The problem with being champions is that you are there to be shot at – and everybody wants a piece. The American writer R W Emerson wrote that ‘if you take a shot at the king, you’d better not miss’, and unfortunately for Fulham a profligacy in front of goal cost them a famous victory over Liverpool on Sunday.
It was a game that was expected to be something of a celebration of Liverpool’s fringe players and stars of tomorrow. But in the end, the 1-1 draw with FC Midtjylland was notable after a slice of history was created by one of the club’s most well-established stars.
A small, but very fortunate, band of Liverpool fans were allowed back into Anfield for the first time since March. And they were treated to a glorious performance from their heroes as the Reds ran rampage against an always-tough Wolves side.
The bottom line is that Liverpool marched into the knockout phase of the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Ajax on Tuesday evening. But, once more, an evening of celebration was marred by more injury woe for Jurgen Klopp.
Another week, another load of VAR controversy. It would be easy for Jurgen Klopp to have something of a complex about video refereeing given how much his team has been affected, and that was evident in technicolour against Brighton on Saturday.
The devastation caused to Liverpool’s squad due to injuries and absentees was laid bare in the 0-2 defeat to Atalanta on Wednesday evening. Jurgen Klopp’s team selection was a nod to the need to protect his key figures, and the new faces struggled to gel with one another – evidenced by the fact that the Reds failed to fire in a single shot on target.
My, how the sight of a Brazilian can warm the cockles…. Fabinho’s return ahead of schedule was exactly (and literally) what the doctor ordered for a beleaguered Jurgen Klopp, whose post-match rant against Sky and BT Sport is not without merits – once again this week, the Reds face three games in the space of seven days. It certainly feels as though the broadcasters are running the sport right now.
They say that in life it never rains but it pours. When Virgil van Dijk suffered his knee injury against Everton, it was considered to be a headache but not insurmountable for Jurgen Klopp and his hopes for domestic and continental success.
The original ‘Fab Four’, The Beatles, are arguably Liverpool’s most famous sons. But now the red half of the city has a new fabulous quartet to savour, with Diego Jota joining Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Bobby Firmino as the top of the pops.
As we expected, West Ham gave Liverpool a tremendously tough night’s work on Saturday. But there are no prizes for valour in football, no medals for playing well. This is a sport where winning is the only outcome of any merit.