“No one says let's go see football run; we say let's go see football play”. The phrase, which lost its author, is very ingenious. And true. It comes from a lover of precision and low ball, an enemy of the frantic physical rhythm of today. Like Valdano's, that great coiner of sentences: “You learn to play football on a field, not in a gym”. Always so sharp, Jorge. Now, if you face Liverpool (or Bayern Munich), how do you compete without running…? They might crush you like Bayern did to Barcelona in the 8-2. Or like Liverpool did in the 4-0 to the same poor Barça. "I like another football, more languid, ball possession", we hear. And, yes, we all like it. But there are no fines for speeding in this game. And once a trend arrives, you have to jump on it or be trampled by the peloton. Or do we go back by decree to 1960 and let them run slowly...? Klopp's Liverpool proposes an infernal vertigo combined with suffocating pressure. And they also know how to touch the ball with one, maximum two touches; no one holds on to the ball, it's all circulation, openings, creation of spaces, continuous movement to give passing options. Now, with Thiago, they have even gained precision. They took out a foot soldier (Wijnaldum) and put in an officer to distribute. So, beyond tastes or styles, facing a group of legionnaires like Klopp's, you have to run, fight, bite, tackle and then play the 95 or 97 minutes that a game lasts.
- Will the Premier League be the most passionate of them all?
Everton understood it. They tired until exhaustion, otherwise, they would have lost their unbeaten record. Still, the final 2-2 does not reflect the red superiority throughout the match. Why didn't they take the derby home...? Primarily, because of a microscopic VAR that saw an offside by Mané and disallowed Henderson's goal in the 92nd minute. Of course, in the VAR booth, they have technical possibilities that see better than the human eye, but there is no way to believe it was offside. It was the lace of a shoe offside. The bitter taste of injustice remained. We have been asking for VAR for years, but not for this. That allowed the Everton team to retain the lead on their own. And saved them from defeat against their archrival. That and some miraculous saves by Jordan Pickford, especially a fabulous one against Matip's header. And here it's worth asking: shouldn't Pickford have been sent off in the fourth minute when he committed a terrible foul against Virgil Van Dijk? The play was canceled for Firmino's alleged offside, but that doesn't invalidate the goalkeeper's blow. It was a brutal tackle and he may have broken the Dutchman's knee. Pickford kept playing. "It was a straight red without any doubt," says our friend Javier Castrilli.
Liverpool's favorite play put them ahead just 2 minutes and 16 seconds into the game: opening to the wing for the fullback's run, in this case Robertson, cross back and Mané shook the net up. Speaking of Mané, he's an enzyme; aside from his offensive contribution, we don't see another forward that suffocates the opponent's exit as much as the Senegalese does.
The Premier League leader equalized fairly quickly, at 18'. Great deep pass from James Rodríguez to Calvert-Lewin, shot and goalkeeper San Miguel sent it to the corner. The cross, a delicious one from James himself, went straight to the head of the excellent defender Keane (he's very good in the air) and made it 1-1. There is probably no better crosser in the world than James, his curved balls are a lethal weapon for Everton, which also has four very strong players in the air, the aforementioned Keane, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, and Yerry Mina.
- Ecuador graduates as a contender
Indeed, intensity adds excitement but takes away precision and quality from the game. You have to quickly release the ball. James understood it; his must be to receive and pass it as soon as possible; he is not there to entertain himself with the ball nor does he have the speed to carry it, they close him down and take it away. His switches to Digné are remote-controlled, door-to-door. And his threaded passes, highly valued by Calvert or Richarlison, who look for him to thank him in the goals. Against a demanding opponent, the Colombian performed very well, better than in the two Elimination matches. Yerry Mina also deserved a 7, but a bad clearance (never clear towards the middle of the area) cost him, and Salah scored against him, slotting it first time into the goal.
From another good parallel pass from James to Digné came the long-awaited final equalizer (it seemed like it would never come). The Frenchman, also very enlightened in his deliveries, lifted it into the box and Calvert-Lewin, in a magical moment, scored the 2-2 with a header. Everton held on for the final seven minutes with ten men after Richarlison was red-carded for attempting to murder Thiago Alcántara. He went into a challenge with a brutal scissor kick. He must be very relieved now that he didn't break his leg.
- Everyone is a big spender, Mister Klopp
In the five games played so far by Liverpool, there have been 26 goals, an average of 5.2 per match: 4-3, 2-0, 3-1, 2-7, and 2-2, a reflection that this whirlwind generates danger in both goals. And that Klopp's team is not afraid to attack. It is also another sign of the phenomenal goalscoring moment that world football is going through. Goals are raining everywhere.
After just five matchdays, fans wonder if Everton can resist at the top. It's difficult, they don't have such a deep squad. They've just lost two very important players, their captain Coleman due to a muscle injury, and the red-carded Richarlison, both in great form. England is very demanding, they play two matches a week all year round between the Premier League, English Cup, League Cup, and Community Shield. Everton doesn't compete in Europe like Liverpool, City, United, Tottenham, or Arsenal. And all of them will drop points because there is an astonishing parity among the top eight or ten teams. If Ancelotti's men hold on for one round, then the hope can become the twelfth man. (O)