{"id":1202,"date":"2018-03-17T22:59:39","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T22:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/?p=1202"},"modified":"2018-03-17T23:00:45","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T23:00:45","slug":"liverpool-5-watford-0-match-review-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/liverpool-5-watford-0-match-review-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool 5 &#8211; Watford 0: Match Review &#038; Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As soon as Liverpool\u2019s name came out of the hat alongside Manchester City\u2019s for the quarter-finals of the European Cup, this match took on added significance. Whilst I remain cautiously optimistic that we can make it past the Cityzens on our way to number six, there\u2019s little question that we\u2019ll have to take the hard route if we do. That means that we need to make doubly sure that we finish in the top in order to guarantee European football again next season and the added attractiveness that brings when hoping to sign new players in the summer. If we can push out one of Tottenham or Chelsea on route then that\u2019s even better. The Blues are looking like a less and less attractive proposition with every passing month, given the managerial instability and the fact that Roman Abramovich\u2019s interest seems to be waning ever so slightly. A summer spent chasing the likes of Danny Drinkwater and Ross Barkley won\u2019t have filled Chelsea fans with excitement. They have an ageing squad with a few standout players, but how long will Eden Hazard and Willian stick around if they miss out on Europe for the second time in three seasons?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">next season chelsea need a mass overhaul. with the new manager, he needs to get rid of all the deadwood we have, use our good players properly, replace the ones we sold with good players, implement an attacking system that is tough to break down. that\u2019s what pep did this season<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 . (@_MarwanF_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_MarwanF_\/status\/975115321903341570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As for Tottenham, they\u2019re a team I\u2019d quite like to fall apart because they\u2019re so good at just keeping on going. When we lost to them at Wembley we got our act together and overhauled them with an impressive points tally, yet they\u2019re still on our tails, sat two points behind with a game in hand. If they were to drop out of the top four then I could see them losing a few of the players that have got them where they are, with Harry Kane unlikely to stick around forever if the likes of Real Madrid come calling. A win against Crystal Palace after the international break will put us five points clear of Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s side and ten points away from Chelsea. They\u2019ll have games in hand, but that\u2019s some real scoreboard pressure and you have to fancy that if we\u2019re ten points away from Chelsea at the start of April then we\u2019ll be almost certain to finish in the top four. They\u2019d need to have championship winning form and we\u2019d need to have a collapse worthy of relegation battlers for them to overhaul us. It\u2019s happened before, but it\u2019s not a common occurrence. That\u2019s why it was so important that we get three points today, so what were the talking points from the game?<\/p>\n<h2>Mo Salah &#8211; The Egyptian King<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s impossible to use enough superlatives to describe Mohamed Salah, isn\u2019t it? What a stunningly good player he\u2019s turned out to be. Mina Rzouki\u2019s shout that the Egyptian was just another Juan Cuadrado, something that she said when speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, is looking more and more laughable with every passing day. I don\u2019t think anyone expected him to become the player that he is right now, least of all Liverpool supporters. But instead of arriving and giving us a bit of added pace to help out us when Sadio Man\u00e9 is tired or injured, he\u2019s scored more goals than any other Liverpool player in a debut campaign, including the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Fernando Torres. Supporters all over the land who swore they\u2019d never fall in love again after Luis Suarez left us are finding themselves going back on that promise now.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-cards=\"hidden\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Salah is the first <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a> player to score four goals in a single <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/premierleague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@premierleague<\/a> game since Suarez versus Norwich in 2013. &#x1f64c;&#x1f44c; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JnrkptHfiS\">pic.twitter.com\/JnrkptHfiS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Liverpool FC (@LFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LFC\/status\/975088742812745730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He was on one from the word go today, scoring after just three minutes but harrying and chasing balls all around the pitch. He\u2019s now moved himself four goals clear of Harry Kane in the chase for the Golden Boot, with both the Spurs striker and Sergio Ag\u00fcero out injured for at least a little while. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BassTunedToRed\/status\/975067188091604993\">According to Andrew Beasley<\/a>, only four players in the last five seasons have netted more times than Salah has at this point and all of them have gone on to be that season\u2019s top scorers. He completely destroyed the Watford defence practically single-handled this evening, causing them nightmares from the kick-off. All of his goals had something special about them, but his third was particularly impressive. To get the ball into the back of the net from where he was, surrounded by about seven players, was incredible. Man City will be a tough proposition, but if we can keep him fit and firing then we\u2019ve got a genuine chance.<\/p>\n<h2>Something\u2019s Brewing Around Anfield<\/h2>\n<p>Every now and then, a mood takes over Liverpool Football Club. It\u2019s normally accompanied by a new song that sweeps through the stands and gets everyone energised. There have been two notable occurrences of this phenomenon in recent times, with the first one being in 2004-2005 when we were on our way to Istanbul and \u2018Ring of Fire\u2019 was the song. The second time was in 2013-2014 and \u2018We are Liverpool\u2019 became the tune of the Kop. It\u2019s happening again now, thanks in no small part to the \u2018We\u2019ve conquered all of Europe\u2019 tune that is so addictive. There\u2019s no guaranteeing that a song and a feeling of fun and excitement will automatically bring success &#8211; look at \u201913-\u201914 &#8211; but I think at the moment that it\u2019s indicative of a feeling that the club is in good hands and is going places. Whatever happens this season, J\u00fcrgen Klopp is building a team that is playing exciting, attractive football that it the antithesis of everything that Jos\u00e9 Mourinho is doing at Manchester United.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_3261.mov\">Click For Video Of The New Song<\/a><\/p>\n<p>They look like teams from totally different eras of football and I know which one I\u2019d like to be watching on a weekly basis. It might well end up that they win the FA Cup and Liverpool have nothing at the end of the season, but I would still wager that we\u2019ve had a lot more fun. The song that we\u2019ve created is lending Anfield a real atmosphere even in these sorts of boring games that normally get watched in near silence. It\u2019s addictive and great to sing, letting supporters bounce and jump in a way that we haven\u2019t been able to do since the Torres song. I have been having an argument with Man City fans over the last couple of days who are convinced that the Anfield atmosphere is a \u2018myth\u2019. That might have been the case in the past, but it\u2019s not any more. If today was anything to go by, the ground is going to be buzzing when Pep Guardiola\u2019s team visit in a couple of week\u2019s time. I hope that the assumption that the atmosphere won\u2019t affect the first-leg of our encounter isn\u2019t just being held by the supporters but the team, too. Finer teams than City and Watford have wilted under the lights in a European night at Anfield.<\/p>\n<h2>Andy Robertson Has Been A Revelation<\/h2>\n<p>Mo Salah will quite rightly take all of the headlines, but what an impression Andy Robertson has made since he earned his place in the first-team. The Scot was the most unheralded transfer of the summer, but he\u2019s done everything possible to make sure that everyone knows his worth now. When you think about how much Manchester City spent on fullbacks during the transfer window, the former Hull City left-back makes a mockery of the idea that you have to spend huge amounts of money in order to improve in a position. The left side of defence has been a problem position for years for Liverpool, with Fabio Aurelio being the last player to look truly comfortable there but lacking the fitness to be able to hold down his pace for long. In Robertson it looks as though we\u2019ve finally got it sorted, with the youngster able to help us look solid at the back at the same time as assisting with our attacks.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This may be pushing it, but Andy Robertson\u2019s the sort of transfer that everyone should celebrate. Shows it\u2019s not all about paying premium fees. Spotting the right player, allowing him time, coaching him well still goes a long way.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rory Smith (@RorySmith) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RorySmith\/status\/975081422993190913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just that he\u2019s aggressive when defending and intelligent in his position, but he knows when to break forward and when to stay back. His movement and crossing for Salah\u2019s second was world-class, the ball across the box harder to miss than score with. His is a transfer that suggests that everything on that front is very nicely poised indeed heading into this summer. Long gone are the days of Brendan Rodgers and the transfer committee, when no one could agree on who was buying the players and there seemed to be no coherent plan for the ones that we did get. Since Klopp arrived we\u2019ve barely seen a flop; only Loris Karius was in the \u2018should do better\u2019 category, but even he has come good in the last couple of months. Add to that Sadio Man\u00e9, Virgil van Dijk and, of course, Mo Salah and it\u2019s difficult to put forward and argument that J\u00fcrgen Klopp\u2019s determination not to settle for the second-best hasn\u2019t been successful. Robertson is the quintessential example of that, showing against Watford that he has all of the attributes to be our first-choice left back moving forward.<\/p>\n<h2>Hopefully Emre\u2019s Injury\u2019s Nothing Serious<\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019m not a massive Emre Can fan, especially when it comes to playing against the low-block sides. I think he always wants two or three touches when the likes of Jordan Henderson or Gini Wijnaldum only want one. Given the arrival of Naby Keita in the summer and the likelihood of us signing someone else in midfield, I won\u2019t be heart-broken if he does end up heading off to Juventus or somewhere once the season is over. Yet for all that I don\u2019t think he\u2019s great in matches like today\u2019s, when a team is happy to sit back and defend, I think he\u2019s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to games against the big boys. When we played Manchester City in the league at Anfield, for example, Can ran the midfield. I think the drop off from him to James Milner caused us all sorts of problems and Milner\u2019s inability to get up to the pace of the game is what allowed Man City back into the match.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Think Emre was saying &#8220;not too bad&#8221; then as he came off. Understand why he divides opinion but would much rather have him available for City than not<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 John Gibbons (@johngibbonsblog) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/johngibbonsblog\/status\/975069633396006913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>You might have noticed I\u2019ve made several references to Man City so far in this match report, which is unusual when you consider that we were playing Watford. Yet the Champions League encounter with the league leaders looms large over everything and will continue to do so until it\u2019s over and done with. When Emre Can went off after twenty-seven minutes I wasn\u2019t concerned about the result of the match we were playing, after all I don\u2019t think he adds anything against those sorts of teams, but I was concerned about what it would mean for our progress in Europe. Even the German\u2019s biggest critics should be hoping that he\u2019s only felt a slight twinge to take him out of the international matches rather than anything more serious. If he\u2019s not at Anfield next season I won\u2019t be heart-broken, but if he\u2019s not at the stadium for our European Cup encounter then I think we\u2019ll be a weaker side for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As soon as Liverpool\u2019s name came out of the hat alongside Manchester City\u2019s for the quarter-finals of the European Cup, this match took on added significance. Whilst I remain cautiously optimistic that we can make it past the Cityzens on our way to number six, there\u2019s little question that we\u2019ll have to take the hard route if we do. That means that we need to make doubly sure that we finish in the top in order to guarantee European football again next season and the added attractiveness that brings when hoping to sign new players in the summer. If we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1202"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1202"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1207,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1202\/revisions\/1207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}