RED RAW
Where did that smile go? Down at Brighton, Jürgen Klopp looked to be pondering a running jump into the English Channel. “Really bad,” groaned Jürg. “Sorry,” he wailed at another point. “I can’t remember a worse game,” he sobbed. “I honestly can’t. And I mean all, not only Liverpool. I can’t remember. And that’s my responsibility.”
That Liverpool’s defeat at Brighton was not unexpected only added to the gloom. The word’s been out for a while that The Red Machine ain’t what it used to be. Sometime, somewhere last spring, the engine sputtered and never got back up to full revs. The midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho that took Liverpool so close to impossible heights doddered around at the Amex. Moisés Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister splintered them into pieces. The latter was so dominant, he could have probably worn his World Cup winner’s medal and sauntered past dear Hendo.
It left Liverpool’s defence cruelly exposed. Trent Alexander-Arnold usually gets the blame, and he received a frightful chasing from Kaoru Mitoma, but the right-back was given zero assistance. Besides, Andy Robertson hardly found it easier against two-goal Solly “Solomon” March off the other flank. All rather grim. No wonder so many lifelong devotees of those tricky Reds are looking to the local Sunday pub league and China Crisis going back on tour to find some kicks.
Plenty of blame to go around. Why don’t Liverpool run like they used to? Who let Gini Wijnaldum leave? Signing Cody Gakpo when a midfielder was needed? Just whose fault is Darwin Núñez? And, perhaps most of all, has Jürg become the god that failed? For the first time, those ever reliable barometers of public opinion, the radio phone-ins, are suggesting it’s TIME TO GO. Should Steven Gerrard hold off taking the Poland job to claim his rightful crown? That’s still unlikely, and for the moment, Liverpool’s owners are taking the heat and the manager has also begun preparing the underside of a bus. “We need to be creative with the options we have,” howled Jürg. “What I saw today from my team was that they were not really convinced by it.”
Links with a potential, rather opaque Qatari buyout have raised excitement among some fans though not those who wish to associate their club with social justice. Though perhaps an injection of petrodollar cash would allow Jude Bellingham to come in and immediately cure those midfield ills. Mind, Chelsea have spent only £32m less since Todd Boehly fired up his Blackberry than Liverpool have in the last 10 transfer windows and are as bad as Jürg’s boys.
Perhaps what Liverpool fans want most of all is to go back four years or so to relive the ascent. “Poetry in motion”, “imagine being us” and all that. And still, things could be worse. They could support The Ev …
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I want to thank the entire civilised world for helping Ukraine. We can only talk about Ukrainian football because of the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian people and the tremendous support we have had during this incredibly difficult time. And the only way we can defeat the evil that has come to our homes is by working together. I am donating $25m (£20.5m) of Mykhaylo’s transfer fee to help our soldiers, defenders and their families. The money will be used to cover different needs, from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support, to meeting specific requests. This is the beginning of the Heart of Azovstal, a brand new project that will help the Mariupol defenders and the families of fallen soldiers. Their acts of bravery are unparalleled” – Shakhtar’s president, Rinat Akhmetov, explains how Mykhaylo Mudryk’s transfer to Chelsea in a deal that could rise to €100m (£88m) will benefit Ukraine’s war effort.
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Red is the colour across north London and Manchester today. Get your latest derby-filled fix of Football Weekly here.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Can I join 1,056 Leicester City fans in reliving the time a young Steve Walsh had a ‘proper game’ against Billy Whitehurst (Thursday’s Football Daily), then playing for Hull. So much so that Billy offered to meet Steve alone in the club bar. With heart in mouth, and no doubt balled fists he arrived to find the barrel-chested warrior awaiting with a beer to congratulate Steve on ‘manning-up’. There is no higher praise for a (Division Two) Championship-level centre back. He could play a bit as well, Billy” – James Bradley.
The great thing working in a football clubs’ marketing department is you can easily get some nice public relations and social media content by just inviting along a celebrity that everyone loves and handing over a shirt with their surname on it. Oh” – Noble Francis.
🏟️ @KevinSpacey in the house 🙌#SFT | #TorinoSpezia pic.twitter.com/86OUQGG7QP
— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC1906_En) January 15, 2023
In terms of innovation, Rashford re-inventing the offside trap as an attacking move rates right up there” – Pat Condreay.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … James Bradley.
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