Is free-flowing game worth cost of injuries like Harvey Elliott’s?

Editor F365
Harvey Elliott injured during Liverpool win at Leeds

The Mailbox worries we’ll see more injuries like that suffered by Harvey Elliott if refs continue to be lenient. Get your mails in to theeditor@football365.com…

 

Is letting the game flow worth the cost?
First, I wish Elliott a full and swift recovery. An absolute superstar in the making and I hope this has no impact on his career.

Second, no, Struijk didn’t mean it. I hope he’s able to reflect that it was an unfortunate accident and doesn’t suffer with lingering guilt.

Third, accidents don’t happen out of thin air. This is what’s going to happen when we err on the side of defenders making robust challenges. The margin of error is so fine and when we create a culture where taking chances in the tackle is normalised, expect to see more of these incidents.

We already had plenty more rough and tumble in this league than others around to continent, and there was no need to encourage defenders to take any more risks. The more risk, the more chance of something going wrong. It went wrong today and a young man’s career is potentially in jeopardy as a result. Let’s have a rethink on risk, eh.
Nick Glover, Scouser in Brum

 


F365 Says: Elliott injury overshadows Liverpool masterclass at Leeds


 

Get well soon, Harvey Elliott
My heart weeps for Harvey Elliott. That was not a malicious tackle with deliberate intent to cause harm. I guess it’s a case of shit happens. I have written in to this site before and spoken about me playing at the highest level as an amateur in indoor football. Having done both knees and both ankles (and 16 fractures) I know that these types of injuries can be debilitating. I have done cartilage and ligaments and I still suffer today though I can hold my own with youngsters with me playing with pro players up until 3 years ago. So Harvey there is a way back. I have 3 footballing heroes but I will not name them. I really want Elliot to be my next hero (I still love Danny Ings btw). Please Harvey get well and be the best that you can you be. You are living my dream and the only potential limitation you have is your desire to make it work.

On another note, being a keeper (and Liverpool supporter since 1976 because of Kevin Keegan) I have to say that Meslier totally impressed me. For a youngster his handling and stop stopping was simply impressive for his age. I remember watching Iker Casillas when he burst onto the scene and I have the same positive impression. Makes me think of a combination of Shay Given and Anti Niemi.
Lloyd (Jozi)

 

…A seriously impressive win at a tough ground but nothing worse than seeing such an awful injury to such a young boy. Harvey Elliott must’ve felt like all his dreams were coming true this past month or so and then something like this has happened. Hopefully it’s less severe than it first seemed and I hope he gets to pick up where he’s left off these first few weeks of the season.

Leeds are ludicrously open. They will get punished by a lot of teams in this league playing that way. Bielsa is stubborn so I think he’s rather get relegated playing his way than adopt anything approaching pragmatism.

Mo Salah is in the same bracket as Ronaldo, Henry and Shearer in the pantheon of premier league greats. He is so ridiculously good and somehow under appreciated.
Minty, LFC

 

…Great result, horrible, awful injury. Really hope the lad makes a full recovery but you never know. Whenever teammates can’t even look at it, you know it’s a bad one.

Was it a red card? Elliot was badly injured and may never be the same as a direct result of the challenge. Of course it was a bloody red card! Jesus, as if there’s any doubt? Absolute disgrace that people are defending a tackle that has put a player out of the game for God knows how long. It does not matter if it was premeditated. The result counts not the intention. And the result was horrific. He’d be banned for as long as Elliot is out if it was up to me. In the same way Pickford should have been when he ruined our season last year.

As for the game itself, we were very good but we’ll rarely find opponents as obliging as that. Could have easily been six if Mane hadn’t forgotten his shooting boots again. People waffle on and on about our front three but Firmino barely scores and Sadio blows so hot and cold it’s absurd.

But of course, thankfully, there’s Mo. 100 league goals scored extremely fast. Somehow he’s not quite as appreciated as he should be. I’ve never understood why. But one sad day he’ll go to Madrid and boy, how we’ll miss him then.

Quick aside – how absurd is it that Shearer hit that milestone so fast? The trophies he would have won if he’d joined United….

Speaking of United, come on, forget the tribal rivalries, how good was it to see Ronaldo back? The atmosphere, the hype, the excitement- it was everything we missed in the pandemic. He lived up to the occasion of course, to absolutely no-ones surprise. And while informed folk might have preferred the midfield was strengthened- I remember what Cantona did to the club. He changed *everything*. Even at his age Ronaldo can do the same.

One of the three greatest players of all time has re-joined our league. We should just enjoy it. And if he helps push City and Liverpool very, very close indeed, as I genuinely believe he will, well, good for him. He’s a legend in his own lifetime.

Though obviously if he breaks a bunch more scoring records and comes a close second to Liverpool – that’s the best of both worlds.
James, Liverpool ( why didn’t Pep go for Messi? )

 

An accident but barely a foul
Firstly it was really sad to see Harvey Elliott injured in the Leeds v Liverpool game. He had a great start to the season and wishing him a speedy recovery.

However….

I felt the referee made a shambles of his decision making after. It was not a foul and definitely not worthy of a sending off for Struijk. It seemed as the referee reacted to the injury and based the whole sending off on that, rather than realising there was no foul and it was just a very unfortunate accident.

Would be interested in hearing what the other mailboxes think?
JKB (Leeds Fan, worried by our performances this season).

 


Sunday’s Mailbox: Ole setting up Sancho to fail, Nuno, AMN, Arteta and more mails…


 

Glazers forgiven?
A few times while united fans were protesting and complaining about the Glazers funding the club with debt various people (myself included) suggested that perhaps united fans don’t really have a problem with the glazers and their business habits but are in fact just raging about not being competitive anymore.

Those suggestions were shot down by united fans who insisted no, it’s not the lack of success it’s the principle of loading debt onto the club and it will always be wrong…unless you’re buying Sancho, varane, Ronaldo then the complaints will mysteriously vanish. The protests will stop and united fans won’t be quite so mad anymore.

What happened? All those transfers were still funded with debt. Those big contracts still paid for by debt. But suddenly you’ve all forgotten. Maybe that’s because it really was never about the debt or the glazers. It was simple jealousy and longing that you’d seen your club become a footnote in city’s success. Maybe it was anger that even long mocked never winners Liverpool had managed to win the two biggest trophies in successive years while your own team were still struggling. That even with the managerial turmoil that always follows Chelsea they were still competing and winning, while united didn’t seem to be improving.

Either the use of debt is something to protest about. Or it’s not. You can’t suddenly decide not to complain because there’s more hope on the pitch now. Just admit the problem was always the feeling of inferiority that had developed, and not the debt.

Honestly I hope the stability is back at your club because despite being a Liverpool fan I do want strong opposition in every game because it makes the league far more interesting than the cakewalk we had two years ago.
Lee

 

United fear
Can someone please explain to me why this United team can’t seriously challenge for the title?

De Gea – previously one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He can be again.
Maguire – Incredible centre back in the Euros
Varane – just pure quality
Luke Shaw – now the player United thought they’d signed. Scorer of England’s goal in the Euro final.
Wan-Bissaka – very good defender despite his attacking deficiencies.
Seems like a very good defence to me.
Pogba – capable of absolute genius. Maybe Ronaldo can help him achieve the consistency he needs.
Fernandes – genuinely changed the club’s direction. Wonderful player.
Sancho – Exciting , young, fantastic. And he’ll get better.
Greenwood- great start. Chock full of potential.
Ronaldo – just *listen* to that crowd. He’s more than a player, he’s an icon, an inspiration. The club *believes* now.

Where’s the weakness? They weren’t great against Newcastle despite the score. But they have some bedding in to do. They’ll get a lot better.

Speaking as a Liverpool supporter, this is the first time I’ve been genuinely worried about them since Fergie retired. I know that Ole clearly isn’t world class. But he’s been given the tools to win. And I’m damned if I can see why he won’t.
James, Liverpool ( I love Ronaldo , always have)

 

Ronaldo difference
I don’t know who reps Ronaldo, but he just keeps winning. The Messi saga, seems nonsensical now. Messi who? It’s the production and materialization of Ronaldo that puts him over the top. It’s the fact that he made Newcastle to trend before they kicked a ball. He doesn’t play for Newcastle. I know PSG played this week, I don’t know who they played against, I don’t even care.
That’s the difference between the 2 of them, one stat pads, the other tries to be the best at the sport. And has proven to be the best at it. When a single individual breaks the internet because he is is at that club, I don’t know about the GOAT conversation but it’s going to be hard to convince people that delivery to PSG is better than Man United.
Dave (Even De Bryune would agree, Cristiano exists on another stratosphere), Somewhere

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring against Newcastle. September 11 2021.

Arsenal expectations
I think nothing exemplifies just how far expectations have fallen than Croydon Gooner’s assertion that the only bad result so far this season for Arsenal was the defeat to Brentford.

Their fans don’t even classify a 5-0 spanking as a bad result? I guess being hammered by City has been normalised now for them.

Say what you want about Ole, but in very very few games are we not at least competitive – regardless of the opposition.

I think the mentality of the fans is also likely to be the mentality of the squad. They are used to getting beaten by City now. It’s 9 straight defeats in a row vs them. That kind of streak gets into your system. It’s normal to lose to them. It’s expected. It’s ok.
Nishul Saperia (it doesn’t matter who you are playing, if you start thinking that defeats against top teams are not bad results, you are already a minnow)

 

Play on
Why don’t footballers play to the whistle and why do they seem to deliberately ignore the rule that the ref/players don’t have to stop the game for a non head injury? Does my head in.
Tom, leeds fan in Newcastle

 

Wombling free
Just wanted to let people know about the highest goalscorers in the top four English divisions, who are also the youngest squad in Englands top four divisions, and have a cup tie coming up against a leaky bottom half of the Prem defense…

That’s right, you’ve guessed it, AFC Wimbledon, thanks to Ayoub Assal’s injury time goal against Morecambe, are the top scorers in the whole country, have the youngest squad in the country and a cup tie against Arsenal.

Local boy and club legend Mark Robinson has got us up into the playoff places in League One, we’re back at our spiritual home of Plough Lane for the first time in nearly thirty years and things are looking good for the boys in blue and yellow, maybe you guys could do a feature on us if this carries on for a little while 😉

Love your work as always,
Andy, Guatemala (by way of SW London.)