15th August

Well that was something...

Liverpool Edge Out Gunners

At four o'clock on Sunday, I put the finishing touches on an article explaining why Liverpool's biggest problem was the lack of cover for Emre Can, and that Alberto Moreno was not a major hole in the side. "Titles aren't won and lost at left back". Then Moreno proceeded to make me not only look very very wrong, but incredibly stupid, with one of the worst performances I've ever seen from a Liverpool player. He made mistake after error, varying from poor clearances to overly aggressive tackles, right up to the three critical errors. First, he headed the ball straight to Aaron Ramsey to set Ramsey in on goal. Then he conceded a penalty from nowhere. Admittedly he got the ball but Gary Neville summed it up perfectly: garbage. It was a garbage tackle, whether it was a penalty or not. And then, having escaped that, he was caught ten yards too far up the pitch and let Theo Walcott in behind him. The net result was a deserved 1-0 lead for Arsenal.

I don't want to dwell on Moreno, as enough words will be spoken about him this Monday to fill a novel. He's a terrible left back, a liability and I'll be grateful to see James Milner there against Burnley whilst we hopefully use the Benteke money to sign a replacement. But it must be remembered that he wasn't the only player to have a poor first half. Wijnaldum and Lallana couldn't get in the game, Henderson was isolated in an unfamiliar position and struggling, and we couldn't get Coutinho in the game. The intensity, the pressing, the energy that was there against Barca just wasn't present, and although overall Arsenal didn't run away with the first half, they still should have been at least 2-0 up at the break.

But up stepped a little magician. Free kick, twenty-five yards out, right on half time. And what a free kick it was, a thing of beauty as it whipped and curled into the only spot in the whole goal that Petr Cech couldn't reach it. He had wanted the wall to move, but the wall were nowhere near it. Perfection. Taking Liverpool into half time at 1-1 which is far more than we deserved. We were lucky to escape at 1-1 to be honest. 

But when we came up for the second half, it was pure Klopp. This was the kind of football that Klopp wanted his team to play. High press, win the ball, pass the ball with incision and dynamic play. Runners off the ball making things happen. We had Firmino, Mane, Coutinho, Lallana and Wijnaldum playing and in that eighteen minute spell after half time, we showed why. The second came three minutes after the break, a beautiful flick from Coutinho releasing Wijnaldum, who found Lallana. A wonderful piece of control and finish from a man who needs to produce that more often, and the game was turned on its head. 

And it only got better from there, as Liverpool out-Arsenaled Arsenal with the third goal, making nearly thirty passes before releasing Clyne down the right, and his low cross was turned in brilliantly by man of the match Coutinho, who was single-handedly leading what was a brilliant team charge. Coutinho was mesmerising, inspiring, producing moments of quality that show why he's Liverpool's best player at times, and our player of the season for the last two years. 

But the other player that Liverpool fans are raving about today is new signing Sadio Mane, who is already starting to show that any criticism of his price tag might need to slow down, as he looks every inch a £30m player so far. He was fast, dangerous and showed fabulous ball control, as well as already interchanging well with the likes of Lallana (although to be honest Lallana could interchange well with a tree that's how good he is at interchanging) but the icing on the cake of Mane's performance was a stunning solo goal, as he turned on the afterburners, leaving Chambers and Monreal for dead before producing a stunning left foot finish. He's the sort of player Liverpool have been after for years, a natural winger with great skill on the ball, tenacity, and searing, searing pace. 

But then the other side of this Liverpool side reared its ugly head again. It's impossible to pin all of our defensive frailties on Moreno, as Simon Mignolet in goal, despite his excellent penalty save, remains a real liability. Yes, he was slightly unlucky that Dejan Lovren made a woeful job of blocking Oxlade-Chamberlain's shot for the second goal, just seconds after we'd put Arsenal to bed, but even so he should have saved it. And he probably should have done better with Chambers' header too, although he looked offside and really Lovren shouldn't have lost his man (he ended up being closer to Klavan than Lovren in the end but he was definitely Lovren's man). Either way credit to Cazorla for a wicked ball in, there's not too much you can do about deliveries of that quality. 

But the negatives can be addressed. Bringing in Matip and/or Sakho for Lovren, Karius for Mignolet, Emre Can to cover the back four and quite literally anyone on the planet for Alberto Moreno when they're fit will drastically improve the defensive side of our game. We still have arguably three of our first choice back four plus our first choice keeper injured (admittedly it's a bad sign when James Milner is your first choice left back but you take my point). Yes Klopp needs to sign a left back and a defensive midfielder, but although Henderson struggled there at times today, it's fair to say that against an inferior team to Arsenal he would struggle there less.

And if the negatives are there and obvious, the positives even more so. We played well for less than twenty minutes in this match and scored four goals and could have scored more. Coutinho, Mane, Firmino, Lallana, Wijnaldum, and even Henderson from CDM all offered a serious attacking threat, and we still have Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi to come back into this side, the latter showing what he can do with a brilliant little cameo at the end. Ultimately, this game might have had a different shade to it in different circumstances, but despite missing arguably seven first team players, we still decimated Arsenal at times. And make no mistake, scoring four goals and beating Arsenal on the opening day is most definitely a positive result. 

Player Ratings:
Mignolet 6
Clyne 6
Lovren 5
Klavan 7
Moreno 2
Henderson 7
Wijnaldum 6
Lallana 8
Mane 9
Coutinho 9
Firmino 7
Can 6 - on for Coutinho 70'
Origi 7 - on for Lallana 76'
Stewart N/A - on for Wijnaldum 88'

Bournemouth Crumble as United Off to a Flier

For forty minutes, this very much had the feel of a Louis Van Gaal game about it. I made the point before the season started that Mourinho, Pep and Conte wouldn't be able to produce miracles overnight, and so it showed in the second of the three big managerial debuts. The first half was a bit of a nothing, United were pedestrian, Bournemouth defended well but offered very little coming forward. And then, well Bournemouth stopped defending well. Simon Francis, who up until the forty minute mark, had been the best player on the pitch, inexplicably under hit a back pass to Juan Mata, and then volley the rebound straight back to Mata six yards out with an open goal, after the diminutive Spaniard fired straight at Boruc, who had reacted well to get out and make himself big. It was the easiest goal Mata will ever score.

That was the only incident of note in an otherwise dreary first half, and if United started to exert their complete control over the second, they were aided by some more truly horrible defending. Rooney had a decent chance after a complete air kick of a clearance but he could only fire at Boruc, who once again read the danger quickly. But Rooney made amends with a lovely header, although frankly he was not under anything resembling pressure. It was a good goal from United's perspective, but for Bournemouth to cheaply give the ball away in their own box and then fail to mark United's two danger players in the vicinity was nothing less than criminal. To give Wayne Rooney a completely free header six yards out? Dearie me. 

If the third was United's best goal, it certainly wasn't Bournemouth's worst. A lovely drive from Zlatan Ibrahimovich from range, put in the only place Boruc couldn't reach. Ibrahimovic marked his first Premier League game with a goal, and it was a good one at that. But United's best players were Mata and other new signing Bailly. It will have been exactly the sort of game Bailly wanted, one against opposition not blessed with a lot of strength, giving him the ability to assert his superior physical prowess and pace in one on ones and fifty-fifties. 

The only blip for United was that a stern defensive performance wasn't rewarded with a clean sheet, as Bournemouth actually ran at the weak link in their defence, that channel between Blind and Shaw, and got a reward for it. Shaw looked rusty, which is to be expected as it's his first game in the Premier League in nearly a year, and Blind turned in a largely good performance but you'd have to say Chris Smalling remains a better option at centre back.

In truth, there are very few conclusions we can draw from this game about how United will perform this season. They were poor in the first half, but when Bournemouth crumbled in the second they were able to take advantage and were excellent. As for Bournemouth, they have some serious problems to overcome, at both ends of the pitch.

Olympic Watch

• Super Sunday it turned out to be, especially in the gymnastics, where the phenomenal Max Whitlock managed to pip team mate Louis Smith to gold in the pommel, but also turned in a stunning performance on the floor to win another gold, this one wholly unexpected, but quite magnificent. Whitlock now has two gold medals and a bronze in this games. A revelation in British gymnastics.
• And there was also joy in two of the more conventional sports at the Olympics, as Justin Rose clinched gold in a spectacular final day showdown with Swede Henrik Stenson and Andy Murray saw off Juan Martin Del Potro in an epic four set battle to take gold in the tennis. Rose and Stenson took it all the way to their third shots on the 18th hole dead level, but whilst Stenson's pitch wasn't quite good enough for a birdie, Rose nailed his to take gold. As for Murray, he was caught in a huge physical battle, but had the stamina to outfight Del Potro, and despite being 5-3 down in the fourth set, turned it around to pip the exhausted Delpo 7-5.
• And GB's fifth gold of the day came in the cycling, where we already knew Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner would fight for gold, leaving GB with a gold and silver. And as expected, Kenny was just too fast. His fifth gold medal, and he could yet add a sixth in the Kierin. A true Olympic great. 
• And away from Team GB, there was some major drama late into the night as Usain Bolt won his 100m race, but had his thunder stolen by Saffer Van Niekerk, who not only stormed to a huge victory in the 400m, but smashed Michael Johnson's 1999 world record. Stunning.