I’m really pleased we’ve been able to capitalise on our ‘good’ period of the season with near-maximum points (as opposed to times we’ve played well but ended up dropping points undeservedly), while also taking advantage of rivals stumbling. You couldn’t really ask for more at this stage of the season.
But we’ll definitely have a drop-off at some point, it would be basically unprecedented for that not to happen, and the biggest test of this team and Slot will be how they deal with adversity and how quickly we can bounce back from any bad spell.
We have been there, only this time, we are not going into the games chasing the leader by 9points - that in itself is a burden the following pack have to absorb
Looooong way to go, but at least AS is giving us a dream not a nightmare
Exactly what I told my mates last night after the game… But they are aware of it, all Liverpool fans are, I think. In a way, the adversity Slot has felt so far was mostly restricted to injuries - the response in Arsenal match was a good test, too, even more than response to Forest loss.
I think Marcello Lippi used to say something along the lines of “in order to win the titles, you must not lose to your title rivals and you must beat everyone else”. In a way, Slot and the lads have been doing just that up to this point, so hopefully it continues.
We already did. That first half against Ipswich was a real low point.
In all seriousness, it is sometimes forgotten for all the troubles of our “historically weak title defense” in 20-21, we were actually top at this stage having successfully navigated the loss of Virgil and Gomez in the short term, but about to go into a mini collapse with the subsequent loss of Matip, Hendo and Fabs. That really was an unprecedented series of injuries not just in number but in the way it kept picking away at the same area of the team one after the other. Right now the challenge is that the gap looks big (is big), but is only bad weekend away from it closing to a gap that gives the chasing pack a bit more hope, and that is where it starts becoming a mental challenge to not let the pressure suffocate you. We’re well stocked with players who have performed through those high pressure periods, but being chased down while trying to hold onto a shrinking lead is a different sort of pressure. It’ll be interesting to see how everyone reacts if that happens, but the best thing to do is just make sure that it is Arsenal who drop points next
So with that said… When the Reds hit the net, To the Gunner’s regret, That’s Amorim
Yeah, we found ourselves in that situation at the beginning of 2019 - I remember counting how many points we’d have to win before drawing at Old Trafford and Everton. Unfortunately, we drew one game more than I expected thanks to an insipid refereeing performance against Leicester.
I’ve already said that Arsenal look primed to go on a winning run because of their fixture list and players seamlessly returning from injuries. It’s up to our lads to respond to that in the face of all the injuries - and I’m not counting Man City or Chelsea out either.
Next two count as a significant test, Newcastle are not easy at St. James, and the derby is always a grind. We are unfortunate to face Everton at the beginning of the month, I was shocked to see how brutal their December is (which puts their poor standing in perspective, their schedule over the first 18 matches had a remarkably soft start, but they are paying for it this month).
Yeah - I think our last away match at Newcastle was the freak one where Darwin scored that winning brace. Neither Newcastle or Everton are in great form but they are a different beast at their own grounds and I think that, of all the teams Slot’s Liverpool have played so far, the team that resembles Everton’s style the most is the only one that managed to defeat them this season. That’s another test that Slot has to pass in PL. I wish Arsenal and Man City had their own Everton.
I really hope so, but it is going to take a lot more than what they showed on the weekend. For about 30 minutes of the first half, Everton had them on their back heels, if they turn up like that versus Arsenal, the Gunners will rip them apart.
I think Fulham have a better chance than United. Either way I don’t see them getting 6 points this week. Lego’s spending a ton of time talking about us, and their arrogance is baffling given the fact they haven’t really won shit in a long time.
