They say that football is cyclical. Right now, 115 Charges FC are winning everything, just as Manchester United won everything for a time; albeit the Red Devils earned their success. Soon it will another team’s turn at the top of the pile. I found myself wondering if being a supporter isn’t so much cyclical as repetitive. It doesn’t take very long before someone starts moaning about ‘tourists’ ruining the atmosphere inside Anfield. In spite of the fact that poor atmospheres have been a conversation piece for as long as the stadium has existed, there are some that feel as if they’re in the know and can speak with authority about how this time it’s definitely the fault of the tourists and the out-of-towners. There is a difference, of course. Out-of-towners are just not from Liverpool, whereas ‘tourists’ are those who pay huge sums of money to tick something off their bucket list.
Atmosphere’s shite not just because of tourists, it’s to do with all non locals taking over period. The majority is not scouse anymore, they don’t know words, they don’t get the scouse humour. Most local lads can’t take their kid’s the game anymore, on it’s fuckin ass
— Jay Mansfield (@JayM_0151) September 14, 2024
The problem is, blaming everything on either group doesn’t really wash. It doesn’t stand up to the reality of being inside Anfield when a match is taking place. For starters, the game-state is the thing that dictates atmosphere more than anything else. If the Reds are losing, the Kop will be much more animated than if their winning comfortably. More than that, though, there are significantly more locals in the ground than those from outside the area and many such locals are ‘too cool’ for the likes of wearing Liverpool tops, taking scarves or singing songs. Instead, they’ll turn up a few minutes later, spend most of the match chatting to mates or moaning and then get off on 85 to beat the traffic. Still, that’s so much better than taking photos, isn’t it? It goes without saying that that’s not all locals, but it isn’t all tourists that are ruining the atmosphere, so maybe wind your neck in, hey?
Two Losses Would’ve Been Devastating so Early On
There is definitely an extent to which this is reactionary nonsense. Yet there is a truth in saying that back-to-back defeats so early on in Arne Slot’s tenure might well have had a devasting effect. In truth, it still could if the second defeat comes in a our next league game. Yet the Reds needed to bounce back after the loss to Nottingham Forest, largely because it was a test of whether or not the manager could get his method across. The loss to Forest wasn’t just disappointing because it was to a team that the Reds should’ve beaten quite comfortably, but because towards the end of the match it looked as if the players had no idea what the manager was asking them to do. They were running around like headless chickens, with many of the poorest performers allowed to stay on the pitch, even though they clearly didn’t deserve to and we’d have been better off if they hadn’t.
🥇 MOTM vs. Man United
🥇 MOTM vs. AC Milan
💪 Most duels, tackles, and interceptions won for Liverpool this seasonRyan Gravenberch has arrived ✨ pic.twitter.com/0wQHHVnM7i
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 17, 2024
Was Arne Slot a deer in the headlights, trapped and indecisive because he didn’t have any clue how to solve the problem he was facing? Or was it a matter of the players not executing what had been asked of them by the Dutchman? If it was the latter then that could be sorted. If it was the former, that would be a serious issue so early on in his regime. The match against AC Milan was therefore something of a deciding moment for the manager and for the people responsible for his appointment. In the end, the manner in which the match played out will have caused more than a few in the offices on Water Street to exhale quite loudly. The Reds went behind early and, after the disaster-class that was the Nottingham Forest result, heads could’ve dropped. Instead, there was a collective gathering of thoughts and an execution of a plan that worked to perfection.
Bournemouth Will be the Acid Test
It seems odd to speak about Bournemouth in any kind of influential role. Aside from the time that we lost 4-3 to them quite early on in Jürgen Klopp’s tenure, the Reds seem to have had their number a lot of the time. Andoni Iraola will have been studying the Forest tapes to see exactly how they got a result out of us last weekend. Given they drew 1-1 in the opening game of the season, it would be naïve in the extreme for Slot and his backroom staff to be dismissive of them. Instead, he should be using it as a touchpaper, seeing how much he’s already learned about life in the Premier League and whether his side is likely to be so complacent in the future. AC Milan will have believed that they could get a result against Liverpool, especially as the game was being played in the San Siro. There was no ’11 men behind the ball’ tactic there. There might be on Saturday.
I never thought Nottingham Forest was gonna get a draw against Liverpool talkless of grabbing the win!
Not after the fantastic start to the season Liverpool has had.
Could this be the International break effect?
It's making me anxious for our game against Bournemouth.
— Horpe (@CFCHorpe) September 14, 2024
It is absolutely crucial that Slot is able to prove that he knows how to break down a resolute defence. If the Cherries get ahead, his team needs to show the same resilience that they showed in Italy to get back into the game. The tactical incoherence that we all saw play out in the latter stages of the game against Forest cannot be allowed to rear its head once more. I would be astonished if Pep Guardiola’s men aren’t, at the very least, docked some points before the end of the season. That means that there is a league to be won, with one or both of Arsenal and City dropping points this weekend. That is an opportunity to reassert our position and send out a warning to the rest of the Premier League’s lesser-lights that the Forest result was a one-off, not the new normal. The only way to do so is by picking the lock of Bournemouth and letting the players know they can do it whenever they need to.
