Terrace Talk - Liverpool: Throwing in the towel? We’re good, not delusional

Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders (second right) after the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge

Moving into 2022 with 42 points, six straight wins in Europe, and a Carabao semi, but are we happy? Are we balls.

Understandable, we’re used to better now, but that wasn’t a great fortnight. Even with Covid, we still put out a decent team at Chelsea and 2-0 should always be enough.

How many equalisers have we conceded now? City are relentless, sure, but Liverpool’s game management has helped them on their carefree way. Mane evaded a red card, so did a few Chelsea players, but just as at Spurs, we never fully deserved three points. We had them though, in our sweaty paws, and tossed them aside. Again. There’s the difference.

Not a fan either of autopilot Van Dijk, who hasn’t returned as the consummate professional he was before Pickford crippled him.

Midfield was weak, and since we can’t seem to rely upon Thiago or Keita, we’ll just have to keep picking Milner, which a challenging team ought not to be doing.

Tuchel playing hardman with Lukaku (oo-er) maybe saved us a point. A good one, in normal circumstances, but felt like two dropped anyway.

Giving in? The Reds of Istanbul? The team 3-0 down to Messi’s Barcelona? That Liverpool? Well, yes. We’re good, not delusional. Eleven points behind an imperious City, strikers off to Africa, injuries, manager with Covid. Want to tie our ankles together, just to be sure? We could pull that “void the season” crap everyone thought was so hilarious two years ago, but we’re bigger than that… aren’t we?

There’ll need to be a major adjustment of the fixture list to finish the season. Football’s in a mess, but the television-paid show must go on.

Our second team lumbered us with extra fixtures in an already-bloated January, thanks also to some in-bred loudmouths from East Midlands. The needle in that game was off the scale, abetted by Rodgers picking a strong team for the Reserves Cup. After the visitors’ ludicrous serenade to poverty, the second half became attrition, Barca mk 2. Have you been to Leicester? It’s a dump, yet they’re singing about somebody else’s misfortune. Football songs rarely make sense.

Why else would a brass brand, on the prom, be playing “F*** off West Brom”? Smethwick’s 80 miles from the coast; Albion could hardly inspire such beach barbarity.

If we’re talking morality, Reds’ history shouldn’t encourage posturing. We took the Carabao Cup seriously for once but now have extra games when injury, Covid, and Afcon are whittling us down to size. We want Klopp to give domestic cups attention, but also know his remit; top four/Champions League. Money, put bluntly. Lose sight of that, and his boss might not regard him as such a magician anymore. Points dropped to Spurs and a half-strength Leicester — ironic, ha bloody ha —meant City were a dot on the horizon before Sunday.

Tuesday’s defeat felt like a game you’ll read about in the future, involving betting syndicates. Weakened opponents, thrashed two days previously, Liverpool’s players rested, easy chances missed, including a penalty, their effort going in. The social media meltdown was alarming. The halfway mark, the second defeat of the season. Are we losing all perspective? Blame City again. Klopp takes on the game’s big spenders, but it’s like fighting with one arm tied behind your back. That he’s still standing is amazing; that he’s punching back, miraculous. For how long? Our owners squeeze their miracle-worker till he’s dried out or resigns, then what? The alternative? An oil takeover? No thanks. I don’t want to hear Reds rationalising injustice because we need a new midfield. I’d pack it in.

So simply focus on us, enjoy an occasional flirtation with success and any quality football on show. You’d think we’d spent another 30 years without the title, not two.

Yes, football needs fixing. City, Newcastle, but also clubs like ours using Southampton as a feeder. Giving everyone some slender chance impacts on us as one of the biggest clubs. Most don’t want that but do want the Etihad shut down somehow. Lots of luck. We could spend more, the profiteers snaffling less, but how likely is that? They were frugal when the first new stand went up; now there’s another almost on the horizon, expect similar parsimony. Wenger said “top 4 is like a trophy”. He was roasted for it, paying the price when Arsenal no longer finished there, but all clubs believe it.

By next weekend, Klopp’s seriousness about cups will be revealed, but if it distracts him from LFC 2022, he’ll soon realise his mistake, even if many of us would love him for it.