Welcome dear listener to First State Kopites. The podcast of the Premier League Champions. I’m Paul and today I am joined by Daz and Justin. Podcast has been slow in recording….
Part One:
‘I was incredibly disheartened last night by the general reaction to the result, and the poor analysis that followed in many quarters; even from some of the more rational analysts. I find the hysteria after defeats far harder to take than actually just losing a game of football, even if that part is painful too.
Part Two: Eintracht Frankfurt - WINNING is good.
Liverpool suddenly had that second-half performance from 1-3 to 1-5 was their best thirty minutes of the season. Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones. The pair were bright as buttons throughout, epitomised by the fourth and fifth goals.. Florian Wirtz was just as bright. His ability to find space is tremendous, touches here and there, clever movement and excellent passing. He found his hips and showed them and as we know, hips don't lie.
Ekitike was outstanding again. The oddness of our current reality is that Alexander Isak and Mo Salah are finding it hard. Ekitike isn't. Cody Gakpo is finding bits hard but ends tonight with a goal and an assist. Federico Chiesa wants a fight. Wants to scrap for every yard and in the second-half he is the absolute business.
As part of that, attacking some corners with aplomb is no bad thing and both centre-halves do their share - MILAN AWAY LAST YEAR. As part of that, exploiting an opposition weakness is no bad thing. As part of that, picking teams which make it easier for the footballers is no bad thing and has just happened for what feels like the first time in a while.
Liverpool aren't a perfect outfit but that doesn't preclude any achievement yet. Tonight they looked like a team and that is a step forward. NOTE the ball in play time and the absence of a prick of a referee….. None of this means anything is permanently fixed, but permanently fixed is a teeny bit overrated. The issue with contemporary football is the speed of change. In the autumn of 2024 Paris St Germain looked like a skewed joke. By March they looked irresistible. Nothing stays precisely in position for any length of time and you are constantly having to work things out.
Tonight was like taking off tight shoes. It made the world easier, the Swiss System easier, your brain easier. The brain is the main thing. We should want the pressure; just not yet. Today helps.
Part Three - from the United game:
Liverpool have now contested a staggering 256 aerial duels in just eight league games; which equals 32 per game. The Man United game involved 34. Last season the average in Liverpool games was just 20.3 per match. The increase per game from last season means a staggering 58% more aerial duels, which is almost another sport. At the current rate, Liverpool will contest 500 extra aerial duels this season than in 2024/25. Liverpool are still top for aerial duels won at – a massive 58.2% – which is elite for a team. The Reds are great in the air, full stop. But the sheer number being slung at the Reds means over 100 of the 256 have been lost; that’s why long-ball teams play the numbers game (you can’t win them all, but the ones you win can lead to goals in the chaos).
Footnote
Liverpool also created as much xG (2.8) in 2023 when Cody Gakpo scored two in a 7-0 win as when the Reds scored just one yesterday, when Gakpo scored, missed a big chance, and hit the post three times (two with superb shots).
‘Get Saturday boxed and go from there. I love taking off tight shoes. You always need to be prepared to put them back on because you wear tight shoes because they are the good ones.’
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