Liverpool v Newcastle United – A Quick Liverpool Perspective

Liverpool v Newcastle United A Liverpool Perspective

A very odd game, with Newcastle being very much in the game until they scored and then Liverpool dominating the rest of the match. What was noticeable is the part referee Simon Hooper played in the win, simply by being his hopelessly incompetent self. His constant bad decisions had gradually ramped up the atmosphere as the Kop got more and more irate with his uselessness and, when Newcastle scored, that put the crowd firmly behind the team. From that moment on, the game only had one team in it, as Liverpool dominated.

The most pleasing thing to watch was their desire to get the ball forward and attack the Toon, even when leading 3-1, there was always a real hunger to get more. The tippy tappy passing around the back and slow build up play still showed up in odd moments, but it never lasted long and there was no sitting back and hoping to hold onto the lead. We saw just what this team is actually capable of and also saw the style of play that should have been evident from the first game of the season, rather than the slow, methodical approach Slot has favoured all season. With this style of play, there is no doubt in my mind that Liverpool would have been in the title battle this time around once more, rather than scraping round hoping for a top 4/5 finish.

Slot does have a big problem, which requires a lot more of these performances, rather than the tedious tippy tappy round the backline stuff that he seems to favour. That problem is that he is following on from Jurgen Klopp, that aura, that charisma, that easy charm and the way he integrated himself into the city and understood and utilised the power of the fans at Anfield. Slot simply does not have any of that. He has not moved his family over to England, he does not even live in the Liverpool area, which makes it difficult for him to really harness the passion coming from the stands, which is the real difference maker. That means that he has to win trophies, which he is making more difficult for himself by not bringing the crowd into play.

He does not help himself, for example dropping Ekitike the moment Isak was even within the range of 20% fit, when Ekitike had made himself a crowd favourite, was scoring goals and playing well. It is little wonder that the team are not able to really get a good run of performances together, to play consistent winning football, as without that truly ignited crowd the team is hampered. What this game…