So many opinions going around about the Stoke game. So many views and counter-views. Some call Carra old, some say Suarez misses sitters, some say Kenny should have had a different combination. While everyone is entitled to his/her opinion at the end of the day, why do we forget the three names mentioned above. One of them is someone who we call ‘The King’, another has been our legend, someone we would weigh in ‘Gold’ and the third one is basically someone who has propelled us to a pedestal from where we can dream and probably also given us the right to crib about points lost.
To dwell in the past is never healthy but why do people forget where we were. How soon have we transformed from strugglers to challengers and would soon, hopefully, become champions. Last year we lost some dreadfully humiliating games. Against Man City and Eastlands (or whatever oil soaked name you want to call it now) and at Britannia too. I remember the lot complaining about the style of football more than the result. People said – ‘it’s OK to lose once in a while but our display was pathetic, toothless’. Some called it humiliating, some embarrassing, some disgusting, some all of these. When we lost last Saturday, did you guys witness any of the above attributes in our game?
We had 73% possession (stats from guardian)! 73% guys. I’m sure you would have heard it a lot over the weekend and ever since as well but can’t you see what that number means? For every 10 minutes that the Potters held the ball, we held it for 30 minutes. We had 8 times as many shot as them. Their only shot on target was the spot kick. We had seven! Screw the numbers. Did we ever, for a moment, look under threat? Screw that too. Did we ever even look like we’re not dominating the game? Of all the moments from the game, the only ones you can pick are the Carragher arm-wrap and Suarez’s added time miss? And, is Henderson your new Lucas? Can we please, welcome a youngster with open arms and give him atleast some time to show us what he’s got? Haven’t we shamed ourselves enough by being on Lucas’ case for the first couple of seasons?
I remember last year’s home game against Chelsea. Apart from two moments of individual brilliance – a pin point accurate lob from Kuyt (as far as I remember) and a super curl from Torres, and some pressure when the opponent was on the ball, there was hardly anything to inspire any confidence. The second half was a mad scramble to hit the ball away from our box.
God only knows how much have I craved for the brand of football we’re playing now. Saturday was a day when we totally dominated the proceedings. May be we were unlucky. May be there were few lapses, which they are bound to be in any game, even the most perfect one. But I cannot be pessimistic like some of us are. I cannot start belittling the King or a legend just because we didn’t come off with 3 points. It was one of the better games of football.
I am not saying that I’d take the loss against Stoke over that win against Chelsea. Winning never hurt no-one. But what I would expect is for us fans to appreciate the team when they’ve put in one of their finer performances. Instead of just picking on the minor points. Imagine what would the players be thinking? They put of a magnificent (nothing less than that) performance and they’ve got every right to feel that the world is against them after a result like this. At such a time, do they really need the bickering they’re getting from our end? Whoever thinks that we are going to go an entire season without losing is acting a little bit naive in my opinion. There was no shame whatsoever in that loss.It is alright to be disappointed but try to be a Liverpool fan and stand by your team.
What else do we need? May be a bit of luck, may be some goals and some silverware. But the way we’re playing right now, they’d automatically have to come our way.
It’s a little bit of a cliche but don’t moments like these truly test how much do you actually believe in the saying – You’ll Never Walk Alone.
@kaushal__