- United more threatening and creative than Liverpool, even though their game plan was destroyed by injuries
- Salah throwing another "come and get me Madrid/Barca" hissy fit getting subbed
- Firmino hobbling away from OT on crutches
- Kopites feeling the hot breath of City on their necks and sweating like a glass blower's arse
That's an acceptable days worth of association football.
That's a big miss for them today. The odds all shifted massively towards City after that, they are now around 65% chance and Liverpool down to about 33% chance.
United were without their best front 6, (Martial, Lingered, Mata, Matic, Herrera and Rashford). They are critical to the way they play. Without those players they are not only weaker, but their entire gameplay falls down.
Put it this way, if Liverpool were without their front 3, and say VVD and Alisson which is equivalent to the level of disruption faced for United with United only missing 1 player of the above list (to be equivalent of Firmino) can you honestly imagine the game would be so even? Then factor in 3 of them go down during the game and they have no subs for an hour? Factor in that they play with a man hobbling for 55+ minutes. There's no way United don't get out of Anfield with another handsome victory.
That's a massive missed opportunity for Klopp. Whatever excuses you want to make, they are 13 points from the last 9 games. If they repeat that over the next 9 games they finish 3rd. It's horrible feeling feeling someone catch you from behind and they are fully in the midst of it.
You can see it with Klopp, he looks far too animated and stressed on the side. His team play that way too. Today, against a walking wounded opponent it was time to keep calm, keep moving the ball and eventually the chance would come. They tried to push it too much too early. My sense is he buckles under pressure and you are seeing that here.
The Klopp loyalists are trying for him, God bless them. One column today said they'd have taken 1 point clear before the City game. It doesn't make sense. They would have taken dropping 6 points to City in 6 or 7 league games? They are deluding themselves.
Their front 3 look very tired to me. Some rumours today Firmino started today carrying an injury. I wouldn't be surprised if Salah has a knock or 2 hence why he is coming off.
What would really alarm me if I supported them, is even with the break times they've had, 2 big break periods there has been no re-charge. From here on in they are back to 2 games per week.
I said before Bournemouth if they lost that game there'd be a crisis. I'll be bold to say, a defeat to Watford would have the same affect. Watford will make things very difficult for them as well. I think a defeat to Watford is a trigger point for a crisis.