John Wilson says…
‘Doing a Sunderland’ — a ‘thing’ that a lot of people think exists, no longer is a ‘thing’ with this Sunderland side — that’s if it ever was. This is a new team, on a different level to probably any other
team we’ve supported before. That being said, what still applies to us and every other team, is the level of psychology and the human effects on the players. I think RLB likes to term this as ‘consistency’. Only the very top teams can approach a game against a lower-league team with the same mentality that they approach a battle with a top-of-the-table rival. I don’t think we’ve reached those levels of consistency at all yet. Look at our away performances against Burnley, Fulham, Brentford and West Ham especially. We switched off. We didn’t give the home team the level of respect and commitment that needs to be given to all Premier teams.
The problem this Wednesday of course is that we’ve just given every effort against the league leaders, and left everything out on the pitch. But so did Liverpool against Man City. The Reds will be itching to put that right and get back to winning ways at the SoL. So it’s set up for a very intriguing game. I stated last week that I didn’t think we’d take points off Arsenal and Liverpool — especially as these 2 games are so close together. As well as we played at The Emirates, I think if we’d pinched a point, in some psychological throwback, we wouldn’t be approaching the Liverpool game with quite the same hunger or desire. Work that backwards logic out! Because we missed out against the Gunners, and as we are defending our brilliant home record, I think the players will be up for this one yet again, with a point to prove. Liverpool will have to be at it to take our undefeated record off us — bring it on. How we fare against Oxford might be another matter — but for Wednesday, I’m confident we can get something out of the game. Ha’way me bonnie lads!
Joseph Tulip says…
I think we have every chance of getting a positive result on Wednesday because we have everything to play for.
While our Premier League status is not on the line this week, our proud unbeaten home record is something to fight for. Our players have a clear connection with the fans and this will be key to keeping Liverpool at bay.
The rousing atmosphere has been key in all of our home games so far, and I expect nothing less against a side which, despite a recent dip in form, are still the defending Premier League champions.
We should be looking to exploit the reds’ defensive woes and perhaps our substitutions later in the game will have an impact, with the likes of Mayenda, Isidor and our new signing Nilson offering us pace and power in reserve.
Our home mentality and influence of the crowd will give our players that extra 10 per cent as we fight to keep our unbeaten run at the SoL going.
Let’s not worry about the Arsenal game or our record away from home. We’re back at the SoL this time and our record at home should give Régis Le Bris and his team plenty of confidence. Ha’way the Lads!
Malc Dugdale says…
This is clearly one of the biggest tests for us to maintain our unbeaten home record, but I think it’s feasible we can get a draw, and if we are at our best, we could do a bit better, as at our peak and with the crowd behind us, we can beat anyone at the SoL.
The concern I have is twofold. Firstly the proximity of these two top-end games, as was the issue with Man City and Liverpool close together in the past. We drew and almost nicked a win at Anfield, but the game at The Etihad was just too much too soon, and this pair of games could be similar.
The other risk is the personnel we have available after that massive battle against the champions elect. We have showed at home we can play without Xhaka, but the way Noah Sadiki went off at the weekend, if we have also lost him, that could be a tough one to overcome. Hopefully his withdrawal was a precaution and he is back to challenge the Liverpool midfield, part of a team that will be rattled by losing at home as they did in that last 15 mins against Pep’s lads.
That said, the early difference maker against Man City when they visited Liverpool was Szoboszlai, and after the farcical late red card he took, he will be suspended for our game, so we aren’t the only team without key players.
If we have Sadiki, Le Fée and Diarra in the middle we can more than compete with Mac Allister and Gravenberch for me.
Brobbey supported by Talbi, Diarra and the interchanging overlap of Hume and Mukiele can get occasional change out of Konaté, Van Dijk and Kerkez. We may even see a bigger contribution from Angulo after a few more days to train and bed in.
I feel sorry for whoever Liverpool draft in to replace the missing Hungarian in all honesty, as Brobbey will be on a mission, and so will the winger on that side I’m sure.
It will be a tough night, but it’s one I’m coming up for so I can’t wait to see it play out live.
For perspective, we have to remember this is why we wanted to be here — to pit our wits against some of the best footballers in the world.
And to beat the sad bastards from Newcastle.
Bring it on.
Lee Morrison says…
A year ago, I was excited just to see how we’d fare against a beleaguered Luton after some sketchy home form. This year, the excitement is reaching ridiculous levels as we prepare to welcome the defending champions.
Wednesday against Liverpool presents a fascinating challenge. Our home form has been superb, built largely on Régis Le Bris’s (and now my) favourite word: synergy.
If we can turn the Stadium of Light into a genuine cauldron of noise, I’m certain the players will respond. With the right selection, a fully committed, physical performance, and relentless support, we can protect this unbeaten home record — something that clearly means a great deal to the squad and coaching staff alike. We’re coming off a grueling shift against Arsenal on Saturday, but there’s no doubt this team will leave everything on the pitch.
We can be under no illusions, though; Liverpool are dangerous for a reason. There’s a world-class clinical edge to them, and the duo of Hugo Ekitiké and Florian Wirtz is a particularly frightening prospect to nullify.
However, if we look back to the reverse fixture along with our performances of late, there are plenty of encouraging signs. I’ve been beyond impressed with our midfield’s ability to dictate games, and we can’t dismiss the damage Brian Brobbey can do. His physicality, link-up play, and finishing could be the key to unlocking them.
I’m not going to jinx the result with a score prediction, but I know I’ll leave the ground proud of this side. Let’s keep this run going. Ha’way the lads!
Ben McKevitt says…
I’d say that going into Wednesday night’s game I’m not confident that we WILL win but I’m confident that we CAN win.
If this season has shown us anything, it’s that we have no reason to fear anybody at the Stadium of Light. We’ve repelled the current top three in the league and taken 3 points while doing it, so welcoming a disheartened and seemingly flailing Liverpool side doesn’t put the fear into me like it may have before the season started.
Thanks to an unbelievable series of events against Manchester City, the holding league champions are down not one, two or three but four right-backs and will likely need to play Curtis Jones in that position — something which is particularly poignant for the visitors after missing out on our very own Lutsharel Geertruida.
With a stuttering Mo Salah, an injured Isak and an over-reliance on Ekitiké, we could find a way to keep the visitors from breaching our defence and I’d love to see our new lad Angulo given a start against their makeshift defence. He’s got the pace and trickery to make the night a nightmare for any player stepping into that spot.
Hopefully we can find a way to break through early as if we get an early goal, this Liverpool team is not made up of the same mentality monsters as in the past and may not be able to get back into it. We nearly won at Anfield so hopefully we can get the job done come Wednesday. Ha’way the lads!
