The free show on Monday was - as always after a bum result - a useful tonic to get things in perspective.
Something that particularly struck a chord was Neil saying Saturday’s result was similar to the Burnley 2-0 defeat in 2016 in terms of how it left you feeling given the sheer universal optimism that we started the game with. I don’t disagree. A couple of other anomalous results were also recalled to give context to the rarity of Saturday’s outcome.
The very fact we - as a fanbase - can barely recall a handful of disappointments of this type is the incredible thing when all is said and done. Of course losing some big games - the CL Finals or the 2-1 at City in 2019 - is a thing and it hurts, but that’s always going to happen. You come against top sides and you come up short sometimes.
But to be so incredibly ruthless against the lesser lights of the league for years is testament to just how very few actual ‘off days’ Klopp’s Liverpool have. Having to go back six years to an equivalent feeling of disappointment is wild, it really is. It’s genuinely why Liverpool fans should treat Saturday’s result as the imposter is will surely be. Rather than drawing dramatic conclusions about who started, who dipped in performance or the team approach as a a whole, it’s probably one to accept as the ‘off day’ it probably was.
Until Klopp’s Liverpool start throwing in this type of result on the regular it’s beyond unfair to get stuck in to the players or manager. It’s unfair because it’s so rare. If it only happens once or twice per Commonwealth Games cycle then maybe reacting with overt hysteria is a tad OTT. That’s not to say criticism isn’t allowed, it’s just a perspective thing…which TAW got just about right.
For reference, last season we won 28 out of 32 matches outside the teams that finished in the Top 4 (we drew all 6 against them). So dropped points in only 4 games, remarkable consistency yet still somehow not enough.
Those 4 matches: Leicester (A) Battered them, missed a penalty and they score with their only shot of the game I can remember.
West Ham (A): First goal should have been disallowed, clear red card missed, clear penalty missed; second half was a bit of a mess but these things can happen.
Brighton (H): Were 2-0 up had a third disallowed, conceded a freak goal and fair play to Brighton, they played well.
Brentford (A): Equivalent to the Fulham game I would say result wise; we defended very poorly. However, Brentford was more disappointing since we missed a gazillion chances and lost a lead.
So yeah, this team is highly proficient against the league's lesser lights and if it were up against a non financially doped team, would have 3 titles.
