We ran the simulations through a thousand times on the supercomputer. We asked the oracle you offload you executive functions to in an effort to atrophy your critical thinking skills. We popped round the psychic whose shop we pass every morning and put it to them.
Everyone agrees, of all the possible outcomes for Liverpool Football Club from the starting point of a year ago, this is the worst. Of all the possible universes we could have stepped into, minute by minute and hour by hour and day by day over
the past 12 months, this is the worst.
A year of increasingly poor performances and poor results. A year of the press degrading and finishing gone cold. A year of watching a side become ever more fragile; ever more prone to falling apart at the slightest setback. The vibes are bad, man. The vibes are very bad.
“Tough work, which was expected,” said club captain Virgil van Dijk, who frankly looked to have had a miserable time on Wednesday crammed into a flat back five, an ultra-defensive shape the players haven’t trained for this season and that didn’t actually cut down his workload.
Rather than being defensively sound, an extra body at the back left gaps in midfield and meant Paris Saint-Germain were never closed down effectively. It meant the three centre halves, asked to man mark the opposition, having to charge out to close opponents down.
They ran more than they usually do. Got in each other’s way more than they usually do. Strived and strained and still came up short. And in the end, Liverpool lost. It probably should have been by more than just the 2-0 final scoreline, one that rather flatters the adrift-at-sea Reds.
“I think we defended with a lot of bodies,” Van Dijk added. “Unfortunately, their first goal is a deflection, and when we had some moments on the break we could have done better. Obviously I’m not happy losing here, but the only positive is we have another game to play.”
Put bluntly, another game to play doesn’t feel like a positive right now. Whether or not we’re all ready for it, though, another game is coming. Another game is always coming, with Fulham up first on Saturday and then leg two against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield next week.
As much as anything, though, that’s a problem. That it doesn’t feel like anyone especially wants more of Liverpool right now. Not the fans and, based on the performances, not the players. Opponents, of course, probably wouldn’t mind playing them tomorrow. So. Bring on Fulham.
