The Liverpool Connection Podcast
The Liverpool Connection Podcast
Review: LFC Beat Aston Villa
Aldrich at Mueller
The British Academy of Soccer
Central Texas
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Hi everyone and welcome to the Liverpool Connection podcast. We are at BD Riley's today and we just watched Liverpool's Spank Aston Villa and with a couple of well, let's say yeah, mates, they are, and as a Glenn and Matthew, 3-0 to the good. What do you think, lads? I don't think we need to really talk about the line-up too much. Apart from Nunes coming in, it was the same team. Yeah, we'll start with you, mate.
Speaker 2:I thought it was a great match. I have no idea what Aston Villa was doing, playing such a high line in that game, and we just made them pay for it. We were getting in behind all match long and it was just seemed too easy. I could have been 4-5-0. The goals were great. The defense really didn't have to do much. Alley made a great save for their one really good chance and I thought we deserved that win. It was a great match at home at Anfield.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I totally agree. And we were surprised when we were sitting next to each other at the pub and couldn't believe how poor they were. Yeah, I couldn't believe I was sat next to you at the pub. I was thinking they were going to sit on their 18-yard box and just be dead deep and also try and counter-attack us. I can't believe they were constantly so high. And then every time Trent had the ball there wasn't really any pressure on the ball. So, no matter the time Trent was just putting those balls in behind, it was really poor from them. I was expecting all. I was a bit of a shithouse now looking at it, thinking into this game. I was proper worried, wasn't I? But now, an amazing win, amazing free points, going into the national breaks. Now, which is all about crossing your fingers, none of these players get injured, going away for their countries and what not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was really surprised by Villa. They were very passive but, like both of you alluded to very high line, I thought we were the ones that were going to play the high line. Mad respect for Gomez and Matip. Today, big shout out to them. They've seen a very calm and collective. Trent seemed like he wasn't going forward as much, which I think helped.
Speaker 2:But yeah.
Speaker 1:Villa. Just I mean that second half after, obviously, when three goals go past you, the game just went flat. We look good. I was surprised by maybe Jones coming in. I thought Endo might get another game, but he's probably like you've got 11 players so I'll just stick this one out until you have 10. But I thought Jones played really well as well, really.
Speaker 2:I thought he was a little anonymous first half I didn't see him do a whole lot and I mean he's just coming back from injury. It's good to get the minutes in his legs, but I thought that he was just a little not there getting up the speed. You look better as the game went on though.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's the thing is, our bench looks a lot better. You know we were talking about it on the way down here. It does look a lot better. You know we've got Gravabage to come, tiago, you know again whenever he feels like he's going to be fit again, but the bench looks a lot better. I mean, you saw, today with the three substitutions, elias, gapo and Jota I mean that's the damn good. You know subs to come on. But yeah, I just thought we were just calm and collective today. We took our time. You know we weren't rushed. Well, I mean, villa didn't rush us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's. It's like one of the things that I feel like we struggle with, and it was surprising that Villa didn't employ it. Was that high press, you know, when people are pressing us, getting the ball out of the back quickly in the past has been given us difficulty, I think, and as the Villa, with as high of a line as they were playing, didn't have any of that pressure at all, so well, they didn't use, I don't think, Lockings and Diaby to their strengths, which is their pace.
Speaker 1:There was just absolutely nothing from Villa.
Speaker 3:Well, to be honest with you, I thought I mean, okay, if we go back, take a few steps back, the actual timing of the first goal is absolutely key, isn't it? It's crucial, like it's a great hit. I mean I mean, that lad, that lad is is is going to be. You know, he's going to be one of the best. I mean I don't want to get too overboard, like, but I think he's going to be one of the best. He's going to be the best, one of the best midfielders in the world in the next couple of years. I think he's that good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you don't want to get too.
Speaker 3:I don't, I mean, I never do use him in football, but he's got everything. He's got good looking lad too. He's absolutely gorgeous, isn't he? He's? You know he can pass the ball. He can obviously score goals. His, his, his energy is all over the pitch.
Speaker 3:Anyway scoring the, the actual first goal, did settle us down a little bit and then obviously, but there was still moments where you're saying before they didn't really offer anything. I actually thought they did get in a couple of times, but their decision-maker, excuse me, was absolutely shite. They've got through a couple of times through the channels, but just didn't do enough with the ball. But it was mainly, like you say, before they've got the high line, no one's pressuring the ball. And I thought Trent was absolutely unbelievable. Some of the passes there he was putting through it was just insane. I thought he was easily the Liverpool's best player today, did you, trent?
Speaker 1:I thought it was a slobber slobber.
Speaker 1:I would agree, I just did because he was all over the pitch. I mean, I love his tackles too. He goes in hard. I think we've meshed the player like that. I thought Macker was excellent. Again, he does the job. I can only imagine being a creative midfielder and that's what you want to be. But when Klopp says you've got to play as the sixth, he just does his job and that's what I love, I mean. That's why I think Gravabitch is going to do really well for us, because Klopp likes these midfielders that can play multiple positions. Everybody's screaming out for a DM. We all kind of were. We got Endo in, but Endo to me is more of like a mill and a hand-dough role. It'll come in the 65th, 17th minute to see out the match. I was hoping for a young DM, but we know how that works. You've got Lavia sitting in the stands at Chelsea two games in a row, just wasting away.
Speaker 2:Do you think that Badacic will be that player once he comes back and is healthy?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, of course, but he's got more creativity in him as well. I don't think he's like a number six by trade, because he started out as a centre back, I believe. So, yes, yeah, and he's moved into midfield. I mean what I saw of him last season, those 15 games he played, I mean when he played against Madrid, he looked comfortable. He's just got to grow.
Speaker 2:Personally, I do think that he is that player for us. People were screaming out for that young six, and I think we already have him in the squad. I think Badacic can be that player for the future, because we looked so much better last season after he came in. Can we get any worse, though? Yeah, that is very true.
Speaker 3:I think he's obviously got loads of potential. I don't want to be like a fucking miserable bastard about it, but you are, no, no, because what happens is last year we were absolutely turgent and this young kid comes in, gives us a little bit of enthusiasm, and things like that. I think everyone seems to think that now that maybe he is, maybe he is, everyone seems to think now that he's going to now be that sort of player. How many teams, how many top teams, have got 18-year-olds coming on and being there defending the field? It's tough, isn't it.
Speaker 1:It's a very important not like the other position, but it's a very, very important to be a defensive midfielder because you've got to cover your back line as well. That's what Forbigno was doing two seasons ago. Last season, obviously, his legs went To. Thrust an 18-year-old into the DM position is massive, but I think that's why Endo was brought in. That's a good gamble for me. We've actually this rebuild for 150m. How can you complain? We brought two players in at the beginning three seasons. Obviously, Klopp said he wanted everyone in before the three seasons. Just in a dreamland. That's not the real world, how transfers work. I don't know if we're going to do an episode on what everybody thinks of the transfer, but for me, I give it a 7 out of 10.
Speaker 3:It's been opened for an age. It's been closed. I don't even want to speak about the transfer window. I mean centre-back might be an issue. Anyway, we're going to get back to the fucking game. We just want a football match. I don't want to be talking about all that we don't want you on camera.
Speaker 1:Even more grumpy.
Speaker 3:No, I'm just saying, like we just won.
Speaker 1:This is you on a 3-0.
Speaker 3:No, you're the one that's banging on about fucking signing this play and this play.
Speaker 1:No, we waffle on this show.
Speaker 3:We speak about Darwin Nunes. I thought he was really. I mean over than a goal, over than an actual goal. I thought he was persistent. I mean he created so many things. He's hit the bar, he's hit the post.
Speaker 2:I mean every click on for the Salagot was class. Yes, it was very very good.
Speaker 3:I mean, he was involved in everything, wasn't he? I mean, I can, so he should have scored that goal though.
Speaker 1:But yeah, you know, like you said, he seems to get the hard ones and then the easy ones he seems to just miss. But I don't know if what's his name tipped it a little bit the goalie.
Speaker 3:I don't think he did yeah.
Speaker 1:I was not sure.
Speaker 3:I was pretending he did, but I don't think he did. But the one where he's hit it, I mean the way that he's hit that ball off the post for it to hit cash again. I mean he meant that it was brilliant, wasn't it?
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 3:I thought he was really, really good. I mean, the fact that they had all that open space room to run into it was absolutely wild, but I thought he played well.
Speaker 2:I think that's our best friend three personally is Diaz, nunes and Moe Definitely our best friend three and they showed it today. I think they created a ton of chances and just showed the class that they have. So I was super happy to see Nunes get the start. I've been screaming for it for a couple of matches and I love Jota as well because he's such a poacher. He gets the goals, you know, he's always in the right spots, but thinking Nunes brings that element of you know pacing behind. He runs the channel so well and I think he's underrated as, yeah, unpredictable, and I think he's underrated at creating chances for other forwards. So I think that having him in the nine just create so much more opportunity for the rest of the team.
Speaker 1:So I mean 10 yards behind. If you put a ball over the top, like Trent's ball, that was beautiful, you know. You know he's going to get to it because he's one of the isn't he one of the top three fastest in the league? I believe that sounds good.
Speaker 2:So I'm going to agree with you, we're all positive tonight.
Speaker 1:It's great.
Speaker 3:Even though it's steaming out here. When you went three-nil I mean the start of the game I was saying, like if you're going to have a bet on both teams to score every time Liverpool play and, to be fair, alisson Becker has again produced an absolutely unbelievable save, hasn't he? Like just the whole world? You know Liverpool games this season. You're not going to see a one-nil lawyer. They're going to be wild which, listen, let's have a fun season. So I mean I'm more in for a nice fun season.
Speaker 1:It was nice to have a game like this, with the likes of Canota and Virgil out. You know, and again, a lot of people question in Matip and Gomez, and they show today that they are quality defenders. You know. The issue is can they keep fit? Yeah, and you know, kwanzaa came on and put a 20-year-old he's a big lad, you know and he slotted in the last 20 minutes, like he did against Newcastle, and did the job. So, yeah, job done today, you know, three points, well, happy. Who's? Well, your man on the match as well, trent.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think I thought Trent was great. I thought he was involved in all that. Pretty sure he was involved. He was definitely involved, obviously, in the second and third goal coming up on the first one. I thought he was involved in everything and I thought his passing is absolutely classic. There wasn't really any problems down that side. I mean me, I was really, really worried about that side and I think he picked his moments when he went into midfield and he picked his moments when obviously he stayed. But yeah, I thought he was absolutely my supposite as well, really good.
