One team wanted to win, the other has bigger things to attend to
It’s a bit like going to see a famous band where none of the original members exist; it’s not really seeing the band, but you can pretend that it matters.
Yes, you beat Liverpool, but it wasn’t even Liverpool’s second XI, as some of those were rested or injured. So, it’s more like a tribute band. In essence, Plymouth, you went to see the Bootleg Beatles, and convinced yourself it was John, Paul, George and Ringo.
You beat Liverpool’s second string and some kids making their debuts. Bravo! I get that it’s still a big deal if you’re Plymouth, but it’s like PSV showboating when beating the Reds’ kids a few weeks ago. It’s not Liverpool ‘taking it seriously’.
Plymouth also looked like the most physical team I’ve seen in years, and a sign of what lurks ‘down there’ (it’s almost a different sport), with a ref who allowed old-school fouling and only booked Liverpool players; until late on, when yellow cards were given to the home side instead of possible reds. (He’s also pretty good at giving penalties against Liverpool on the south coast, this ref.)
Despite some late saves, Plymouth deserved their win, as proof that grown men who are 6’5” and hyped up as if on drugs are far more physical than teenagers who haven’t filled out and little guys who are good on the ball, as Liverpool’s team failed to gel (as I said before the game that I expected), as no one is used to playing in the same team.
It mattered more to the hosts, and that’s fine; because even if it mattered as much to Liverpool, this was not a physically matched Liverpool side.
Joe Gomez, the one player who weighs over nine stone and one of only a couple over 6ft tall, went off after eight minutes.
Had Virgil van Dijk, Ibou Konaté and others been there, they’d have bullied them back, and then some; but they’re needed for Wednesday, and perhaps another long-ball assault course. Certainly it’ll be another battle, and this was a battle to lose, in order to win some wars.
Had this game not fallen days after the first team beat Spurs and days before the first team must go to Everton for a far bigger game (and then a quick succession of other games), then Slot might have gone stronger. Instead, Everton, Wolves, Man City, Newcastle and Aston Villa lay just around the corner; and a tough League Cup final along with the Champions League return. Without all that, you could take the FA Cup ‘seriously’ (and by that I just mean pick a stronger team; this was essentially an early rounds of the League Cup XI).
Indeed, I think the Champions League resumes three days after the next round, so a weekend off, to properly prepare for that, will be much better for Slot and his team. (And as it’s quite likely to be PSG, that will be a harsh ‘reward’ for winning the group, and extra levels of effort as contrasted with playing a team like PSV again, over two legs, with the proper lineup.)
The horrible bobbly pitch, the underdog-must-win attitude of officials and broadcasters, meant that losing only Joe Gomez to injury was a bonus. For a good few years, these have felt like games where the underdogs are allowed to kick you, or maybe that’s just lower league football.
The vanity of trying to win the FA Cup when your schedule is already overcrowded was not something Slot leaned into, thankfully; obviously the team was picked to try and win, but Plymouth were just physically stronger, and got a lucky penalty to win it.
The season is a marathon, and sometimes, you don’t need to run an extra 15k in the middle.
Momentum is bunk, as seen by Arsenal playing the same XI that beat Man City 5-1 days later at Newcastle, losing badly, and losing key players to hamstring injuries.
EDIT: and just to add before the rest of the piece, losing to PSV helped to make it possible to go to Bournemouth days later and win, because again, momentum is less of a factor than fatigue vs freshness, and preparation, and avoiding lots of injuries.
The second half of this article is for paying TTT Main Hub subscribers only.
发表回复