Speaking about Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace isn’t a barrel of laughs, but two Reds supporters have plucked up the courage to do so.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side were beaten at home to the Eagles on Sunday afternoon, dropping more points in the Premier League title race and giving Man City the ascendency.
Here, Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) is joined by The Redmen TV’s Dan Clubbe (@dan_clubbe) to dissect a grim afternoon at Anfield and how the title battle looks.
Just how bad do you feel after that?
HENRY: I’ve reached the ‘not angry, just disappointed’ stage. I’m just a bit numb to it now.
This is what constant title battles up against Man City do to a man!
I never thought we’d lose that one, in all honesty, but it was another really concerning result that suggests the season is petering out.
Too many players have dropped well below their best – Ibou, Endo, Szoboszlai, Salah and Nunez all stand out – and they look a tired bunch.
Jurgen’s finale wasn’t supposed to end this way – here’s hoping there is still another major twist to come!
DAN: Unlike Henry, I feel horrendous.
Just the frustrating manner of it all in recent weeks makes it harder to make peace with and it’s another tough one to make any proper sense of.
We were all expecting a response from midweek, and if we’re honest, we barely got going until 30 minutes in and our usually trusty powers of recovery were nowhere to be found.
Plus, we’re all guilty of romanticising the importance of this season now with Jurgen’s farewell factor and that feels like it’s amplified the importance of every kick, including the highs and lows of every result or performance.
What do you think are the biggest issues right now?
HENRY: The finishing is, quite frankly, an embarrassment currently. We could’ve played for 24 hours and not scored.
I missed two open goals at seven-a-side a few weeks ago and I still feel superior to them in front of goal at the moment!
Those two United games really look like they’ve got into their heads, and there were so many individuals guilty of being wasteful.
When Jota is missing a tap-in, you know there are issues!
Going 1-0 down has been a problem all season and it’s not sustainable – why do Liverpool keep starting games so badly?
DAN: As Henry says, profligacy in front of goal was the main issue, without a doubt.
Once again, we created more than enough chances to win the game – and maybe even another one – without putting a side to the sword.
Although Palace deserve plenty of credit for the way they set up and defended, it’s another match we’re walking away from ruing missed clear-cut chances.
Other than that, maybe some fatigue has crept in, possibly a little of the belief has ebbed away after United, even a mini crisis of confidence.
A special mention alongside Henry for our obligatory slow start as well – where would we be without those!
Has Arsenal’s defeat picked you up at all?
HENRY: I’d be lying if I said it didn’t turn my Sunday from an awful one into just a quite bad one.
Realistically, an Arsenal win would’ve effectively put them four points clear because of their superior goal difference, so it was a big result for Liverpool.
All it’s done is play into City’s hands, though, and history suggests that when you give them a lead in April, that’s the end of it!
Arsenal fans have been getting well above their station, though, so it’s always pleasant to see them being humbled.
It’s two shocking results for both teams.
DAN: It 100 percent picked me up.
In the immediate aftermath of another deflating result, it felt as though Man City and Arsenal were bulletproof, so to be given almost an instant reminder that at least one of them has frailties of their own certainly renews the faith a little.
Although it doesn’t change the title complexion massively, the fact there are still points there to be won and dropped is enough for me to carry on believing.
Not to mention by this point in our Liverpool fandom we’d all be mad to write off any Reds side, let alone one with Klopp at the helm.
How do you assess the title race now? Has it gone?
HENRY: To suggest that a title race is over when two teams are only a couple of points behind the leaders is crazy, but it does feel like that.
It hasn’t gone, though.
City have just skewed everything because they’re so relentless at this point in every season, so Sunday did feel pivotal.
A defeat in April never used to be a major issue for the great Liverpool sides, or any of our rivals’ brilliant teams, but it’s different now.
City are now very strong favourites, simply because I believe they will win every remaining game, but to paraphrase Kevin Keegan: I would LOVE it if they threw it away from here.
DAN: It’s definitely not gone, but made more difficult without a doubt.
Needing favours has never really worked for us but if we can – and it’s a big ‘if’ on recent evidence – start to take care of our own business, then I do have hope there will be another twist or turn in the title run-in and it won’t be the procession many are now anticipating.
In no world would I want to be placing all my hopes and dreams at the door of Spurs, but here we are!
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