{"id":407,"date":"2016-03-11T15:42:07","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T15:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/?p=407"},"modified":"2016-04-19T13:57:29","modified_gmt":"2016-04-19T13:57:29","slug":"liverpool-2-manchester-united-0-an-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/liverpool-2-manchester-united-0-an-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool 2 &#8211; Manchester United 0 Match Report &#038; Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>De Gea Saves Goals &#8211; And United Blushes<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike BT Sport\u2019s coverage of the match this isn\u2019t a blog that focusses on Manchester United. Nor is it a chance for me to slag off Simon Mignolet, especially after the Belgian has had little to do in the last two games and what he has done he\u2019s done well.<\/p>\n<p>Yet make no mistake, without David De Gea in goal for the Red Devils last night this tie is dead and buried before the teams even head to Old Trafford for the second-leg.<\/p>\n<p>The Spaniard was in sensational form, conceding two whilst also managing to stop the scoreboard reading like an incredibly one-sided basketball game. As good as Liverpool were, and they really were rather good, it was nothing compared to how extraordinarily good De Gea was in the United goal.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Jesus, de Gea is amazing. Could be 4-0 without him. But must be embarrassing to have to rely on your keeper so much.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Paul Tomkins (@paul_tomkins) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/paul_tomkins\/status\/708031626664656896\">March 10, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He proved once and for all, were proof needed, the importance of having a world-class goalkeeper between the sticks. Jordan Henderson\u2019s side-footed shot midway through the second-half wasn\u2019t a bad miss so much as it was proof proper that De Gea was inside Henderson\u2019s head, causing him to try to be as precise as humanly possible in order to score a goal.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_225\" style=\"width: 396px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-225\" class=\"size-large wp-image-225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Jordan-Henderson-player-of-Liverpool_EUO_almonfoto-shutterstock-386x400.jpg\" alt=\"almonfoto \/ shutterstock.com\" width=\"386\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Jordan-Henderson-player-of-Liverpool_EUO_almonfoto-shutterstock-386x400.jpg 386w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Jordan-Henderson-player-of-Liverpool_EUO_almonfoto-shutterstock-193x200.jpg 193w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Jordan-Henderson-player-of-Liverpool_EUO_almonfoto-shutterstock.jpg 965w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-225\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">almonfoto \/ shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Where players will take potshots at Simon Mignolet, secure in the knowledge that he concedes more often than he makes saves, the Liverpool team felt as though the had to have heatseeking missile type accuracy in order to breach Manchester United\u2019s net. It is why, despite the incredible performance from Liverpool, United could yet progress to the next round of the UEFA Cup at our expense.<\/p>\n<p>2-0 is a great result to take to Old Trafford, but an early goal from them in the second-leg combined with more phenomenal goalkeeping from De Gea and the men in Red might just start to get a little bit nervous, believing that his impenetrable goalmouth is a task too great for us to overcome. We should be delighted with the performance from our players and cautiously optimistic about the second leg. But we should also be aware that David De Gea could still have the last laugh on behalf of a team that don\u2019t even come close to deserving him as their goalkeeper.<\/p>\n<h2>the Klopp Effect Is Kicking In<\/h2>\n<p>There was a moment in the second-half when I started to think United could yet get the crucial away goal they were after. The first-half saw witness to one of the most toothless Manchester United performances I can ever remember seeing, with no attempts on target and the Red Devils limited to dreadful potshots from distance.<\/p>\n<p>Then in the second-half Michael Carrick came on to replace the ineffective Markus Rashford and the match started to turn briefly in United\u2019s favour. They began to dominate possession, pushing and probing in Liverpool\u2019s half of the pitch and taking a strong foothold in the game that looked as if it could cause us serious problems.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_260\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-260\" class=\"size-large wp-image-260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Borussia-Dortmund-coach-Jurgen-Klopp_EUO_Vlad1988-shutterstock-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad1988 \/ shutterstock.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Borussia-Dortmund-coach-Jurgen-Klopp_EUO_Vlad1988-shutterstock-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Borussia-Dortmund-coach-Jurgen-Klopp_EUO_Vlad1988-shutterstock-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Borussia-Dortmund-coach-Jurgen-Klopp_EUO_Vlad1988-shutterstock.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vlad1988 \/ shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>J\u00fcrgen Klopp wasn\u2019t oblivious to the situation, though, spotting the danger and reacting accordingly. It was clear after the match that Daniel Sturridge was a little annoyed to be taken off, saying that he\u2019s 100% fit and keen to play as much as possible. His influence on the game was waning after Louis Van Gaal\u2019s tactical switch, however, and the Liverpool manager saw a chance to rest his star forward and wrestle control of the match back from his Dutch counterpart in one swift move.<\/p>\n<p>Off went the penalty scoring Sturridge and on came the much maligned Joe Allen. Almost immediately it was clear that the decision to regain control of the middle of the park would do Liverpool a world of good, with the Welshman not only being strong and secure in possession but also winning headers against players significantly taller than him, such as Fellaini.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\"><p>\nHard to pick out anyone in Red tonight but special mention for Joe Allen. Assurance personified. Surely has to be kept on next season.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sachin Nakrani (@SachinNakrani) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SachinNakrani\/status\/708055443474612224\">March 10, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As much as Allen\u2019s performance was outstanding, with the former Swansea man hitting the ground running and getting up to the speed of the game without even a second to think, the real key was the tactical switch that was implemented by the German in the dugout. It\u2019s no surprise that Liverpool\u2019s second goal came after Allen\u2019s introduction from the bench, nor is it the first time that a Klopp substitution has changed the face of the game.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_272\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-272\" class=\"size-large wp-image-272\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Banners-On-The-Kop-533x400.jpg\" alt=\"The Kop in full flow\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Banners-On-The-Kop-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Banners-On-The-Kop-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Banners-On-The-Kop-65x50.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-272\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Kop in full flow<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Liverpool aren\u2019t home and hosed yet, with a touch second-leg still to come. They\u2019ve held 2-0 leads in Europe ten times before, though, with only one of them not resulting in the Reds proceeding to the next round. The pressure is well and truly on United to respond at Old Trafford, but with Klopp in the dugout I feel an awful lot more confident than I have at any time since the halcyon days of Rafa Benitez\u2019s management of the club.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The tweet is 2 years old, but as a rough indication ahead of next week&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tsqqth81gj\">https:\/\/t.co\/tsqqth81gj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Andrew Beasley (@BassTunedToRed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BassTunedToRed\/status\/708062708567040002\">March 10, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Liverpool may not progress to the quarter-finals of the competition, but with Klopp in the management hot-seat you have to feel confident that the future is very bright indeed. Of the two teams on display last night one team seems to be heading in the right direction and one very much downhill. How nice it is that for the first time in my adult lifetime it is Liverpool who are getting stronger at the expense of their long-term enemy.<\/p>\n<h2>Firmino Growing Stronger<\/h2>\n<p>Just as it\u2019s impossible to talk about last night\u2019s game without praising David De Gea, so too a special mention must be given to the ever-improving Roberto Firmino. Having struggled to hit the ground-running during his first 24 games in a Liverpool shirt, it\u2019s now fair to say that the Brazilian is very much showing up those that felt it ok to criticise him after his arrival in England.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\"><p>\nIt&#8217;s a beautiful thing Firmino is making a few impatient fans &amp; pundits look daft &#8211; oozes class &#8211; becoming huge player for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash\">#LFC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Si Steers (@sisteers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sisteers\/status\/708209076317061120\">March 11, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Whilst the English press fawn over the impact of Dimitri Payet at West Ham and Arsenal fans refer to Mesut Ozil as the \u2018King of the Assist\u2019, Firmino has just quietly gone about the business of adapting to life in the Premier League. Yes he sometimes gives it away sloppily and yes he sometimes doesn\u2019t seem to be as involved in games as other players like Emre Can, but that isn\u2019t the be-all-and-end-all of life as a footballer.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_291\" style=\"width: 475px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-291\" class=\"size-large wp-image-291\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Roberto-Firmino-On-The-Anfield-Turf-465x400.jpg\" alt=\"Firmino\" width=\"465\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Roberto-Firmino-On-The-Anfield-Turf-465x400.jpg 465w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Roberto-Firmino-On-The-Anfield-Turf-232x200.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 465px) 100vw, 465px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-291\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firmino<\/p><\/div>\n<p>He knows how to score, he knows how to help others score and if he keeps going along the same trajectory as he\u2019s managed so far for Liverpool then there\u2019s little doubt that he\u2019ll be a vital cog in J\u00fcrgen Klopp\u2019s ever-improving Liverpool team for the months and years to come.<\/p>\n<h2>Abhorrent Chanting Has To Stop<\/h2>\n<p>Before I get into this too deeply I want to make something absolutely clear: I am not for one second naive enough to suggest that some Liverpool fans don\u2019t sing songs about or do gestures suggestive of mocking the Munich Air Disaster. That I have never seen or heard these things does not mean they don\u2019t take place, so don\u2019t for one second think I\u2019m trying to suggest that Liverpool fans can take some sort of moral high-ground.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the disgusting chants that emanated from the travelling fans last night need to be highlighted on the biggest possible stage, for shaming those responsible is the only way that we\u2019re likely to be able to end these vile songs and insults. The press need to talk about it not in passing, making a brief comment about United fans \u2018letting themselves down\u2019, but in the strongest terms that they can find.<\/p>\n<p>After a week of the press hand-wringing and moralising about Christian Benteke\u2019s penalty-that-was-definitely-a-penalty being awarded, it\u2019s ludicrous to suggest that a vast majority of Manchester United fans should be allowed to sing \u2018The Sun was right, you\u2019re murderers\u2019 without any reaction from the mainstream press.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Man United Chants 1st half<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool 30%<br \/>\nGerrard 25%<br \/>\nHillsborough 45%<br \/>\nTheir own team 0%<\/p>\n<p>Its 2016 you gang of cranks.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nicky Allt (@NickyAllt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NickyAllt\/status\/708057496871632897\">March 10, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sure there are a minority of Liverpool fans who find it acceptable to mock the Munich disaster and I would be the first to call them up on it should I hear or see it happen. The problem with Manchester United\u2019s singing last night was that it wasn\u2019t just a minority of the fans, it was the vast majority. That it could be heard so clearly all through the match is a blight on a great club\u2019s reputation..<\/p>\n<p>Sadly drawing attention to this issue on any social media platform results in little more than a barrage of tit-for-tat like excuses, with claims that \u2018United have had to put up with Munich mocking for years\u2019 bandied about, as if that somehow makes it ok that people sing about the deaths of innocent human beings in order to score points during a football match. It isn\u2019t even close to being ok. There are no circumstances in which it is \u2018ok\u2019 to laugh at the death of actual people in order to \u2018win\u2019 a tribal battle, regardless of the team you support.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_408\" style=\"width: 307px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-408\" class=\"size-large wp-image-408\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/34456328-2E34-43DF-8F76-E88D3D6DFE77-297x400.png\" alt=\"Comments By United Fans on Facebook\" width=\"297\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/34456328-2E34-43DF-8F76-E88D3D6DFE77-297x400.png 297w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/34456328-2E34-43DF-8F76-E88D3D6DFE77-148x200.png 148w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/34456328-2E34-43DF-8F76-E88D3D6DFE77.png 1081w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 297px) 100vw, 297px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-408\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Comments By United Fans on Facebook<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The singing of these pathetic songs should shame everyone involved with Manchester United, not cause them to say \u2018but you started it\u2019 like a moronic five-year-old. There are plenty of genuine things that fans of the Red Devils can mock us for without the victims of Hillsborough and Heysel ever entering anyone\u2019s thoughts. \u2018Twenty times\u2019 and \u2018Have you ever seen Gerrard win the league\u2019 hurts far more than such disgusting singing ever will.<\/p>\n<p>I thoroughly expect any Liverpool fan that sees or hears references to Munich from a fellow supporter to hit the roof, making clear that that\u2019s not how we operate as a group of supporters, no matter how antagonistic the opposing set of fans may be. Manchester United fans should follow suit, not either join in with the singing or make excuses for why it\u2019s ok because of similar chanting that has gone on before. It\u2019s sad that this even needs pointing out, but last night very much proved that it does indeed need to be drawn to everyone\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>De Gea Saves Goals &#8211; And United Blushes Unlike BT Sport\u2019s coverage of the match this isn\u2019t a blog that focusses on Manchester United. Nor is it a chance for me to slag off Simon Mignolet, especially after the Belgian has had little to do in the last two games and what he has done he\u2019s done well. Yet make no mistake, without David De Gea in goal for the Red Devils last night this tie is dead and buried before the teams even head to Old Trafford for the second-leg. The Spaniard was in sensational form, conceding two whilst [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":288,"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\/407"}],"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=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":445,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions\/445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}