« on: December 29, 2019, 03:30:41 pm »
Top that! Liverpool turned on the class and Leicester, a likely top-three side, couldn't cope. Such was the dominance Virgil had to ask around if he could help with any odd jobs and Allison looked like he was doing a sudoku at one point.
It's a hard task, but topping that is what the lads will be looking to do this Sunday. Some teams might think there's a risk of complacency after such a performance, but I'm not going to waste your time with that. We all know the drive of this team. They'll be wanting to see out a momentous year in style, while supporters can look back at the decade. A mixed decade, to say the least. If ever you feel for even a moment you're not enjoying this era (yes, it's an era now) as much as you possibly can, think back to where we were at the start of the decade.
Yep, level on points with Birmingham halfway through the season. Torres had just scored a last minute winner at Villa, helping close the five point gap they had over us. Don't you dare take this time for granted.
But that's enough about the last decade. You'll hear enough about that elsewhere. Back to the present:
vs 
It's the time of the season. For loving? Yes that too, they deserve it, but mostly for a crazy number of games that barely leave time for a full training session in December. Unlike previous seasons, we have a squad that's capable of coping with the current injury crisis. It's already coped with losing key members of the spine for months, in Allison, Matip and Fabinho. And the next players up are all talented footballers, just as driven to win, and desperate for any sniff of playing time in this side. They've even developed a theme in recent months, where players coming into the starting lineup after a spell out remind us of their quality with a goal on top of their performances (looking at you Lallana, Shaqiri and Keita). On that note, I'm sure I've heard that Gomez is our only league starter not find the scoresheet. Just going to leave that there, Joe, you do the rest..
Wolves will be the second of three league games in a week period and while we can expect some rotation it likely won't be until the derby that we see more than a few changes. After travelling for Boxing Day, and a quick 7,000 mile round trip to pick up our best in the world honour, we can at least be pleased our next couple of games are at home. But Wolves have their own fatigue to deal with too. Not only have they played twelve games in Europe (half were qualifiers), but they'll have had a day less rest than us and, like Sheffield United and Leicester, will be chasing the league's third best team immediately before us. We're going to exhaust them, if they aren't already. Perhaps they'll do some of their own rotating, and prioritise other games - they've just started the same team for five games in a row. They'll presumably feel better about their home game, which incidentally is less than four weeks later.
So what about their team? I'll openly admit I've not seen much of Wolves this year but they seem to be a tight squad. From the outside looking in they've performed impressively in the league given the Europa commitments. It's also clear to all that Traore is finally having his breakout season in terms of end product to compliment his powerful and pacey dribbling. Other key players make up their spine: Jiminez, Neves Coady and Rui Patricio. Jiminez is a tireless physical battler but a good footballer too. If they're to pose any threat to us, he'll need to play a big role in keeping the ball up the pitch and feeding their dangerous players. Neves is the kind of midfielder who when he's left in a vacuum can easily manipulate the ball to go where he wants, including an unerring long range shot. And our very own Connor Coady makes up the spine. His range of passing is a key threat, as teams often seem to try the long diagonal switch (if they escape our press) to go one on one with our retreating full backs. Their keeper is solid, a good distributor and a leader.
And our team? Well at time of writing, Klopp has said that Lovren and Matip are in a good place but aren't ready to play in the December games and Fabinho is still out for a few weeks. Gomez continues his upward trend in form, following his MOTM performance in the World Club Cup with a game where we allowed no shots on target and his distribution was quick. After a couple of weeks where we've enjoyed the kind of midfield threes the slightly more gung ho among our support call for, it's great we can welcome Gini back into the side. We all saw how much more control he gives us, both in retaining possession and in squashing counters before they've even formed. Traore has been starting on the right of late so that suits Gini's usual spot, providing Henderson is ready to go after his painful knock. We may see Jones, Williams or Elliot on the bench, but barring unexpected issues we're unlikely to turn to Jones or debut the other two. Although I'm sure we'd all love for us to be in a position to reward their performances against adults with some minutes.
Finally onto the crowd. The travelling Kop have been in fine form. Not only in staying 'match fit' during a taxing Christmas schedule of their own, but also in doing us proud supporting the kids at Villa Park. But we're back at home this time, and that means a different responsibility for those in attendance. Not only will they need to do everything they can to support the team and keep the tempo high when the match slows down or lulls, in a match between two teams with a lot of games in their legs, but they'll have to be at their creative best to think of a song that Wolves won't be able to copy.
We've had a couple of nervous home crowds, Salah said himself after Watford that the players could hear the panic from the crowd at 1-0. It can happen when we get ourselves in a good position. There's almost more panic while things are going well than when things are falling apart all around you - like you feel there's something to lose as opposed to 'can't get any worse'. If you're in the ground, and you find yourself concerned that things aren't going as smoothly as you'd like, be conscious that any noises of discontent or worry transmit to the players. If you catch yourself doing this, pause and reflect on how good our team is. Maybe reflect on where we were as a club in 2010, and stop yourself. Our players have proved they're strong enough to find a way to win even without the crowd putting the work in for them, but when the crowd is on board we're capable of even more amazing things. We're all lucky to be watching such a good side, and they also happen to be incredibly fun too. Relish it. Sing along. Lift the players if the tempo slows. But most of all, even if you don't want to do any of that, just don't worry don't panic and don't act entitled - we all need to do our jobs, no matter how small, to help achieve what we want. We're a great side, with a great manager, in a great period. Drink that in.
A few talking points to see it out:
1) Can Firmino stay in the goals? And if so, will he be the first of our scorers to be serenaded by the opposition since the Porto PA system played the Gini song?
2) Did you know... Nuno Espirito Santo was Rio Ave manager when Fabinho was brought to Europe. He stayed there for a month before he was loaned to Real Madrid('s second team) for the season and then Monaco the next season. Bit of an odd one, gonna go out on a limb and suggest an agent or two were left happy. We know from Nuno managing at Wolves that doesn't mind influential agents.
3) When Takumi Minamoto arrives, will he immediately challenge Gini and Bobby for the best smile title? Or will he need some time in training to get to grips with the demands?
4) After Virgil joined the party, will we see a new karate kicker make their debut against Wolves? Or will Sadio return to form?
And for those wanting an obligatory starting 11 list, I'll kick us off:
Alisson
we are really good
who cares? strong
whoever we play
« Last Edit: December 29, 2019, 05:14:22 pm by T₂Ohcumallyefacefull »
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“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
“Generosity always pays off. Generosity in your effort, in your work, in your kindness, in the way you look after people and take care of people. In the long run, if you are generous with a heart, and with humanity, it always pays off.”
W
