Reds’ Old Rubber
It wasn’t even in the home sides actual stadium and in the grand context of Liverpool’s season it mattered not a jot. There were no late heroics and in fact there was pretty much nothing from the final group game in Belgium. Kelleher even came up in the end as we tried to pretend there was something in it but truth be told Jurgen Klopp and his men / boys knew that this mattered not a jot. A worse dead rubber than that 20 year old condom in your wallet and one that will be very quickly forgotten if you even watched it properly. We look at the lessons learned which may even be stretching it from defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise.
Quansah Strikes Something
Considering how much Liverpool’s forward line has been stuttering in recent weeks, they could do with Jarrell Quansah giving them some tips. The 20-year-old’s instant control from Curtis Jones’ corner and first-time strike would have been worthy of any top name striker. He really didn’t have any decent competition, but that strike and the pass he played into Nunez in the second half made him man of the match. It was a difficult outing against Palace at the weekend for the youngster, and it wasn’t an easy game with a pair of inexperienced full backs on either side. Abbe the only one who comes out particularly happy with his performance in this one.
Senior Stars Not Shining
It may not have mattered at all, but with the small matter of a game against the old enemy at the weekend, no one looked desperate to take their chance here. Endo was removed at half-time, and it could easily have been tactical as the Japanese international was targeted and surrendered possession regularly. Konate didn’t give the defence the security hoped for in his 45 minutes on the field, and Curtis Jones was sub-standard. Considering Harvey Elliott was on the field and after all the praise at the weekend, we offered little threat whilst it’s hard to remember anything Cody Gakpo did. The best game for them to do this in, but hardly a marker down for Sunday.
Kelleher Truth
No one is going to be Allison Becker, and we got a reminder of that last Saturday against Palace. However, for all the talk of Kelleher’s ability with his feet, it’s his hands that don’t provide the reassurance anyone is looking for. He was beaten at his near post for the Union second, and even for their disallowed strike looked like he could have done better. The 26-year-old is certainly no youngster, and whilst there were a few good one-on-one saves, he doesn’t fill you with any confidence. The idea of Kelleher as a second-choice keeper often seems to be better than the reality, and we all breathed a sigh of relief when Allison was back earlier than expected. That’s the harsh truth.
