Liverpool 3-3 Brighton : Review

 

The match ended at around 9.30 pm. I was too lazy to have a healthy homemade dinner so I headed out to grab some good ol junk food. Pizza Hut was my first stop. But the place was deserted and all the tables were littered with empty pizza boxes and decorated with crusts and ketchup stains. I scooted out and headed to California Burrito. After grabbing a Burrito and Tortilla, I sat down to think about the Liverpool performance I had witnessed. The burrito was however, very heavy and all my attention went into trying to finish the meal without puking it out. I am now sitting at home with a satisfied but bloated stomach and all my attention on the game review.

Like almost every game this season, this game was especially hard to watch. Especially the first 30 mins and the last 20 mins. I had a feeling this was gonna happen when I saw that Fabio was starting as a forward on the left wing. I understand that Diaz had just come back from Colombian duty and had to be rested, but this was odd. His lack of experience in this new position was clearly visible as he was invisible throughout the match. The entire team, except for Allison, looked to be dazed and confused by the Brighton attack and the harsh afternoon sun peeking from the Anfield roof. It took them a solid 30 minutes to come out of their warm up routine to finally get into gear.

The midfield, especially for the first 30 mins was all over the place, not knowing whether to attack or defend. Unlike the experts on Twitter and Reddit blaming the first 2 goals entirely on Trent, I believe it was the midfield's fault as well. TAA was landing some good tackles for the initial few mins before he lost his sense of bearing and willingness to run back. Twice or thrice, the Brigton attack sat him down as he was too slow to sort his feet out.

TAA: Offering namaaz instead of defending

But the period between 30.00 to 70.00 was the Liverpool that I had been so familiar with. The passes were proper, the defence tight, the midfield working in tandem with the attack and defense, and the attack raking in 3 goals. Firmino and Diaz were beautiful together. I would love to see more of that this season.

My reaction seeing that Diaz and Firmino link-up

But at around the 70th minute, Klopp made this absolutely absurd decision of replacing Tsimikas with Milner. I love Milner, the man is an absolute chad. But he's been reckless and slow in all of his tackles this season. My headache came back watching him play today. The third and final goal was not entirely his fault but a better defender might have dealt with the loose balls a little better. The team seemed to slack off after the third goal as well.

Still, it's great to see that LFC still have the hunger and desire to fight. the fantastic comeback from being 2 goals down should be appreciated. If Salah's magic touch was on point today, it would've been a different story. TAA's final free kick was a thing of beauty and his attack and chance creation skills still continue to amaze me. The same can't be said for his defence and hairdo. Henderson started slow but his chance creation was on point after 30 mins.

With the game against Arsenal and Man City just around the corner, I hope that the poor bits of football today was mostly due to the fact that the players are still getting used to Klopp's style of play after a long international break. This draw was indeed casting a shadow over my weekend, but the Burrito helped me forget about it and worry about tomorrow's bowel movements. The only thing we can do is hope the players and coach pick themselves up and give a better show next time.

Until then, have a good weekend.

YNWA