass at Old Trafford. That told us here was a team falling apart. They might yet end up finishing fourth in a three horse race.

Contrast their challenge for the title with that of Arsenal who put five past Chelsea. The Gunners, serious about their title ambitions, upped their game when it mattered, their players not content to lift their pay check without delivering the goods.

At Goodison, Everton taught their city rivals a lesson in winning tackles, not giving the ball away needlessly, and coming out top in aerial clashes. The Toffees allowed Liverpool to have most of the possession, but crucially recapturing the ball in break up play when vital to do so. Sean Dyche's strategic approach seemed to be let Liverpool play keep-ball as long as they like. They will be unable to do anything with it.

Liverpool failed in every area of the park other than goalkeeping. Atrocious aerial defending compounded by a lacklustre midfield playing behind a toothless attack. If there is a more perfect recipe for soccer failure I can't think of it.

The logic that attackers need to hit the target has led to Darwin Nunez believing that the target is the keeper. His squandered opportunities in front of goal are the stuff of legend. Had he been capable of precision shooting Liverpool might have won the title. He lacks the surgical ability of Erling Haaland who looks before he lashes the ball goalward. Both came to the EPL at the same time. Only once, after the Community Shield clash when both players were a showpiece display by their respective teams, was there any debate about which team got the better value for money. Since then Nunes has not been in the running.

Salah is simply not at the races. His mind seems to be elsewhere, the Saudi money mill perhaps. Better that he pursues his millionaire lifestyle draining the sheiks of their lolly rather than Liverpudlians of their much more meagre financial resources. Mo being an abbreviation of Money, not Mohammed, he should not be part of any Liverpool side for the remainder of the season.

Of the forward line, Diogo Jota alone has impressed but is too frequently injured to make an appreciable difference. Yet he contributes as much to Liverpool from the sidelines as Salah and Nunes do from the field. In seven games both have a combined total of three goals.

A tired Klopp had simply ran out of fairy dust. The mojo and the magic is no longer there. The King vacates his throne at the season's end without his clothes. The life of the genius he once possessed has been pronounced extinct. Now they are talking about bringing in some plonker from the Dutch league to replace him. Has one baldy bastard from the Netherlands not proved useless enough in the EPL without Liverpool seeking another? As some wit suggested, he should secure Anfield a tenth position league finish.

Both Merseyside teams needed the points last night. Everton to avoid the drop, Liverpool to continue with the deception that they were a serious contender in the title race. The authentic team won.

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