‘A bag of crisps holds firmer’ – one Liverpool player destroyed after FA Cup exit
We have the first reactions to Liverpool losing v Plymouth. Some Reds are pretending to be happy while others have bones to pick.
Send your views to theeditor@football365.com
Laughing at Liverpool
You are gonna have a few of these but who are the multi-million pound bottle jobs now?
What a performance.
Chris Harley
…Can someone remind me? Who was it that said, “You’ll never win anything with kids”?
Oh well, the ‘Quad’s’ off this year.
Mark (Again) MCFC
Liverpool fans claim to be happy
I’ve been a Liverpool fan for almost 40 years and am smiling at the scenes at the final whistle today.
Delighted for Argyle. They gave every ounce of sweat for that win today and at least one tooth. How can you not enjoy that as a football fan.
A warm welcome to Arne from the lower leagues… they’ll work you just as hard as any premier league team.
Now, let’s hope the strategy to rest players at the risk of dropping out of the cup pays off on Wednesday. Otherwise these scenes make me sick and Argyle were lucky.
TM (nah, well done Argyle)
…Thank Christ for that!
Been trying to keep my mindset balanced from the very start of the season as a Pool fan (I find it’s the only way of keeping your emotions in check as the world gets increasingly short term and crazy when it comes to football!!) – ie Happy with top 4 this year, under a new (and still unproven) manager, that would be a great result.
But, as usual, the media hype have built up LFC in anticipation of a fall, and the quadruple had started to be mentioned. By precisely NO ONE in LFC I hasten to add!!
( Already as I write this, I see the bbc headline “LFC quadruple dream over”!! – FFS, that’s not our dream dickhead! We dream of number 20 and getting back on our perch ! )
Now the quad cannot happen, great! We LFC fans just want the big 1 this year! On and upwards
Will sting a little. But not for long.
Paul, Chester
READ: Liverpool pragmatism proves gamble too far as Plymouth spring huge FA Cup shock
…First of all credit to Plymouth. They were so well organised, made it a very tight game and deservedly won on the day.
It was obviously a heavily weakened and youthful side and ultimately Slot had to make this choice. Right now we have a game in hand on Arsenal and 15 games to play in the league with a 6 point lead.
Two weeks from Wednesday we will have played 5 league games in 15 days. We’ll have played a game more than Arsenal by 8th March and then our next league game will be a month later. Slot must see this as a key time to win or lose the league. Drop too many points (Everton, Villa, Man City and Newcastle are all tough games in the next 5 games) and Arsenal could feel they’re in the driving seat by April.
Ultimately losing is never fun but if we had won today but ended up dropping points and looking fatigued in this next phase people would’ve blamed him for a lack of rotation. As things stand I feel he made the right choice today and protected the vast majority of the squad. If it pays off and returns a league title I won’t lose any sleep over a missed FA Cup.
Minty, LFC
Liverpool players campaigned against their own inclusion
Always fascinating when managers name second-string sides. Apart from the result (which is paramount, of course) I’d imagine they’re looking for those who can step up, shine, push for added minutes and a bigger part to play. The side we fielded against Plymouth Argyle today were, to a man, comprehensively opposite to any of that. Apart from the goalkeeper and Joe Gomez, who’d worryingly come off early doors, every single Liverpool player made a convincing argument to see less pitch time.
It’s possible Gomez coming off early was to terrible effect; the entire right flank was atrocious and bereft of fluency or any modicum of individual quality. Chiesa, Elliot and Mabaya combined like a trifecta of contest winners making bumbling cameos in a daft celebrity match. I hear myself right now and I’m leaning in; so in true Stevie fashion here are three nauseating thoughts on that right channel of ours:
Chiesa—In the build-up we knew he would get a start today, with so much made of him as one ready to showcase his quality again, working towards more appearances and bigger impact down the stretch. Nope. Chiesa is a mirage and well worth that 12p transfer fee I reckon. A bag of crisps holds firmer in possession, he’s been a good sport but that smile of his may just give way now he’s burrowing deeper on the bench.
Elliott—I’ve love for the guy but let’s start with the sheer stupidity of having your hands waving like you’re going down a rollercoaster defending shots in your box… that’s a pen, and that’s your cup exit. The less said the better. (AND because it’s Super Bowl Sunday here in the states, allow me something immaterial to the football but something I’ve long thought anyway: Harvey, that barnet of yours is the furthest thing from Super for a Bowl-cut… just shave your head mate. All sorts hideous pastafarian, that.
Mabaya—Don’t know much of this lad and perhaps he was unfairly called upon early when Gomez went off, but crikey this kid is less than half-baked. Every touch was a bad one. I’ve been guilty going in too hard on ours in the past, especially youth players, but Steve McManaman (who commentated ESPN’s stateside feed) was extremely charitable claiming to wonder whether Mabaya was subbed off (subbed as a substitute, mind) due to tactics or injury. Hmm. Look the other way lad.
It’s not worth moaning part and parcel over the rest of the side with every single performance piss poor, but it bears mentioning each time I see Darwin play I wonder whether he’ll ever score another in his life. Toothless as the day was, we did have chances to equalise, but Darwin decides to blast row Z from a position where his shot runs parallel to the face of goal (with multiple square balls on), and when McConnell has a chance to loft it with their keeper stranded, he can’t hit the target.
There are silver linings yet and all to play for, sure… but today was as woeful and frustrating as they come. Apart from maybe Diaz and Jota there shouldn’t be anyone from this tie in contention for Goodison this week.
Eric, Los Angeles CA
Quad what?
I really f¥cking hope the ‘out of the quadruple’ media obsession doesn’t become an annual event, like a shitter St Totteringham’s day that even fewer people care about.
I get that you need to turn over content at a rate of knots to keep your advertisers happy but quadruple talk is just meaningless before May.
James Outram, Wirral
READ: Where Quadruples went wrong: Plymouth join Man Utd, Spurs, Wigan and Nathan Jones in ruining history
Loving the FA Cup
When Birmingham City opened the scoring against Newcastle United, I cheered because I knew was getting a proper FA Cup tie. I cheered more when we won, natch. Then I cheered again when I dropped back in on Plymouth Argyle after a miserable first half to find them leading Liverpool in stoppage time. Congratulations to the Pilgrims for their massive achievement.
You English don’t know how lucky you are to have the FA Cup with its asymmetrical match-ups and whole-hearted coverage. We Americans have the US Open Cup, which is entirely similar, but nobody seems to care about it at all. I’ve probably seen one US Open Cup match broadcast, ever. But the FA Cup’s magic is just wonderful; and I think — I hope — it’s appreciated by supporters more than pundits recognize.
Chris C, Toon Army DC (From the ESPN commentary, “the Pilgrims have progressed” was a fantastic English-major joke.)
Maresca out!
Don Quixote Maresca’s slavish obedience has bought him massive trust from Muddy Waters, err, Clearlake.
Hopefully it is running out.
Tactically the man is a lunatic. Copying Idol Pep without the personnel to man the style. Asking from his wingers that which is not humanely possible. Playing Fernandez in the middle of the park. Building a defense on “bravery” and sheer luck.
His mannerisms are of a robot. Tape his standard press conference and let a program fill in the the opponent of the day’s name.
“We scored first. Could have score more but we were not clinical. came back and surprised us with two quick goals. These things happen. But we are in a good place and I am happy with the football we’ve played today. Half of the team is injured and I don’t know when they’ll come back. I know nothing of transfers either. Pep is god. Good bye now.”
This may have worked last year but won’t do the trick 12 month and £1B pounds later.
Muddy Waters must have bigger plans than winning the Conference League (if that happens) despite rapidly shrinking the club. (Both YoY lower revenues and costs at the end of 2024.)
Under Mourinho we used to battle Barcelona and Arsenal. Tuchel had a thing with Real Madrid. These days our rivalry is with Brighton, to whom we regularly lose despite having signed three of their best players, three coaches and their talent recruiting team.
Thing is: no respectable manager would set foot anywhere near the Muddy Waters management team.
So where does this leave us?
Oh how hard it is for me to say these words in the same breath:
“Frank” and “Lampard”.
Radu Tomescu “I think I’ll watch the Super Bowl”, Taipei
Sancho call-back
Will Ford’s article from December about how amazing Sancho is and how it was all United’s fault has aged well then…
Don’t worry Will, after Chelsea have completed that mandatory buy and Sancho starts what I assume is a pre-agreed 9 year contract, that’s when I’m sure he’ll be incentivised to really try…
Andy (MUFC)
NEW: Sancho slipping into familiar Man Utd groove at Chelsea amid empty Maresca threats
Fergie Time
Watching Sir Alex celebrate United scoring a dodgy winner in injury time took me right back to the 90s. How many trophy’s would United have won if VAR existed back then. Not as many I think ( For the younger reading this just watch United v Arsenal 2004 as evidence)
Let this weekend end the debate on VAR. We need VAR. Untied progress unfairly on an offside goal. Newcastle goal was not over the line. There is no VAR debate.
Paul – London Red
Bits and bobs
I’d like to point out that 4-0 is a cricket score, just not usually the final one.
John, Chicago
…no back lift – that is such a weird thing to say. You literally have to lift your foot and calf back to kick a ball – and when you look at a replay his foot is almost hitting his arse because there is so much back lift – but again the com repeats the cliche ignoring physical evidence to the contrary that they are now looking at for the 5th time.
Michael Mooney