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Liverpool’s expectations have been adjusted to qualify for the Champions League but Cody Gakpo will certainly have to be part of the plan.
Send your mail to theiditor@football365.com
Binns S. Wurtz
There was a bit of a bump in the mailbox on the slot this weekend. My main gripe? He consistently refuses to pick the best XI. For example: the shoe’s wortz-in, despite offering nothing to justify its place. Most recently, he has given up Gakpo’s involvement – 7 goals compared to Wertz’s 2, and Gakpo has played 400 fewer minutes to make room. Madness
I just calmed down when I read your piece (credit to my therapist for the deep breathing exercises). 51 Premier League players who have created more chances than Wertz this season. And look, Gakpo is number 3. Bloody 3.
Slott may not be shown his marching orders any time soon.
Oliver, London
A sensible mail about Liverpool’s expectations
Re-adding expectations isn’t the fastest thing in the world. After winning the title last year and then spending almost half a billion pounds (seriously, that’s a ridiculous amount, whoever spends it) – absolutely I thought we’d be title contenders. I couldn’t see the point of buying Issac when I’d already got Akitaike but other than that, the business looked really, really good.
I remember people thinking the game had gone crazy when the Stan Colley Wibbles cost .58.5 million and where we are now, deeper in the maw of madness than where we are now. What a complete a**t that was, but I dig it.
I could see the city organizing its a**t because, you know, it’s pus. He is the best manager ever, simple as that. It’s not just about the trophies won, it’s about his influence on the game as a whole. No one ever had more, it’s irreplaceable. So the city will absolutely return.
Arsenal had to be there or thereabouts, their squad looked amazing. Another thing that ended up being a factor had to be a factor, but they eventually had to put him to bed.
There was no one else there as far as I could see. So I thought we were very slight favorites in a three-horse race. I thought the best scenario was to still be in realistic touch through Christmas and then all the pieces fit well for a really good run in the New Year and we defended the title.
The absolute worst-case scenario wasn’t better than any of our major indicators, with the team becoming largely unstable and even previously good players losing enough form to become a liability. It seemed highly unlikely, with Ern performing so well last year, but obviously it wasn’t impossible. However, this scene was not a major concern.
*Unfortunately* the worst case scenario is what is happening right now. We’re so much **t, the city game was no 18 kind of fun. Forget the denied goal, it doesn’t matter. Lose 3-0, lose 3-1, we were still played off the pitch.
The reason I’m not crying into my morning cup of tea is because we won the *title* last year. I think that’s important to remember. It’s not spending a fortune to make a good side so bad – when we haven’t won the league in 30 years. That would be very depressing.
We are the defending champions for goodness sake! We’ve won this honor over literally everyone else lately! In short. , this is not the time to cry or get angry. It would have been fun to start a family again, the 70s and 80s were great. But we have not made much progress in this direction.
But who’s to say we won’t find out by May? Too late for this year, of course it will. Pep will win again and Arteta will bottle him one last time – but I dig again. But next season is a different sausage indeed.
We’ve spent the first time in 12 months on a beach holiday like a drunken sailor and it rarely ends well. Maybe this will be a cautionary tale to learn from, maybe not. But things will improve rapidly, the only question is when. My bet is February/March and we will do enough to qualify for the Champions League.
So cold slap the other teams supporters, such is life. We are still champions. We will be again.
Not just this year.
James, Liverpool (seriously though, half a billion pounds – the game has really got tough, staring bonkers)
Mailbox: Liverpool fans trying to ‘retcon’ season expectations ‘absolute bullsh*t’
Liverpool unlucky? Sorry, what?
I don’t understand the talk around the Van Dijk non-goal. If you are standing in the 6 yard box when a goal is scored, it should be awarded as an off. It shouldn’t be that controversial.
However, what I really want to hide with is the claim in the mailbox that Liverpool have been “unlucky” this season. Are you kidding me?! Did you watch the Newcastle game? Down to 10 men, somehow edging out a win. Bournemouth didn’t deserve to lose on the opening night. Of late a thousand with a thousand won an intermittent slow game, a thousand in the world. On balance of performance, Liverpool are lucky to be in the top half.
For rivals, it’s absolutely hilarious after the “family” chat, but don’t deny the truth. You’ve been sh*t in almost every game. Often really, really sh*t. So we beat you. In Anfield
Lewis, Busby Way
… that Email you guys Posted by Darrenreplete with the obligatory “Yenwa” sign-off, was manna from heaven. Anything that covers how delicious Liverpool’s current debacle is to other fans gets squashed in a single mile.
Even if Shadin’ Fred weren’t currently running up and down the country, a four-paragraph ode to buffoonery would have sparked a fire. I think, like most fans of other clubs, Liverpool have as high a level of discerning fans as anyone else. But my god, when they get kicked out of a ‘wrong’ think tank, they run into shit like no other.
Liverpool’s cause over the last few weeks, not to mention their previous run of fortunes, when they finished second in a stoppage time. Top stuff.
There will be an intensive effort to prepare the nearly half a billion in transfer costs as “buying young players” who will take time. Huh? Did Wirtz and Isak know they fell into that bracket?
The manager directly assessed the tactical disqualification, less than 6 months after winning the league. Am I missing something here? Has Darren got more coaching badges than slots?
But it was the part that really made me cringe, more than the “obvious vendetta” line, “We don’t have the distraction of getting any snakes out of our contract to go to Madrid” before Salvo promptly identified one to curl into the center half. I swear you can’t make it up.
Darren, I don’t know you and I suspect I’ll never meet you. But I do understand that you may get backlash from other fans who fit into a perceived vendetta against you (and I mean you as an individual Liverpool fan, not the club as a whole). They are being foisted on you because you talk utter tripe, not because people want to crush poor lone Liverpool. The sooner you realize this, the better for you.
Keith Reilly
Time for a referee shakeup?
As Matt so eloquently put it in Tuesday’s Mailboxwe’re seeing a lot of decisions for all teams, under different circumstances, with Ware saying the original decision can’t be overturned for not being a clear and obvious error. A Schrödinger goal or foul or penalty, etc.
Of course, Webby, I’m sure that’s what all the other chummy referees have called it, says that Liverpool’s goal was fair enough to stand up.
So now, any time an opposition player stands on the goal line during a corner, the defending team will claim an infringement if a goal is scored. Why not?
What this highlights is not only that the quality of refereeing in the EPL is poor, but even worse, they have no backbone. Not one of them. Watching referees from across Europe at European competitions, we consistently see refs overrule the assistant refs and referees, and stand by their decisions. They have a backbone. They are not all together.
War is not a problem in itself, but it does highlight that our referees cannot easily determine the correct result under the laws of the game. Even after extensive replays. He cited a part of a rule to support his decision while ignoring the full context of the law. It’s all too easy to fall back on the ‘clear and obvious’ as a ‘get out of jail free’ card when needed.
Maintenance of our refereeing setup is long overdue.
Perhaps something from our football regulator will see – then it brings the game into disrepute. What happened to this character?
Paul McDevitt
More on that Liverpool non-goal
I disagree with Matt, on Sheffield’s conclusion that Robbo was the office. I can’t see what Robbo did that obviously affected anyone’s ability to play ball. He stood up on the spot, on the way. If anything, it made it easier for him. However, I fully agree that one in the 6 yard box should automatically be considered active and that too would increase the goal mouth.
What was disturbing was that the PGMOL was misinterpreting the law to fit its decision. Good job boy!
The slot to find out is January 8. This is the next weapon game. We’ve had a pretty easy run so far. No derby, no Madrid team, Dutch team, two promoted teams, bottom 3, Spurs.
All we need between now and then is for points deductions for City (115), Arsenal (shareholder debts) and we can even finish the half.
Alex, South London
… In regards to the Liverpool non-goal as Bill once said: “If a player is not interfering in the game or looking to take advantage then he should be.” Then again he also said: “The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they don’t know the game.” So who knows where we stand?
Brett O’Shaughnessy
You know that weapons are better than weapons
At the start of the last international break after seven games, Liverpool were top of the table leading Liverpool by a point to the best of my knowledge. They are now eight points ahead of them. They were three points ahead of City but are now four ahead of them. Chelsea appear to be improving but Arsenal are six points clear after seven games compared to five. If Spurs are adding more than that, it will be two and now eight.
Focusing on Arsenal and City: Arsenal have won eight and lost one while City have won seven and lost three.
Of course. It doesn’t mean much in November but it’s just a counter-argument to the various comments I’ve made of late accepting the goal is the start of an arms breakdown. There are some tough fixtures coming up but we will see.
Chris, Croydon
Read: Ranking Arsenal’s next six Premier League games on slippage with Lundup vs Spurs
trivia question
I saw this on social media (some readers may have already seen it), but found it quite a fun pub topic with some colleagues, so thought I’d share especially during the international break.
Apparently, there have only been 13 British (ex English) players to win the Premier League – how many can you name?
To qualify, they must be Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish, have won the Premier League (not the Old First Division) and have done so as a player, not as a manager.
Jack (For anyone wondering, I don’t think Kevin Gallacher counts as he only played one game during Blackburn’s title winning season which didn’t qualify for a medal at the time?) Manchester.
