Liverpool FC clearly have no desire to do things the easy way, do they?
At 5-0 last night, it all looked very, very rosy indeed for King Kloppo and his merry men of workaholics. The thing is, taking of Mohamed Salah was a bad move. It sends out the wrong message and that message is, no matter how well Danny Ings has done to come back from injury he is not an adequate last 20-minute replacement for the greatest player Liverpool have seen in a long, long time.
I am not suggesting the two goals shipped are all down to Danny, far from it (I am looking at you first, Dejan). It was more the change in vibe that occurred after the switch. It smacked of, “job done here lads, let’s have a rest and wrap Mo up in cotton wool”. When he went off, Liverpool seemed to stop a bit. And Roma seemed to sense they had a bit of a chance.
Surely, it would have made more sense to keep Mo on and tell him only to run on to one in the next five long balls into the channel behind that crazily high Roma line? That way Roma would have still had to worry about him. Jurgen, and you know I like you, you got this one wrong.
As for Lovren, how can a 6ft 3 (I am guessing, he may be taller or shorter) central defender shrink in such a situation? Even a minimal hair or two on the ball would have been enough to divert it from Edin Dzeko. Liverpool had already burned through one life when Loris Karius’ chocolate fingers managed to just about divert that pass back on to the crossbar, so they were never going to get away with two. Was it a penalty? No, probably not but the manner in which Liverpool clocked off after 70 minutes means Roma deserve to still be in the tie.
Not that they are in the tie you understand. Oh no, if Roma need to attack then Liverpool will find a way past them. ‘Yes, but Barcelona’ some of you might cry. Yeah, but for all Messi’s talent he isn’t a speedster and Liverpool can (because unlike Barca they are not contractually obliged to pass it to feet 30 times to create a chance) hit their rapid front three who will continue to gallop into the green fields of space left in behind that Roma high line.
Now the dust is starting to settle on Arsene leaving the Arsenal, he has decide to tell the world that “the timing was not really my decision,” which once again suggests that he would have happily stayed on if he’d been given even an inkling by the board. Arsene also went on to say, ahead of tomorrow night’s Europa League Semi-Final with Atletico Madrid, that “with just two or three signings this side could challenge for the title”. Oh, Arsene. Please never change. You’ll be believing that on your death bed in about 30 years time.
Wenger also admitted he “has a very high opinion” of Luis Enrique when quizzed about the next Arsenal boss. “I don’t want to influence anything, though” he went on to mention – a mantra his players know only too well.
