Probably the first time I’m writing a review after watching the full game.
I would be glad to write more about it, but the truth is, the team is in bad form. The momentum is non-existent, and things just don’t go our way. We got lucky in some matches before, so I guess this is us paying back the debt to Ms. Fortune.
Don’t get me wrong, that’s not to say we are where we are only down to luck. Anyway, the squad selection was expectedly unexpected.
Adrian started in goal, and I don’t even know how to describe his game. Man can pull off mad saves and save us from a sure fire goal, but then he will make a blunder. He’s not like Mignolet, his saves are very memorable and even artistic, in some sense. His reflexes can be sharp, but his decision making is inconsistent. “The lettuce hands” goal came right after the heroic stoppage, so all in all, he had a neutral game in my book.
Neco Williams shows promise, but he’s not ready for this kind of football yet. Of course we could play him more and risk it like with Trent, who made his first league debut against man United and was visibly shaking. He has some lightness to him, maybe needs to bulk up a little, I’m not an expert.
Joe Gomez was back in the mix, and he didn’t have a great showing. Perhaps it was down to injury, but he could not show his best self tonight. Lovren not starting is a signal for sure. I’m not on the bandwagon of hate for Dejan, but I’m also accepting that he has to leave this summer. He will win his trophies, and honestly, I don’t see him giving us much more. Perhaps he’s a good locker room influence and a bro for Mo, but really, in the footballing sense we need to move on from him.
On the left Robbo was trying, but once again he ran on the treadmill against the wind. Can’t add much there, only declare that we need a sub for him. I like Milner to bits, but he shouldn’t slot the LB spot in 2020. More than that, we should find players that would tie up the pitch together. To steal a quote from Big Lebowski, “that carpet really tied the room together”! We need that “carpet”, someone that could really link up our attack and put the load off the flanks.
Hendo is still missed, but I wonder how different the scoreline would be if he played. Would his switches work that well with Chelsea sitting down that deep? Would he stop Barkley from scoring the decisive goal? Perhaps so. That scouse Channing Tatum wannabe had too much space, and Joe was backtracking a bit too much. Virg is the master of timing, he always knows when to keep it slow, when to commit, and when to brush off the pests with his massive back. Yeah, about Virg, he is not his best either. He’s surely a leader, but so far he is not giving the midfield a bollocking they deserve.
FA cup starlet Curtis Jones was very quiet today, having scored a bunch of goals before. Compared to his opponent named Gilmore (I think that’s how you pronounce it, too lazy to check), he was very blah. Gilmore looked extra good, working well under pressure.
Fabinho contributed to the first goal, he’s not the best guy to turn in an instant. He’s a lanky, octopus-like figure that is good in his role, but when he’s asked to generate some offense, it becomes tough. Adam Lallana is making too many twists and turns, on the other hand. He’s not pacy, he’s not super athletic. With the rumors of him leaving at the end of the season, I can see him doing well in some slower league, or being a decent option in the middle of the park PL squad. Leicester is interested, but I don’t think that would be a good move for Adam.
Mane started on the right flank, which was a surprise. Not like anyone else can play there… Shaq is injured once again, Salah got his rest, even Harvey Elliott couldn’t play because he played for some youth team in Europe. sadio was the best from our side, creating every chance we had, and probably being the only guy who imposed any threat to Kepa, who suddenly turned into not-so-sucky-bratty-kid. His attitude must be a problem, but today he was quite good, but maybe lucky too.
Origi had one memorable move, passing someone on the flank after a dribble. He’s deceptively technically sound, this Divock guy. But I can’t ever understand why he’s playing on the left flank with that frame, and Minamino is asked to roam in the center.
Speaking of Takumi, this was probably his first full game. He intercepted the ball nicely in the first half, but didn’t have enough service to launch his LFC career. I say give him time, a lot of great players started slowly in here. Robbo, Fabinho, even Lallana to some extent. I’m sure he will be a great option down the line, but I wouldn’t criticize him for this season.
Well, it turned into a player review. The game sucked, and I’m too lazy to cut GIFs for Chelsea goals. I don’t hate myself that much to labor for a blog with no readers, and cut down 5 second images for 10 minutes. We’re out of the cup, it’s 3 losses in 4 matches, and we need to play ourselves back into form as soon as possible, IF that’s possible.
Bournemouth is up next, at home. They are not playing too well, according to the match commentary, but they got a 2-2 results against this Chelsea, who was better than us tonight. Let’s hope for the best, a positive result is sorely needed. Up the reds!
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