Match Thread: Liverpool v Man City

[Daffydd]

Yes they did. I assume it’s here to stay.

I'm not so sure. This from the Mail on Sunday:

Premier League captains are set to confirm whether they will continue to take the knee next season - with doubts emerging whether the gesture has the backing of all 20 squads.

Players have backed the anti-racism symbol for more than two seasons, taking a knee before every game since football returned following the first pandemic lockdown in 2020.

Now though some feel as if the gesture needs to be dropped but a final decision won’t be confirmed until early this week, ahead of the new Premier League season. The Mail on Sunday has discovered that club captains met with the Premier League on Thursday to discuss a number of issues including taking the knee.

It is understood a collective agreement was not reached after a number of club captains questioned whether the gesture should be reduced or stopped after two years.

A proposal to dramatically reduce the number of games where they take the knee was put forward. It includes taking the knee for the first round of games, and then for No Room For Racism games in October and March. Captains will discuss the issue with squads in the next few days.

Sources close to the talks believe it is unlikely the gesture will continue before every game. A number of players including Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha have already stopped after voicing doubts the gesture remained effective. A source at one club said that ‘while the motive of taking the knee was brilliant’, he feared it had ‘become like wallpaper’. He added: ‘It is better to take affirmative action to tackle racism.’

Another club source said he believed starting the gesture had been rushed and was not thought through.

He added: ‘The players have put themselves in a difficult position. Some players are worried that calling a complete end to taking the knee could see them accused of withdrawing support for tackling racism.

Other clubs remain adamant that the gesture will remain ahead of all games. One said: ‘We are planning for exactly the same as last season.’

A Premier League spokesman told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This will be a decision that will be left to the captains and players. We will support their wishes.’

[Taksin]

A Premier League spokesman told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This will be a decision that will be left to the captains and players. We will support their wishes.’

Spineless, as to be expected.. It needs a clear decision from the top - we are no longer undergoing this strange religious gesture at every game. Opposing it in no way signifies racism. We will continue to work to exclude racism from grounds as we were doing before Colin Kapernick pursued the massive increase to his own staggering wealth by crying oppression when he isn't a very good sportsman at the end of the day

[ianlfc]

Did our players take the knee yesterday? (I missed the first few minutes)

I see Swansea City have ditched it, it didn't do Rhys Williams much good.

Nunez definitely did, Heading in the 3rd !!

[Kev0909]

newcastle make 50m bid for maddison

[Nineteenx]

not convinced by Nuñez yet

Don't worry, he's one of mine, he's going to be an incredible success

[Nineteenx]

Season kicking off with a VAR stitch up doesn't bode well, Adrian has both hands on the ball when Foden kicks it making him spill it, their lad wasn't offside, but how do VAR not rule it a foul on Adrian in ANOTHER failure to apply the laws of the game VAR moment?

Haaland going to be a fucking nuisance, he missed that sitter at the end, but his awareness, movement and speed of movement in how realised what was possibly on so immediately, got himself rapidly back on side between our 2 CBs to be played in was top top class, that fucker's going to score loads of goals, unless Keane's got a lad some club can sign to emulate the Keane/Haaland hostilities that is

[miller0863]

Haaland had a record low 8 touches in the first half. Had that been Núñez he would have been written off out of hand.

And wasn’t a goal disallowed by var last season because a keeper had one hand on the ball, never mind two?

[Insidious]

Haaland going to be a fucking nuisance, he missed that sitter at the end, but his awareness, movement and speed of movement in how realised what was possibly on so immediately, got himself rapidly back on side between our 2 CBs to be played in was top top class, that fucker's going to score loads of goals

Haaland will be brilliant. His individual skill-set is top drawer.

I'm curious to see how slowly/quickly they adjust to him though. He's a totally different Beast to what they have been utilising previously.

I was trying to think of a situation that has gone before similar to this (Sterling+Jesus out, Haaland in) and the first comparison that came to mind was when Henry and Eto'o departed Barcelona whilst Ibrahimovic joined. It brought teething problems. It shouldn't be as drastic for Man City (Jesus and Sterling aren't as important as Eto'o and Henry were) but they still need to acclimatise.

Haaland will make a lot of runs off the shoulder - players will need to learn to pick those out, rather than always opt to pass the ball to a wide player/full-back and keep possession until there's an overload for a cut-back goal that Man City have been scoring forever - it felt like Mancini's side scored that goal every week!

Hopefully a quick start for us and a slow start for them. They will likely be a trickier prospect in 23/24 when they know Haaland's game. 22/23 could be an excellent League season for us if we can get results early doors and perhaps play less senior lads in the Domestic Cups to reduce injury.

[Steveo]

Ibra got moved wide - as did Coutinho btw. Part of what made life workable at Barca for some and not others was the ability to keep out of Lionel’s (saving Guardiola’s face) way. Any danger that you might upstage him resulted in fan anger - and eventual failure.

Messi really was god for them there fans. Ibrahimovic could easily have scored as many as Lionel and more - think the little tax dodger knew it and wasn’t going to allow it. Also - he wasn’t too keen on being up staged by the Brazilians. He saw off Neymar and Coutts.

Ibra scored 7 goals in his first 7 games at Camp Nou. Messi wasn’t happy.

Amazing player but a total shit of a human being,

Don’t personally see Haaland suffering the same Guardiola fallout as there is no Messi equivalent at shitty. Hope so but doubt it,

[Insidious]

There's a match I would love to rewatch in full actually and it was the 1-0 against Real Madrid where Ibrahimovic got the winner.

A low-scoring game yes but I remember being blown away by some of the first touches and trickery on display.