No pain no gain:
Mo Salah is fouled by FC Midtjylland’s Paulinho resulting in a penalty which the Liverpool striker converted in their 2-0 Champions League win over the Danish side at Anfield last night
IT FEELS cruel that Liverpool’s 10,000th goal, scored by Diogo Jota and suitably in front of The Kop on a European night, was met with silence.
There were a few customary fireworks beyond Anfield, yet the low-key reaction to a milestone goal summed up the shallowness of the occasion as another game was ticked off in this current environment of floodlit fakery.
Liverpool did what they have done for the last three games – getting the job done while looking a shadow of the side we would expect in usual circumstances. Mohamed Salah’s injury-time penalty gave the scoreline a gloss as once more it was the character of Jurgen Klopp’s side which shone most as they overcame the early loss of Fabinho to a hamstring injury.
Through no fault of either set of players – Midtjylland can be justly proud of how far they pushed their hosts – rarely has a European night at Anfield felt so underwhelming. The standard of football was but one facet of that.
Anthem
Perhaps it was the sound of the Champions League anthem in an arena normally simmering on these evenings that made the cheerless reality more pronounced than usual. More likely it was the sight of yet another muscle injury to one of the many hundreds of top-class players expected to overexert to keep the sponsors and broadcasters happy. Everyone agrees we need the release of football, but the foolishness of so much, so often, is having a price.
It already feels like this will be a season of last man standing, the biggest prizes earned not just by those with the greatest talent, but the fewest injuries.
A week after tentatively hoping Fabinho offered the solution to the Virgil van Dijk void, Klopp was left searching for a fresh alternative at centre-half.
Fabinho pulled up just before 30 minutes. Klopp summoned 19-year-old Rhys Williams to play alongside Joe Gomez, and accomplished as he looks for one so young, the SOS to the absent Joel Matip is sure to be dispatched before the weekend.
“Exactly the last thing we needed,” said Klopp afterwards. “I don’t know, he felt his hamstring so that’s not good.
He didn’t feel it that much he said he could’ve played on but not sprinting so that doesn’t help.”
Give it a few weeks and every member of the squad may be given a go in defence. For Liverpool’s campaign to seem one of endurance so soon does not bode well. Neither did the early substitution of skipper Jordan Henderson at half-time, Gini Wijnaldum his replacement. It is just as well Liverpool leave their Melwood HQ soon, as presumably the medical facilities at the new training site in Kirkby can accommodate extra treatment tables.
The only consolation – and it is slim – is Liverpool are not alone with their expanding casualty list. Klopp and others predicted this, of course. There has been no option but to accept the schedule, otherwise they will appear discourteous or ungrateful. They would also probably be told to keep quiet by owners unwilling to forsake the UEFA cash as these fixtures have been crammed into the calendar like tinned sardines.
With each passing week it feels like we are seeing players being unduly risked to fill a quota. No wonder the cliché of ‘taking each game as it comes’ has long gone. Klopp is planning three or four games ahead and probably had the trip to Manchester City in 12 days’ time on his mind as much as this game with his team selection. Still he could not avoid seeing his numbers decrease.
Before Fabinho’s departure, Klopp had made concessions to the diary by leaving out his front three, although as the first half passed without a shot on the Danes’ goal it seemed a matter of time before one or all were introduced.
Divock Origi, Taki Minamino, Diogo Jota and Xherdan Shaqiri were given a chance to form an understanding, and not surprisingly struggled since they have never played much together.
Midtjylland realised swiftly the badge on the shirt did not correspond much to the quality of home performance.
The visitors should have led after three minutes when Alexander Scholz’s 40 yard pass dissected Liverpool’s defence, sending Anders Dreyer one-on-one with Alisson.
Fortunately for Liverpool, the Brazilian is rarely beaten easily and blocked the shot. The 2019 Champions League winners were disjointed. The passing did not penetrate, the touches were unsure, and aside from the occasional spark from Shaqiri, imagination absent.
Even the much vaunted ‘battle of the throw-ins’ was proving a let-down. This was the ‘Thomas Gronnemark derby’ after all, Liverpool and Midtjylland benefiting from the expertise of the same Danish chucker. The first throw-in came for Midtjylland on six minutes, lamely taken by Joel Andersson when he played safe after threatening a missile launch into the six-yard box.
Just as Klopp was calling Salah and Mane from the bench, Liverpool scored. Shaqiri’s clever pass picked out the overlapping Alexander-Arnold, and he found Jota for the Portuguese international’s third for his new club.
The senior strikers were introduced anyway, Liverpool seeking a second which would certainly have secured the game and prevented a nervous finale.
In truth, the Danes were creating little after their early burst, but they found new impetus in the closing stages and substitute Evander was inches from a 77th-minute equaliser.
Firmino, introduced on 81 minutes, ought to have doubled the lead two minutes from the end, scooping over from close range.
That almost proved costly when Dreyer bookmarked his evening by missing another ideal opportunity, finding the set netting with his effort.
Paulino’s foul on Salah gave the Egyptian the chance to finish off the Danes in injury-time, as he slammed home a penalty to give Liverpool six out of six points. (© Daily Telegraph, London)