Fulham away; Liverpool versus Odds again
- Hanshika Heeramun
- Aug 10, 2022
- 7 min read
Old friend, we meet again. Nothing like the tune of the Premier League and the sight of the red jersey of the Liverpool men to get my heart racing. It’s the first match of the weekend, kick-off at half past noon and the sun is torrid. Yet, the weather is not what makes me sweat as I watch from a colder region. It’s the first forty five minutes of losing balls and losing duels and misplacing passes. That is what makes me sweat.
Poetry In Motion Reds brings to you the first post-match analysis of the season 22/23. The Redmen kick-off against Fulham at Craven Cottage. We line up with a similar starting 11 compared to the one that started against Manchester City in the Community Shield a week ago.
With the slight change in goalkeeping, Alisson Becker returned from injury and sought to amp some game minutes up his gloves. Our back-four defense line was the usual marriage of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Andrew Robertson. In midfield, the looming presence of the Lighthouse Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and the skipper Jordan Henderson with the frontline of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz.
On the bench, new boy signings sat, Darwin Nunez and a return to his former side, Fabio Carvalho.
What’s it like being a Red today in the era of Jurgen Klopp? Not normal. Never normal. The German manager’s first speech after being appointed as our gaffer is the stuff that goes down in the Liverpool lore. It’s the line we start his story with. He is the normal one… Yet, nothing about his football, or the Liverpool way is ever normal.
The best way to describe what it is like to support a team as Liverpool Football Club is to simply say what James Milner has echoed many times before; it is not for the faint of hearts.
It is the new season, a 31st season of the Premier League; by the way, as a means to educate on the history of the Premier League, James Milner, the oldest man in the Liverpool squad (as many pundits like to remind the footballing world), has played 21 seasons. We kickoff our season at Craven Cottage against Fulham; a side that had been relegated not too long ago and who, in the Championship, had driven about with mad ambition to claw their way back to the Prem.
For that first forty five minutes, Liverpool FC only felt their blows. The Cottages had not held back. They were winning duels, left and right. Going for the tackles. Full aggression. They did not allow us a minute to breathe. Marco Silva had come with a game plan. It was quite simple; avoid the Liverpool press and play on the long balls. Fulham played with sheer brilliance combining aggression and accuracy.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passes to his lover on the left flank were cut short by the intercepting Fulham right-back. Virgil’s long diagonal passes could not find Mohamed Salah’s head or foot at all during the game. The midfield had problems intercepting, holding and driving. Our front-line? Starved.
For that first half, the only man who saw light was Luis Diaz.
The Cottages were out to make a statement; that they were worthy to be here. And did they deserve it as in the 32nd minute, coming behind Trent Alexander-Arnold; almost smothering the scouser, Alexander Mitrovic headed in the first goal at the combusting joy of the home fans.
The boys of Fulham Football Club played with heart, mind and soul. Let us not take away their first day back home in the league. Well played Fulham! Credit given where credit is due.
Liverpool Football Club felt lethargic today and yet, there is a weird feeling that brews within me. I have never, in my whole entire football life, given up when it came to these Redmen. Whether it was Carra playing or when Torres balled. Whoever wore the shirt, I got behind them. Us, the Liverpudlians, we are the driving force that these boys need to understand that whatever happens, we back them. The gaffer knows better than us. His coaching staff spends more time with these boys than we do watching them.
We do not know any better. We do not know more than Jurgen Klopp, Pep Ljinders, John Achtenberg or the rest. We know only that they play for us and we live, breathe and hope with them.
The second half started and the first five minutes, Fulham had not toned down. Instead, they came battling more fiercely with blows and blows and blows. And, for those minutes, Liverpool were man management of Chaos.
As the second half starts, we meet with the despairing reality that something might be off with Thiago. He comes out limping barely a few minutes in. The bench, with Jurgen and co, screams for Harvey to come rushing in.
At the 51st minute, the premier league is also introduced with Darwin Nunez as the Uruguayan makes way to replace Bobby Firmino. For Harvey, who subs on for Thiago, it is a return home where he once played.
The substitutes do what they were brought on to do. Impact.
Darwin Nunez continues to shine through. He came on at a difficult time. The setback of losing Thiago Alcantara made not only those watching nervy but those who played with him too. It takes Darwin a few minutes to create chances; and if on the first try, he does not score.
He scores on the second.
There is something quite jeering about a striker with such arrogant confidence to try to do the same movement twice. When Darwin tried to boot the goal in with his back feet in mid-air and misses, as fans watching, you applaud the effort and wish he kept it simple. Yet, to prove you wrong by doing the same motion and scoring from it. That takes guts. Darwin knows that he was brought on to change something.
The gaffer indirectly says, the game needs a hero and Liverpool FC and the City has always embodied the motto, “So, go on lad, be one.”
Suddenly, it’s 1-1 and Liverpool FC is back in the game.
I promise that, throughout this journey, supporting and writing about the Reds will be a beautiful experience; as it has been the case many times before. In all eras of this football club, there has been one constant that I or other Liverpudlians could not avoid. That is the emotion that comes with the drama of this football club. From losing leagues by one point to winning it in the last seconds of injury time and not forgetting the drama of penalties and heroes in last season’s finals at Wembley, we have seen so many days.
Football, not only for Liverpool supporters but for every one of those who breathe, live and love this beautiful game, have had different stand-point with the technology that have been applied in recent years to referee the game. Yet, as much as there is the Virtual Assistant Referee, we have for the past seasons scrutinized the approach of the referee in black that runs with the players on the pitch. Human mistakes are unavoidable. Yet, there’s much debate about the referee decision made during opening matches. If you do not understand what I am pointing at, it is the penalty we later concede in the Fulham match.
Call it Liverpudlian bias, but to me, that was too soft of a penalty. And yet, Virgil van Dijk will walk away knowing better. It’s 2-1 as Fulham leads with Mitrovic scoring from the penalty spot and yet, they do not keep the lead for too long. You see, for all the mistakes we made, we still can grind to get a result. On a better day, this game would have a different score line.
There are certain things in life that we struggle to escape. We can hide from it; wait it away or at least pray for it to forget about us. Sometimes we feel maybe it can spare us our fate. Yet, how long do you wait for something to pass when it stares at you right in the face?
I remember the first time we announced Mohamed Salah to the world as a football player that would wear the Liverpool number 11. His first season, phenomenal. They sang about him on the Kop; the story of a Prince that turned King. Beloved by Liverpool City and worshiped back in his home ground. His brilliance shone. When he took the ball to his feet, there was that feeling that something beautiful was about to happen. Then, his second season started and for a while, they said he was a one season wonder. He ended up winning the golden boot back to back.
Mohamed Salah is not a footballer. His humble roots would have him resolutely tell you again and again that he is just trying at the end of the day to be a good man. But there’s hope when people like Mo smile after missing the goal by a few centimeters; you know that he will end up scoring on the next try.
You can avoid death…but you cannot avoid Mo Salah scoring on the first opening match of the Premier League season. He equalizes at Craven Cottage, winning us a point by a subtle assist from Darwin and grips the record he already holds. Six Premier League seasons, Six opening goals. You can avoid death, but you can’t avoid the grit of a man whose brilliance shines in sheer consistency even when times are hard.
There are many things to take out of this game. Many mistakes to point at. Many positives to feel optimistic about. Yet, this is only day 1. There are 37 hurdles left. If this is about making the season end on the first day itself, then go support a team with no passion or merit. This is Liverpool Football Club; we've never done anything easily and we won’t start now.
Up the Reds.
Poetry in Motion Reds will accompany each game with a post-match review. Tune in every day after the match and hear our thoughts on the journey that we will undertake for this new season. Poetry in Motion Reds is a podcast dedicated to bringing the romantic writing and the football of Liverpool Football Club together. Here, we celebrate the Liverpool Way.
Accompany us as we accompany the Redmen.
You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Written by Hanshika Heeramun
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