Burnley 0 Liverpool 1
Through the wind and rain, the Reds grind out an old school win to stay in the Title Race.
Through the wind and rain, the Reds grind out an old school win to stay in the Title Race.
I have long held an affinity for Burnley Football Club and a hearty regard stretching back long into the distance of my childhood. Their nickname of “The Clarets”, their “Turf Moor” home for over 130 years and more recently their Manager of over 10 years Sean Dyche, and he of the gruff, rough speaking voice resembling a heavy cigar smoker who should have quit long ago. It’s a brilliantly distinctive voice for a similarly distinctive team that under his stewardship has become a team the Premier League should be rightly proud of. From the outside looking in, and through the clouded cigar smoke of their no doubt non smoking manager, Burnley always seem to have the same starting XI and the same style of football that has been greased into fluid motion by the archetypal “football man” in Sean Dyche. He’s loved in Burnley and having signed a long term contract in the recent past he would seem to be their Manager for the foreseeable future and I dearly hope that’s the case.
Football these days is utter madness as we all know, but Burnley were tremendous today, Tarkowski and Mee pillars in defence, Josh Brownhill greatly impressed me with his energy, non stop running and drawing the first save of the match as the Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker sprawled low to his right to tip a fierce drive from the youngster around his post. I’ve been majorly impressed with Maxwel Cornet too since his arrival at Burnley and he was both busy, and busy being caught offside, as he struggled today. The more attacking threat came from Wout Weghorst and an even more recent signing from VFL Wolfsburg in Germany. Replacing the recently departed Chris Wood he typifies Dyche’s Burnley ethos and screwed his best chance wide when one-on-one with Becker after beating the offside trap.
Burnley deserved more today and were the more cohesive “unit” and attacking threat. Certainly through the heart of the game and after the opening ten minutes where Liverpool had set an early Attack v Defence mode in their favour. After this Burnley were a threat but not a major one, and this perhaps sums up why they’ve only won 1 league all season and only scoring 17 goals in 21 games. They made the Reds defensive central partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip earn their footballing money today but couldn’t score, and against an under par Liverpool playing their second game in 3 days. This isn’t a lame excuse as Burnley had only a further day’s rest from their last game. It’s “that time of the season” as footballing cliché's go but both teams were a yard off their true game today. Regardless, Burnley couldn’t score and thanks to Fabinho’s 40th minute winning goal, the Reds of Liverpool collected another valuable 3 points in their chase of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
Today’s only goal summed up the game entire. A set-piece corner from an ever impressive Trent Alexander-Arnold was flicked on by Sadio Mane before Fabinho scrappily hit the back of the net with his follow up shot after the first had been brilliantly saved by Nick Pope in the Burnley goal. The scrappy nature was perfectly in keeping with the game as a whole, and against the relentless wind and driving rain sweeping across Turf Moor. You could throw a rain soaked blanket over a number of Liverpool Reds for the “Man of the Match” award but goal scorer Fabinho perhaps just pips Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino for his non stop industry, nagging tackles all over the pitch and because of my personal footballing love for the guy! When Fabinho doesn’t play, Liverpool don’t play. I continue to say the same for the returning skipper Jordan Henderson but he was as underwhelming as another returnee today Sadio Mane, who was that proverbial “yard off the pace” today. He’ll come good, as will his skipper.
This was an old school win at an old school ground against an old school manager, and that’s enough footballing clichés for one article. The games are piling up for the Reds of Liverpool and games in all 4 competitions they entered at the very start of this season. Liverpool remain 9 points behind pace setters Manchester City but they still have 1 game in hand and they still have to meet their table topping foes before season’s end. They may need 90+points to topple Manchester City and even then this may not be enough.
Thus is the madness of modern football and I hope an old school manager doesn’t get lost to the cloudy mists of time in the process. His counterpart, that ruggedly handsome and smiling rascal Jurgen Klopp, fist pumped toward the travelling Reds in his usual display of loving adoration and footballing defiance for this was a hard fought win, through the wind, through the rain and through a determined Burnley who epitomise their manager.
Walk on Reds.
“Though your dreams be tossed and blown”, I have a good feeling about this wonderful football team under the guidance of that wonderfully warm bearded German. His usual appreciation of the travelling fans at the end is no surprise and we all know this scrappy, stop/start win today meant the world to him. You may not believe me but “We’re Gonna Win the League”.
I have a real good feeling this season for the footballing fortunes of the team I adore.
Walk on.
Thanks for reading. There are many more articles on the Mighty Reds of Liverpool in my archives and a link below to my match report from Thursday’s win over Leicester City:
Liverpool 2 Leicester City 0
As the Ides of March approach, the Title Race is still on.medium.com