Last night was a rare time when I missed the start of a Liverpool match. Life, as it sometimes does, got in the way. But I also wasn’t super eager to make it back home for kickoff. Why would I be? Even
in league matches where Liverpool won, they’ve conspired to make the experience as excruciating as possible.
Also, Newcastle at home, with all the recent history and Liverpool’s recent form, didn’t give me high hopes of watching The Reds put in a good performance.
So. I didn’t rush home.
When I turned on the TV, and saw that it was 1-0 to Newcastle, I joked in my chat group, “Just got in and shocked to find us losing.” The sarcasm was not missed within the chat group. Of course I wasn’t shocked.
Liverpool have made a habit of starting matches toothless and then letting a soft one in. Or two soft ones. Of course Liverpool were losing at home to a worse team, and a team that was missing their most important player. Why would I expect anything otherwise?
Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz quickly made me eat my words.
It turns out, that I got in at the perfect moment: just in time to see Hugo’s brace lift The Reds back in front. And then I got to watch the second half, wherein Liverpool seemingly remembered, collectively, that they’re the better team, with far better players. And actually act like it.
It was, oh, what’s that word again? Um. Joy? Yes, joy! It was a joy to watch The Reds actually put in a league performance like that. I’d almost forgotten after a season where even wins are as painful of a way to spend 90 minutes as getting a root canal.
They didn’t get dragged into a war of attrition against a side that wanted to leave bruises on our players more than they wanted to score goals. Instead, they let their quality show through.
And then! This morning! I actually woke up wanting to watch Match of the Day, which I’m pretty sure is a first this season, or at the very least the first since sometime in August.
To say the least, it has been a weird season. It began with tragedy before a ball had ever been kicked. Then the actual football started out decent enough, before things went to shit for about two months, and finally finding some form in December and January, albeit not one that resulted in a lot of wins.
The Reds started the season a couple of players light, and with an unbalanced squad. The players we did sign were not Premier League ready or match fit. Then there were injuries (which we are still in the midst of). And every time it seems like Liverpool “turn the corner,” it has only been yet another false dawn, to intentionally mix metaphores.
However, Liverpool may have just turned something like a corner. The Reds have won by 3 or more goals in 3 of the last 4, and have secured qualification to the knockout rounds of the Champions League. Sure, there was a last-gasp loss to Bournemouth in there as well, but if Liverpool are going to once again qualify for the Champions League, there will be a few of those yet to come.
The important thing is that these matches have at least been entertaining. Both against Bournemouth and Newcastle, Liverpool came back after conceding first. And against Newcastle, they secured their first come-from-behind win of the Premier League season.
In recent weeks, they’ve shown us that while there are still defensive frailities, Liverpool are starting to find the right balance between attack and defense.
Moreover, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike really appear to be coming to the boil.
Wirtz has grown into the season, and is now consistently the best player on the pitch. He now appears up to the physical challenges of the Premier League, and also has a much better understanding of his teammates. He is truly a joy to watch, and has been even when Liverpool have been dour.
Hugo, on the other hand, has been a bright spot all season, even when doing daft things like getting a second yellow. And yet, he is also stepping up at just the right time.
As I said, we’ll probably have a few more bumps along the way, especially on the road. But if Liverpool are finding something resembling form, there could still be some special—even joyful—moments before the final whistle blows this season.
