Two more games and two more Liverpool FC victories for Jim Boardman and Jay Reid to look back on in this week’s episode, one in the derby and one in the Carabao Cup. Referees get a mention, not just because of the traffic warden element of the officiating at Anfield, but of course because we’ve just played the neighbours, with their forensic knowledge of the laws of the game and an endless archive of memories of every “bad” refereeing decision from their 30 barren trophyless years and beyond.
Jim and Jay predicted last week that Pierluigi Collina’s biggest fans would have a list of complaints about the officials in the derby, and they didn’t let us down. Complaining about a yellow for a player who has managed four bookings in six games, as if he’s some kind of angel, and welling up about the injury time that came to an end with Liverpool in the middle of a good attacking move that maybe could have seen the game finish 3-1. Great distraction techniques as always – Moyesey is definitely back.
As for the football, the bit most of us tend to enjoy most about a Premier League game: was it a barely-scraped win the way some observers are making out, or was it more about efficiency from Arne Slot’s revamped side? Three games in six days, as Jay explains, gives the players little to no time to be fully ready for a game with the intensity of a derby, especially when the game time shifts to lunchtime. Does it matter if we win a game by a single goal, one that, despite the goal conceded, saw very little work for Ali in the Reds’ goal? Was it still three points? There is plenty of praise to dish out from Jay and Jim for many of the players involved, particularly the performances of the full-backs.
After another couple of days off for the players, it was time for the Carabao Cup match against Southampton, with a host of changes to both give some of the most-used players a rest and to get minutes into the legs of those who are not quite first-choice.
Sadly, the headlines have been all about Ekitike’s late red card, and although he’s only got himself to blame for taking his shirt off after scoring – even if he did have another layer on underneath – is it one of football’s most pointless rules? Jay and Jim debate the "fun police" nature of refereeing and the way officials seem to live for moments like that.
That might be what’s grabbed the attention of supposedly neutral observers, but there was much more positive to talk about after this game, with some standout performances from the squad. Jim and Jay wonder if this was the moment we got to see the real Federico Chiesa; he’s clearly far fitter than when Liverpool first signed him and showed a lot of what made him so highly valued not all that long ago. A first goal for Isak, who is clearly not yet at the levels of fitness he needs to be after his awkward summer, means all those ‘hasn’t scored yet’ stats can go away. He’s off the mark.
Jay and Jim were full of praise too for young defender Giovanni Leoni, as were many in the ground for his debut. Whilst being careful not to get carried away based on one performance in a League Cup game against lower league opposition, comparisons have been made to some Reds defenders of old. He had the look of a proper Liverpool defender and his confidence belied his age. Sadly, though, his debut ended early with an injury that saw him stretchered off after some lengthy efforts to stabilise him pitchside, and early rumours of the extent of the injury point to him not playing again this season.
This makes the weekend clash with Crystal Palace a touch more interesting, because, as Jay and Jim discuss, the awful news for Leoni might just push Liverpool to do what’s needed to ensure defender Marc Guéhi sees the New Year in on Merseyside.
