Manchester United 0 Liverpool 3 | The Anfield Wrap

[Music] it is the anfield rap coming up we've got Paul toey uh talking about his honory Doctorate of which we're all very very proud indeed uh but before then something else we're very very proud of uh I've got Ian smon Ian Ryan Shan O'Donnell uh the famous Manchester United nil Liverpool 3 Ian Ryan better players better plan better manager better Fitness better work rate better technique um there was only one winner only one winner yeah and that's how plays out I thought it was a a great performance pretty much from start to finish and I think you know it's easy to take these kind of things for granted but it's been referenced before on other shows you know Liverpool in their absolute pump in the 80s they play Manchester United 20 times and they win twice they win twice and back then they're probably the best team on the planet so it's no it's not an easy thing to go there and win or just beat them at any time because you know the history of the fixture the pressure the stress and maybe you see a bit of that last season where maybe it did just become a little bit too pressured and a little bit too stressful and then when things don't go your way you can't see a scenario where the other team orbe a team that's weaker gets back into a game of football especially with the crowd as well by all accounts their crowd wasn't great yesterday it felt quite quiet in terms of what was coming through the TV but Liverpool were magnificent and in terms of I mean we'll probably come on to it but Neil there was so many standout performances you know listen to some of the postmatch stuff last night I think this genuine cases for three four five man of the matches that's how good it was so absolutely superb the the idea Sean just to be you know absolutely nail this one down I think it's worth pointing out to points in the 80s you know Liverpool could well be the best team on the planet across the Whole Decade they do only win there twice for me the flip side is there's a period of time where Manchester United had an argument that they could be the best team on the planet and I would say with the exception maybe of 1 40 at Old Trafford the Never embarass embarrassed us that we're always battling performances we're humiliating these on a pretty regular basis I thought yesterday was really quite humiliating for Manchester United everyone connected to them including the cheerleaders in the media yeah no completely agree I was actually thinking that myself yesterday in the ground you know this is we're lucky enough to have a few of these in recent memory um and there's certainly no humiliations on our side in recent memory that I can think of that come to mind even as you say in the in Sal United's pump and and I think that there's a few reason for that I think you know if you think about anfield we would never let that happen I think is what I took away from it like stand in the O and yesterday seeing them almost just give up I thought like even a 2N down I'm not sure we'd completely give up I think there'd always be something um and I watched all the the postmatch stuff on Sky when I got in last night and um Keem was saying you know when a game's dead on 50 60 Minutes you need to be really worried if you're Manchester United and and I think that nobody's worrying enough about them like it really is it's it's a sorry states of Affairs OB list obviously it's great for us um but I think you're right to point out that you know we wouldn't let this happen and I think you know talking about the sorts of records and and what happens I think there was something significant to seen yesterday a stat that slots the first manager since Paisley after shankley to win his first game um at Old Trafford and I think that's significant no it's longer than that yeah well the fair it's it's sorry this sounds like I'm correcting you but um is the first manager since Paisley to win his first game against United okay but the first game against United at Old Trafford is something like 1895 wow it's even more impressive than it sounds in the first place okay amazing that's a great correction thank you I think the um well the point the point I was going to make was I think that that shows where we are as a team like this this isn't a new manager coming in and rebuilding this is a step on and I think shankley Paisley you know I wasn't around then but by all accounts that was a step on and I think that's what that's what we're we're sort of hopefully all going to be walking into now I'll come back to you on it on a CH for me I'm of The View this was in a number of ways it was the same as last season but the big difference uh ultimately was there was better composure better finishing but I think also it was just it was easier because there was less context it wasn't a cup yeah quarterfinal and it wasn't a game when you're in the running uh for the title and you know I think that does make things a little bit easier it does make things a little bit more straightforward but in general though I think there's more composure and better finishing because I think they're working on being more composed and Karma and they're working on creating better chances so I think I think I think it's it's it's chicken and egg but I think that you get to see both yeah absolutely absolutely and I think as well they've got the lived experience of of last season you know because you know it's been well documented we haven't made many signning you know we've got made one sigon that can come into the team this year um so all of those players have been there they've experienced it before and that probably backs up the old traffic point because as much as we know they the better team last season and you know in the stands or TV whatever you're watching it you could it was clear to see there's still that Old Trafford thing there's still that pressure of if we don't make a count now or even in front of goal you know all of a sudden you realize it's Old Trafford I was thinking as well you know Old Trafford is probably bigger for overseas players than it is arguably for for some of our local players or English players because it's such a global event you know it's the thing that gets it's the most watch sporting event in the world it's the thing that gets spoken about most like outside of the UK you know as as scousers we often say you know what we all say Everton's our biggest game Everton's our biggest rival you know it often gets repared was a derby sha called it a derby and like I'm like it's not really a derby you know what I mean but but but but but I feel like that that all plays into you know what happened last season whereby your legs get heavier all of a sudden it just feels like a much bigger thing than than potentially what what it should be and I think yesterday we corrected everything from last season they correct everything from last season I think the other thing G is I think they show the team not the occasion and not the not the idea of 75,000 mancunians and not the idea of a worldwide audience but I thought they showed the team they were playing the requisite amount of respect IE they treated them like he's aren very good good ultimately we're better than you it's about time I mean that's we we should have gone and treat them with disdain last year and I think we obviously last year we we we became complacent within the game but as Sean was just saying that the players got the lived experience of that but they've also got the LIF experience of going there and winning 5- nil and they've got the LIF experience of beating them 7 nil at our place they know what they can do to man united and um just as a sidebar I've only been to United once in the league and it was that 4-n game it was it wasn't a fun day out and I was in the man united director's box which made it even worse um long story but but painful day out I left on three um by the second in you I was a scouted by the third I was out of the ground and the fact that we've gone through that that's the only time they've embarrassed us we've got three embarrassments on basically in two years now we've really humiliated them and the weird thing for me yesterday was I'm Mass he came in from town about 25 minutes in asked what what's the game like I said it's quite even at the moment said In fairness I think this is the best version of man united I've seen in quite a few years and at that point it was and within 30 seconds it wasn't anymore it stopped being that it just went back to to last season the honor just allow goal Ian in that context sometimes D allow goals can I think do you in I think that won the way in which it went I think they have a little flurry after then but I actually think it gave Liverpool a bit of a boost to put a bit of a spring in Liverpool step but I think it also said to Manchester United these can create really good chances against St I thought I thought they got more concerned after the disallowed goal yeah yeah cuz generally you know my my concern when the goal was disallowed was that the it gives the fans that boost so giv the entire that ground that they they we just got away with that we know that we should be one nil down but we've got away with it because of a millimeter of a touch from Salah um but it told both teams we could get in behind them it told them that we could do this and it told us we could do it again and therefore we we went on to do it it's um just for the points I was going to go for a second ago um the thing for me is I don't know if we're going to go on to this but when people talk about Manchester United we talk about the size the occasion and the size that the global reach and we talked about it on uh the preview show on Friday and that the global reach now it's the most watched thing when people talk about man united they talk about Alex Ferguson's man united it's not man united man united having lived through the 70s and' 80s my reason for hating man united is I lived through the 70s and' 80s when we were winning everything you could possibly win and the media talked about man united like they were still the Glorious team of the 60s and they weren't they were a [ __ ] team with a succession of really really bad managers and now they're a [ __ ] team with a succession of really really bad managers again they've basically reverted to the type of 70s and ' 80s they've only ever been good under two managers and that's Busby and Ferguson and that is all they've been other than that they are not our business at all and they've come back to ceasing to be our business again I could agree more with that Ian I think there's it's worth saying I'll say again you know better plan better manager better Fitness better work R but I also said better players better technique when the team sheets come in I'm not saying that there aren't good players playing for Manchester United but before the balls came yesterday and by the time we get to the final whistle I wouldn't have a single man united player in our first 11 I like do I think he's got something B him and I think he could go somewhere and be a really really good fullback but I'd rather have either of our fullbacks Mayo is at the start of a career that could be glittering but he's very much still the start of it looks raw um in a number of different facets I've liked rashford but he has been a hugely inconsistent footballer for many a year I think zeri could have a lot to recommend him I haven't seen him yesterday he's involved in players link up plays good but you wouldn't pick him ahead of dogo J you just go through it in and that's why as soon as those team sheets dropped I was I was very confident about the game almost just trying to play it down last week I kept saying to everyone this doesn't M if they beat us it's because something mads happens cuz there's been some sort of weird old traffic thing that's the only reason they beat us and then nothing weird happens and we're more than 3-0 better than them because we' got better players in every single Department yeah and that's a big difference from maybe the time we were alluding to before in the ' 80s because even back then you'd still say that even though they win a great side they good players yeah side brand Robson you say Mark Hugh St and people like that you you could have debate about you know in terms of who was better them or or they kind of counterpart playing for Liverpool because they were they were recognized as really really good footballers it's not like that now it's a million miles away from that now and we think about where our team is and seven of the lads who feature yesterday who start playing that 5-nil game in 2021 so there muscle memory there they've been they understand what it takes to go to Old Trafford and do the business know the back five is the same jot plays Salah plays and in Muhammad Salah you've got someone with a record at that ground that is just absolutely unbelievable it's unmatched it's unrivaled to go there and continue to hit those levels season on season is phenomenal but I think in terms of this game I think the manager to save so much credit because I think the media have been dying to get something out of him probably since the summer but certainly in the buildup to this game it was give us something give us a sound bite he played it with a straight bat he's gone into this fixture unbelievably calm and even before the game yesterday they like to be game this you know he's like is it yeah well I've not experienced it I've not lived it yet so to me it's just another game of football and I think when you've got a manager who's as calm as that and as chilled as that I think that's bound to rub off on the players a little bit in terms of mentality and Liverpool as a team they've looked pretty Cal and collected since the start of the season but I think you see that again there was no Panic you know disl out goal goes against you yeah it's offside but you can't let that get to you especially when you've been to a ground like that before and things have got away from you but absolutely not they just continue doing what they're doing and it was a a country performance I think the manager drives it but then there's so many standouts there's so many standouts I'm sure we will come on to them at a set before but it's just I was I come away from it so impressed because you expect a win but we've gone there before and expected to win but yesterday we delivered on it but even post match and I enjoyed him just basically his attitude is not getting carried away um you know he he at least LED on to the supporters uh he didn't want to do much more than that and I'm absolutely fine with it in fact I've I'm I'm I'm delighted uh in general I think it's it's who he wants to be he looks to me like he's in his element but again he then L throws another gaunlet down for them he says well last time he were in the Champions League the season fell apart two games a week's hard the midweek games are hard so we've got to sort that out now that's the next challenge and I firstly I couldn't agree more with him uh but also secondly uh you know I I do sort of like I think he's got them pecked they finished eth last season and I think they were flattered to finish eighth we've yes there's a lot of people in the stadium but we've gone to a mid-table team I think he's got genuinely and and that was the one thing I wanted if there was one line I wanted I was have a post match more than anything was for him to say bigger challenges to come I we're going to play better teams than these he didn't quite go for that little bit and that would have been the bit that I would have thrown out there but that's cuz I'm made a needle he's bigger man than you he is he's much Sounder and much cool yeah nowhere near as Petty but no I genuinely I was like that no we shouldn't get carried away because because they're crap and you know as I say he didn't say that but my God does he suggest it in a number of different ways yeah I think I think you posed a question on the press conference ex show where you said it would have been nice if some had asked him what's different about man united well he he goes into that postgame because St asks him yeah and he breaks it down and he gives everyone a blue prit to say basically this is how you tackle Manchester United because this is what they're doing differently this season compared to what they with doing last season I thought that was really interesting I like the way he's also not afraid to name check players following the game now that might change if you suffered a bad defeat but he will talk about things players could and should have done better maybe it's a Dutch thing where you know they can be a little bit more outspoken at times but he will say things like no de should have been tracking back a little bit more in that instance or Trent could have done this a little bit better I think he is clearly someone who absolutely backs himself to the hilt I think he believes in his coaching methods and I think he believes in training pitch time and if he has enough time with them he'll get more out of them I think he absolutely believes in that um and I think you know for instance yesterday if you're a weak manager if you're a weak personality the easiest thing in the world to do yesterday is leave Trent Alexander Arnold on until the end of the game because there's been that big who hard the week before he doesn't do that I'm the [ __ ] boss I decide who plays and when you come off and when you if you start or not I love that and Trent will hopefully I think he started to see the bigger picture this is about looking after him as a footballer for the first time in Five Seasons he doesn't break 30 League games last year he plays 28 now the manager will be aware of that and if you're gonna have a successful season you want Trent Alexander Arnold playing somewhere between probably 35 and 38 games because he's that important and he can do a little bit with Connor Bradley because he's a good footballer so it's about looking after these footballers and I think the manager is very aware of that so from him up to this point from what we've seen it couldn't have gone any better if you're rating him you'd absolutely say it's been 10 out of 10 so far biggest stuff to come bigger challenges to com but he couldn't have started any better can I just address that Trent point the brenford game uh when he Subs Trent on about 70 again it's very notable that he's making two subs and then the goal goes and he's like okay Trent's coming off as well Bradley only starts getting ready the second the goal goes in he's like yeah we're changing this now and it is looking after lad and I think Trent understood that more yesterday than he did at last weekend um just last little thing in the round before I want to talk about salad and his contract Sean is just let's be clear I feel like it was put to bed by half time but it really could have been more comfortable so BOS like I don't know quite how he thinks he's making that chance better that if I was doing the video analysis on that one that would be my question is how do you think you're making this a slightly better opportunity Dominic what would the goal be in ging but it's all right we all get carried away um but also the keeper does get have to make two good saves as well at 3-0 uh and he makes a very very good save at one nil uh when the ball goes through van dijk's legs you know it's it's technically it's unbelievable that in the ground you just sort of look past it because it looks like it's right at him but then he gets his hands where does is absolutely brilliant first and foremost we've got a good goalkeeper that's nice but also secondly though you know there's still stuff for the manager to take away video to show work on this work on this work on this wasn't perfect and again they are a best the eighth best team in the country yeah absolutely and and Slot says that after the game doesn't he about the need and Allison for two big saves um I I think um something that I'm really happy about just this season already is the three clean sheets in a row like when was the last time we got three clean three clean sheets in a row and you can you can tell that um you know me and withf last week joking that what what we could see from SLO the low C is that he's closed the door so the door in the defense that we just used to have open on the clock like at unfield in particular where you just get caught on the C all the time there's none of that um and even even yesterday all Trafford you know United in recent years even when we've played well there they always sort of catch us on the break or or they catch us sort of um in a Counterattack or something or on or out wide it didn't feel like there was any of that at all I feel like the are it got muted a few times again on on the coach match stuff on sky but like we look so well coached and I think that that's not to say we weren't well coached on the a cuz I think I think if anything you could argue we were really well coached on the AG the other way but and and it's a compliment to the players that they've taken it on so quickly that to me would suggest that they were well coached last time because they know to be well coached and be well coached again um but I just feel like I I just feel like he's he's just getting so much right and and it's it's so important to to have that and have that Bedrock of not conceding goals and be able to you know identify all our weaknesses from last season and all of sudden in what looks like the first three games just not put them to bed but just almost like get rid of them straight away and give us that platform to build um like when an Old Trafford it does it doesn't happen very often as we touched about before but when it does happen there's there's always that significance yes they are the eighth best team in the league but mentally God are generous to them that's the best the eighth best team in the league yeah yeah but but but the emotional upside of winning there I think that it gives everyone ourselves included we don't bounce into a this morning if we've just beat you know the eighth best team in the league on paper you know they are more than that from an emotional point of view and I think I think that's what matters and hopefully that's what will give us the the spring board for the season I want to move on before we do individual performances or even sort of area of the pitch performances Ian uh I want to start though to talk about salary brings it up postmatch we'll be doing the window as a whole having a chat about it on midweek extra on Thursday that'll be out on Thursday then we're going to do the League wide stay to play for this show next Monday so that's what's coming up but I want to talk about the his contract situation but the wi contract situation because I think the main man's made it live for himself but I think he's made it live now for everyone uh ASAP um first and foremost I love it when he starts talking uh because I think he's clearly an intelligent fell who's really articulate who's got genuine thoughts but I also think he is a little bit of a Mischief maker and he knows exactly what he's doing there yesterday and I'm I'm all for it by the way because I'm all for footballers being themselves and I'm all for one of if not Liverpool's greatest ever player getting to be himself and I'm also all for him getting tied down for another couple of years I can see I can understand how arguments could be made against it in a couple of different ways but there must be a way this can be drawn to a a conclusion that works for everybody given the fact that this is not a footballer who is ready to go into semi-retirement whether it's in Saudi Arabia or the United States this is a footballer who looks to me primed to to give it his best shot at winning it all one more time absolutely let's be Crystal on this if any of those three footballers and we know which three we're talking about if they want to play for Liverpool football club next season that should happen that that should absolutely happen and I understand there there's different things around contracts and and negotiations will have to happen Salah was a little bit cute yesterday didn't do many interviews and you can almost imagine thinking well I'll do this one I'm up for doing this one and he can get his points across yeah he's done the one after rip switch as well and I just think but also I think he's I think he wants to do a bit like I think he wants a leadership roll as well I think he loved having the arm band in preseason I think he sees himself as this is my team it's Vil's team as well and it's his team the you manager but it's my team this yeah absolutely U he is one of the leaders of the team and I think you know what is interesting is some of the the is flying around last night post Salah interview because he makes the point that no one has spoken to him about a contract and then people were saying well does that mean they haven't spoken to his agents and or not but but you did get the impression that no one's come to the table at all with an offer and I find that incredibly hard to believe given we're talking about one of the best players to ever do it not only for those but in terms of the Premier League he's right up there in terms of the very best that have performed um in the English league he's that good you know he he really is and I think I can understand maybe having reservations about giving him a contract that would say 5 years long because I think that's a long time for the footballer I se seen people last night saying oh he play till he's he's 37 38 39 that's really hard to say with certainty whether that'll happen or not because things can can happen to to footballers bodies over three four years and I don't think anyone can sit here and say with absolute certainty this is what he'll be like in four years time but you can make a really good educated guest that in two years he'll still be performing to a very very high level based on what we've seen based in the Nick he in based in the drive that he's got as a footballer so I'll be incredibly disappointed lipol can't make something happen and put something in front of him and he says if he says listen I'm happy to just do one year now and then move on fair enough but you don't get that impression you don't get that impression with any of them I think there's they're all they all seem up for something in terms of staying Beyond this season and if that is the case then Liverpool simply have to make it happen so I hope there's some kind of negotiation where even if it is a 2-year extension and maybe we review it and it you know if he performs well that second year you can maybe look at a third year but there's got to be some kind of solution here that sees Muhammad Salah playing football for Li football club next season he looks like he I mean he looks to be loving it in the present tense um but I think it's also just so underestimated how much he has loved it in in general Mo salad is a global Superstar but he becomes a global Superstar because of Liverpool Football Club the two are intertwined our Glory since 2017 has been his glory but his glory is our Glory that's the way in which it's gone and also just little things like he scored something like 25 goals against the two Manchester clubs he's absolutely he loves taking the piss at Old Trafford he he he he very rarely actually goes into full piss take mode and he did a little bit yesterday you know he's arguably a bit selfish for the one straight after he's gold because he thinks to himself I'm just going to bang another against these cuz that's what I do I think you know my point here is Ian he's about us live a plying as it gets his kids have grown up in Liverpool I'm you know I genuinely see I I do sort of there'll be a lot of stuff around Trent because Trent is the hometown boy he is the scouser in the team and all that sorts of stuff but I look at all three of them and I think all three of them are live pans I'm not messing around here and that's the way I feel about salaries loved it full stop but he looks like he's loving it now and for me there surely just gets sorted out it's got to I I I completely agree with you it's the um it's the old it's not where you're from it's where you're at mentality um MO is as Scout as Kenny and that's that's as Scout as you can get that's it um I've said it loads of times I've got I've got a mate who I've got an argument going on about whether Mo might actually be better than Kenny and that's there's too much emotion in that argument for me um I'm too old to have Heroes I'm a 60-year old man I don't have Heroes anymore so Mo's not my hero Kenny's my hero Kenny will always be my her hero that's that's the top and bottom of it for everything he's done for this club Mo has given me more pleasure than any other player that's ever played for Liverpool MO is as great a legend as any Legend we've ever had he's 14 goals behind Billy little he's going to beat Billy little this season oh Little's no longer his business Little's done you know I mean little in the back he's keeping his eye on hunt at the moment well that that's the one I've got my eye on I've really got my eye on Roger hunt yeah I don't he can't get rushy a couple of years ago well may maybe at a stretch he could get rushy but but he's he's into Ed with the club and he's currently one of the bless in this form that he's in the starts this season in he's one of the best players in World football he could well be the best player in World football at this very moment because the these things you know obviously Messi has been the best in World football for like decades but most of them are transient we had Luis Suarez as the best player in World football for about three four months his absolute height Mo's done it a few times I think at this moment he could well be the best performing footballer in World football so to replace a player of that quality is going to cost far more than you will ever pay him over the space of another 2-year contract so just do the bloody thing you're not you're not going to get K may be in his long as his long-term replacement but he's not going to be most you can't replace mo mo is irreplaceable in terms of the player he is and what he does for us just stick a piece of paper in front of him with a load of money on it and sign it yeah know I think there's a few things that I play there it was it was quite an interesting interview wasn't it when you watch it he's he's quite terrifying watch live yeah he just says it like everybody already knows like you what well I I think I think there are a few things I don't think Salah wants to go anywhere like he he doesn't interview on Saturday um like as a pre thing for the match and he say what do you want the P than to think of and he says oh I want to be the top two best ever players or the best you know with Steven Gerard so he's not a man he wants to go you also don't say or the club haven't spoken to me about a contract if you want to leave do you know what I mean if you're planning on leaving and this is your last season you probably keep it to yourself you're probably talking to other the people in the background you probably so so for me it's quite evidence that there's loads of things that could have happened you see how how happy Trent is all of a sudden he's bouncing around doing like kissing Thea fans when he gets taking off and all that maybe he's said that he spoke to Trent this week and he's like hang on no one spoke to me what's going on there also we've just signed someone in his position so he might be thinking I'm going to minute I'm still more salary do you know what I mean so so I I I think there's loads of things to play and he's got history for it he's done it in the past um and like from the club's point of view you know I'm not I'm not sure you can give them any less money you know what I mean I don't think I don't think that that's an option if you're the club um and also if you most Sal I don't think you you know again if you're the club like how many places in work just give people pay risers you've got to go and ask for it Rue or you've least got to demonstrate what you're doing and I think this is just an example of that this is him saying I'm here no one's spoken to me let's let's set some alarm Bells racing in and I don't want to go and as Neil said as you're saying he's a very intelligent bloke yeah he knows exactly what that conversation is yeah exactly just on the um you mentioned K today Sean and that's looking like potentially an even kind of bigger piece of of smart business in the sense that if it is someone that can just give Sal a break every now and again and listen K will probably want more from Miss than that but at the minute he's just had to summer off Sal and he's playing once a week and he looks like this does that become difference he justly playing Sunday Wednesday Sati that might then feel a very different challenge for someone who's 32 33 I'm not saying he can't do it because everything you've seen would suggest he can but over a long hard season maybe you just see that tail off a little bit towards you want to keep far in the whole season and that's the point isn't it that's that that that that's it for me and you know I think you can say I there's no reason why he couldn't do what he's done in the past in September and October but I want him to be able to do it in March and April when we're in quarterfinals and semi-finals of Europe when we're going for 90 plus points that's when you you want the very and that also doesn't do down what kaz's contribution could be because you could be talking here about K are getting just on the right never mind anywhere else 20 odd starts plus then further 20 sub appearances in a universe where Sal's getting 30 on start plus 15 sub appearances there's that much difference between it see absolutely and I penny for K's thought cuz he's sitting there yesterday watching that deaza scored two goals salah's got two assists and a goal he's like [ __ ] hell that's the level is it okay that's the [ __ ] level is it all right uh and it is that is the level that is the level we're playing at you know you go to one of your biggest Rivals and your two wide forwards are absolutely amongst the goals doing the business and that's what we expect from our forward players they've got to be they've got to be hitting those levels in big games across the course of the Season well just on has in the bra yesterday two goals are all Trafford um not many Liverpool players have done that cuz they're not all moal moal has done it does it a lot does it for a laugh uh but it's could be bothered yesterday in the end just thought I'll let someone else have a turn um but Mo salad has done it Fernando Torres has done it Steven Gerard's done it but genuinely Roberto firmino's done it but not many Liverpool players have ever done it and this has been the the criticism this has been the concern where's the end product can there be more end product at the minute if I say he's answering his critics I mean me he's answering me at this point of time I consider myself well and truly answered and I'm banging to being answered in this fashion I was delighted with him yesterday I actually don't think his all- round game was as good as it's been in the past but if you're banging two goals in I'm delighted no I think I think you're fair I think the first half an hour or so I saw people posting a few bits and Bobs around kind of you know ball retention pass accuracy Jules he wasn't doing very well in terms of those kind of metrics he was kind of falling short but then he pops up with two goals the first one's great because there's complications there saos like jumps up ahead of him that could go wrong but it's a it's a really good finish and the second one is a gorgeous finish it just he caresses it into the back of the net and listen I've I've been on shows like this where I've would have defended Diaz but if I'm being really really honest his output last season did concern me a little bit if you think about I think it was eight League goals there wasn't many assists in there and you're thinking actually if you are going to play for this Liverpool team you are going to need to see a little bit more than that and that might sound harsh because his overall game was was at times brilliant and there's times last season where he is carrying the forward line and he's having to because there's injuries and that might that might have impacted on him a little bit because we were asking a lot of him but I think if you get Diaz in in this kind of mindset and it was always entirely possible at a different manager is getting him to do different things asking them to be in different areas and you've seen so far he's absolutely loving it and know a brace yesterday was was everything he deserved really I've um I've been on loads of shows since probably around about the end of April beginning of May where I've been arguing that Diaz is the obvious player that you sell in order to rebuild the forward line because he's 27 he's coming into the last couple of years of his contract we probably had the Peak from him his outputs you know in terms of goals and gra and Anthony Gordon would clearly be an uplift from him um I I don't I don't personally believe he listens to anything I say and I don't believe he's deliberately making me look foolish but I do look very very foolish I thought he was impeccable yesterday after the first half hour where he was a bit wasteful and he was getting caught out after that he's impeccable he's electric at the moment and that second goal is just it's so gorgeous because the only way you're that's the only place you're putting it where the goalie can't get it and the only way you're doing that is by falling over to hit it and it's it's just it's perfect and I was talking to um a lad who sits by me at the match last week uh at half time he's like well Diaz is looking better today I said well his dad hasn't been kidnapped this season so you know that's that's probably a fairly major thing it helps yeah if your family's not being kidnapped you can probably play with a little B more [Laughter] fre 200 book there is in that opening goal where I watched it back when I got him last night and by the way Mat 2 was excellent last night often we we criticize a lot of other other bit of coverage uh on on somefield that bit in piece but I thought Master day to was absolutely different class um Sean but one of the things you see in the buildup to the first goal is when we win it back as soon as we win it back and by the way gra B snaps in to win it back sees it's there but J sends the two Lads the back post he literally turns around and he points them and says go to the back post you you're going to go there and then he says to Salah he gestures to Salah back post and then J takes up the position where he occupies three Defenders he runs into the space the three Defenders are all looking at him and now we've got two of the ad was as though and I think J's whole performance was so smart in in things like this without ever getting to be particularly demonstrative himself because the chance didn't fall to him or the pass wasn't played to him when he wanted it to just the way he did that as I say he just he just sends them back post and says to Sal let back post this yeah he's a magician isn't he I think um we're obviously talking about Diaz and Salah CU cuz they scor the goals and and all accounts are the heroes but it's stuff like that in J's game where he doesn't really get the credit for it cuz I mean you hear a lot of he's not in the game but then he scores you a goal brilliant well well that is a prime example of of him being in the game do you know what I mean yeah he's mentally so engaged and not scoring a goal um so so I thought I thought he was brilliant I thought he went on a few really clever runs I mean they were all brilliant weren't they um I think the interesting thing about you know the goals particularly I think the second and the third goal it looks another example of good coaching because they're quite similar in the way they just hit it face time and it goes in the bottom corner you know I was thinking have they been told that this this goal is going to like not get across quick enough or or something's going to happen there because even for Salah in particular on that second one he doesn't really do that often does he he normally at least takes a touch and then so tries to get past or something so and same with Diaz and Salah basically puts it in the same spots as D has puts it in yeah exactly exactly so for that was interesting but just I I think that the forward play in general was was another thing that impressed me because again we read a lot about control how it's going to be boring and we're just going to sort of you know wear teams out and beat them yesterday was far from boring you know the attacking play in particular was not boring the slightest that you spoke before about how it could have been more it could have been more and I think I think the fact that we're still creating these amazing chances whil whilst having the door closed at the back um is really exciting the manager pointed at slot sorry sorry uh Salah pointed at slot uh after the three scores when he was go back to the halfway line so he had his little moment um and then he he had his little moment again that he has where he's like yeah I'm boss but then he pointed a slot uh and was was so that I think they've said coach move I think they've said that way that way and low see what you get early low there see what you get from it in Midfield k b looks to the man of born um there's stiffer challenges to come because you know we might play a team with an actual [ __ ] Midfield at some point uh but he you know it would have been if it goes wrong yesterday post match we know what everyone's talking about rightly or wrongly it would have come up it would have been everywhere if it goes wrong yesterday but it never really looks like going wrong and if it wasn't for the fact that DS is banging in the brace I'd say you've got one hell of a Candida for man of the match yeah I think there was probably three for me I think Salah will be in the conversation Diaz absolutely and gra be would be would be the other one I thought he was outstanding I thought he was absolutely outstanding and I think you're right you know this was a different was a different Challenge and I take the point you know they went they went great in the middle of the park absolutely but I think to go there and just play with that with that level of confidence and that level of assurity it was it was superb and you know he was he was playing it was an interesting role he played yesterday because he obviously is deep at times but with license to go forward as well and that ability to take it on the turn and drive it was Sensational you know the goal that gets disallowed you know we play such an important part in that where if it does end up counting you looking back at his part in that and thinking [ __ ] hell that's unbelievable what he's done there it was such a great performance and I think you know after you can fall into a bit of a trap here where you're thinking well you're making excuses after every game because after thewitch game I was thinking well okay he was very good in that game but he was com up against a lot of lads who are pretty much League one Championship level they the Jan essentially so he'd expect him to stand out but then he plays well against brenford and it's another game ticked off and then he goes to Trafford yesterday with all the kind of things that we know can happen and the pressure that comes with playing there and it looked like he was born to play on the stage such as that because he was just brilliant and listen Liverpool May still look back at this window I think they might might do and and think we should have done another one or two and it could come back to bite them when you start getting into the kind of the nuts and bolts of three games a week and it might just be a numbers thing in Midfield whereas if you are Comm to him as your as your kind of deepest line or one of them then maybe they need to turn a little bit further forward because he can't play in two positions so it might just be a numbers thing but at the minute these are the lads we've got that's done and dusted now you put it to one side and it's performance yesterday was magnificent I I think I agree I think it's very much numbers thing um I think zuba mendi would have been a fantastic addition to the Midfield but I think very quietly and I've only got a sample of two games see CU I saw nothing of the up switch game ra other than the goals so I've seen one game in the flesh one game on the TV very quietly we've done a couple of very different things in the Midfield in those two games because in the brenford game um graen Beck is very much the deepest midfielder and macal has got more license to roam and sosla is making runs into the gap on the right hand side of Midfield most W especially first half was done on the left yesterday and graen was breaking to the right and mallister was pretty much taking the holding Ro for the majority of it so we got three very intelligent footballers and you know add to that Harvey Elliot's a very intelligent footballer K Jones a very intelligent footballer when they drop in but I do think numbers wise we need one more maybe two more unless Tyler Morton shows himself to be the player we've seen him be you know against Real Madrid away a couple of years ago but I think we've got that idea of of the the six the the dedicated six is not what we need so when people were suggesting dedicated sixes who could be the next mascerano it's a last thing on earth we need we need lads who are going to play football it's not quite the old one stays one goes because I think it's more regimented and more coached than the one stays one goes it's not deciding on the pitch I think there's a lot of real intelligence going on in that Midfield 3 both in terms of the players and the coaching yeah I'm not sure it's the numbers thing because I think that like if it was a numbers thing I think they would have sign someone you know I think they've gone with a view of we want to sign someone who's going to imp improve the team improve the squad because like we still got Endo there you know like for all the you know it's as if everyone's written him off he's already left like he's still there he still plays for Liverpool and and he can still do a job um and Slot makes points talking to him on the pitch afterwards as well yeah exactly you know you mentioned um Harve Kus Jones there arguably two of the brightest Sparks of the last sort of 18 months from a Liverpool point of view you know they haven't really had the sniff yet and I know kasus has been injured so so that's slightly different but that's one thing I'm really excited about because it's clear in these first three games he's gone right what's my best 11 I'm want to stick with these Lads I'm going to go for it he makes the points after the game yesterday it'll really start once we get into the champions league and and as you say he's sort of saying to the players this is the mark now you've got to make sure that we can do this three times in a week so I'm actually really really encouraged and excited by the numbers that we've got and and not just the numbers the quality because K Jones for me P plays his best football in a deeper role from my point of view I think he may is more solid I think is is is sort of um how clever he is on the ball and and and is running and stuff makes him perfect for that role and sort of what you see with gra bit you know he played in this position for ax but having someone who's best who's not just sort of a number six who's going to sweep up and and his actual an actual footballer I think is really beneficial and will be beneficial to the system if you look at his heat map yesterday there's loads of stuff on that right hand side as you said there in that eight position so it just kind of backs up the point the has license just on the the kind of numbers thing I'm not suggesting just going for the sake of it he would had to have been of a certain quality but I think when he talk about Harvey and Kus I I I understand because you know Harvey would have expected to play more minutes but when you do suddenly get into that two three games a week keeping everyone fit and far and cus is a hugely talented footballer but there's no denying he misses too much football and that potentially just leave just leave Liverpool a little bit light and I think lendo did well at times last season especially in the man city game that often gets referenc he's making that day but I'm not sure he's got the skill set that would ideally fit into a slot system I think that's that's fair to say he's not quite as comfortable in the ball as some of the others can I just throw a wild Shou in there in amongst all the transfers of kids and all that loan out for development and badage going off to U leig salsburg Saltsburg in order to build himself up over the next year become an AO six we very deliberately kept training a onlyi no talk of him going anywhere 17 just 10 17 but we've kept him as a first team squad player haven't we I think just on the on the the only thing I'm surprised with with with by CH and I think I've got this right I looked into and I couldn't see anything to kind of say otherwise I'm surprised there was no option to call him back in January just in case just in case he has three or four really strong months and you're thinking you know what we could use him now second half of the Season let's bring him back because he's played loads of games he's in a position where he he looks fit he's firing but that doesn't appear that we've got that option which surprise a little bit I reckon that's the sort of thing that we could possibly negotiate live if if they've not gone through in the Champions League I think that's the sort of thing we could possibly negotiate live it wouldn't surprise me you know what I mean and we could probably Poss possibly even send another body if need be uh and go from that but I think it's I think well there we are player just just last thing on it though in is one of the things I took from yesterday though in so far as I don't think there's loads to take from yesterday because as I say I'm so Dam of them but one of the things that I I take from yesterday though is if we're buing a midfielder it's got to be that midfielder for us right now would need to be any midfielder that starts for Man United the midfielder we buy has got to be better than any Midfield that starts for Man United and that's the level and that's why I've got a Little Bit of Sympathy not tons because I do think that those players do exist and you know and in the end I think Liverpool got very hooked on the idea that they had to go and buy someone who played who played deeper rather maybe looked at further forward and can we reig because my God you can see the coach can coach uh but there is for me I'm just sort of looking at it and just thinking to myself the key thing to point out for instance M who looks like he's got a lot of gifts Christ he's slow um you know and he's playing too much football at this point but he's got a lot of gifts uh and I think that they could ruin him in the fullness of time uh because I think they'll put too much hus on him and too much emphasis on him but you got got casemiro there being made a show of not for the first time you know you can ugar will come in and he'll win some tackles for them and win some Jewels but part the reason why he's not praying for Paris San man as he can't pass it properly uh at the level that's required my point is I think the level that's acquired technically you can see why it's really high that's been one Bit of Sympathy I've got um I haven't got much others because I do think that they should have done another couple but you know and we'll talk about this on on on the on the Thursday show but I do you know I have got sympathy in terms of what it is he's asking of them he needs technically brilliant footballers yeah and I and I think those I think those players exist you know supermi was was an option you didn't get them you know are you telling me there's no others who can do a similar job to him out there of a similar level I refuse to believe that to be the case and then if you think about further forward if you wanted lads who who maybe know let's be fair it's a ruthless business and I like K Jones and I like Harve Elli but there but there's footballers out there who are who are better than them um if you want to be really kind of Ruthless about it you know one place for Crystal Palace he scored yesterday a is better than those footballers that I don't think you can argue that and I like Elliot and I like hers but you're talking about a player there who is who is at the peak of his powers at 25 26 um I want a li to do two midfielders is what I'm saying someone who plays a little bit deeper then allad you maybe plays a little bit further forward but listen we are where we are on the my United point I think they are in danger of really Harmon Mayu because young footballers and there's a history of this where you just overplayed them and overplayed them to the point where you break them a little bit and he's playing alongside casemiro and casemiro's getting a lot of heat now I remember speaking to you on a Friday show in this first season he comes in 2223 even towards the end of that season there was cracks you could tell he was starting to tire and that was a season where everyone was raving about him but you see towards the end it just didn't look right and yesterday the thrown a lad on and list it's not my job to be across all of my United's players but I've never [ __ ] heard of him and I bet you there's people in that crowd who' never heard of him for them to be in that situation third game and know have sign someone who's going to come in for them to be throwing him into that felt incredibly unfair as well because that was a that was a really tough ask of anyone and I don't know what his level is but to suddenly go from cemo to some young lad who's never kicked the ball in the first team yeah um they've got big problems there uh all right we're going to talk about the defenders in a minute and then we're going to get on to what everyone's up to uh to an extent uh but before then I spoke to Paul Deany uh about his honorary doctorate uh that he got in music uh from his time as period in Liverpool and as part of Africa OA NE ainson with Paul De Haney who I'm tempted to call Dr Paul but we're going to try and avoid that but we're here to talk about the fact that he did get an honory doctorate from the University of Liverpool services to music um that was what he gave it to you for for all the work done with Africa o how did you feel about it yeah and I've come on brand today this wasn't actually it wasn't even intentional it's just cuz like literally cuz you won't know the clothes yeah so if you want to www. africaa if you want to get any merchandise no no no actually actually really was uh was an accident just like when they first uh I first received an email about this in January dropped in my inbox and when I read it I was like oh no some poor lad has got the same name as me and they've mixed him up so I'm going back and forth with the uni of Liverpool saying look I really think you've got me mixed up I've never been to didn't really know what honory degrees were and then someone said to me that's I'm are you crazy you can't turn that down I said no I haven't turned it down I just didn't think it was for me anyway they came back and said no it's definitely for you and after it finally sunk in I was made up you know especially when I I think what was important to me was the that that the university is obviously you know quite prestigious which is great well to get one from any University is great but you know University of Liverpool great and the fact that it was for music which is great cuz that's what I've dedicated my although people always hear me on the anfield rap that's my yeah I mean there was some people on LinkedIn that were kind of writing oh my god I didn't even know you did this I I only hear you on the anfield maybe we haven't talked about it well enough all the stuff you do with OA I always think that you think you've told people enough if people sometimes say you banging on about this banging on about this the number of people I bump into who don't know things that we think and I'm sure you find the same things yeah you think you've told them a 100 times and it transpires you haven't yeah yeah yeah yeah so yeah I mean for anyone who doesn't know I've been working Africa OA since 1999 when I moved to Liverpool um started off as a small series of gigs in the city center started as a trainee uh and kind of just worked my way up um to become the director of the organization in 2013 which I've been doing ever since and the festival's grown and obviously it helps getting I was thinking to myself please don't let me get that degree and then it rains for two days you know and completely just dis you know makes the festival down but it just so happened that it was the only two still to dat the only two um hot days uh hot weekend in Liverpool this summer and and they landed for OA which was fantastic which meant that it was absolutely Heaven it was amazing uh and yeah it's for me what's fascinating is is that firstly you mentioned getting the degree from prestigious University which it is but let's be clear about this is also the University of Liverpool youve made Liverpool your home when you talk about this you know your commitment to the festival you know the this is you know it is uh I'm saying it is a Civic award and a Civic achievement this it isn't just the idea of a you know an honorary degree for music and I don't mean this disrespectfully s of plong to the door of Elton John or something like that the point about this is you came to Liverpool you say it there in 1999 you've been here ever since you've got a family here it's been your light for the reason why we know each other is through the unfield R because you've come and contributed to that you contribut to so many things the city's yours and that's what the degree is also signifying yeah and you know to hear that when you know there's so many you know the pump and pageantry it just completely threw me you know you know I had to go for like you know it felt like a royal wedding the way that I was walking in you know it was so like you know I wouldn't say aric cuz that might sound dis disrespectful but you know traditional yeah uh and you know I I kind of liked it you know but you know love picture your robes yeah um so yeah and even on the blue suit that went with the color of the robes and everything the blue and red so yeah it was nice it was it was lovely to have my family there and you know what was also nice as well was like I had to almost give an inspirational speech to the the real graduates no no the the the the graduates the the young people that had graduated and um that seemed to go down really well because I was talking about all the experiences that I had and sort of putting the point across that even though they've just graduated if they don't know what they want to do don't look at that as a bad thing cuz you almost get pigeon ho hold and people say what what do you want to be you need to know what you want to do I had no idea what I wanted to do until I was 30 years old and I think you know putting things across to people like you know just be nice to people you don't realize how much doors will open for you just by being nice to people you know listen to everybody that wants to meet with you with Within reason but you know if there's a reason to meet somebody you never know what might come out that meeting you know just like all little things like that that don't cost anything to to sort of acquire those sort of points I wanted to put across because that's how I I got to where I am today and as part of it now you've you've you've got that that sits there and always will but the thing I know from when you come in and do stuff with us is it doesn't stop OA all year round I mean it's not this stuff you don't get you know it there quiet a times busier times don't get me wrong but you're you're working every single day on OA you're working on it now for next year you're working on the wider program you're working on all the material that OA does people might think it is just two days in June but it isn't it's so much more than that but also just those two days in June so much goes into it and you working away at it now mate I will tell you the truth I have not had a day off since the festival all I've been doing is fundraising looking for sponsorship opportunities trying to strike W irons hot and then I want people feel to feel sorry it's by choice you know I can have time off whenever I like I'm the boss but you know the way I see it is you know we don't start we got to keep going got to keep fighting and you remember oa's fre yeah it's so difficult to you know when I first started the festival cost about 50k to produce it's now costing half a million pounds yeah production costs go up every year visas blah blah blah blah so it's a difficult animal to control and you know it's one of those that we're almost like a victim of our success ESS and we have to keep you know fighting to to obviously keep the festival free and just to keep the festival going so now you You' got this you had the full day you really really enjoyed it is there is there a part of you that wonders about going in maybe not now but in a few years going and doing something like what I mean by that doing a masters doing something you know what I mean with your experiences or even doing some a little bit of you enjoy doing the lecture you thought about doing a little bit of lecture defin at least some lecturing I think the UN have already asked me to do I've done I've done a couple of lectures along with Dave m you know um you know around festivals and marketing and stuff like that I'm going to do some more of those at the uni and then I want to kind of take that on the road and do that around the country and try and Inspire young people um all around the country really to to to tell them about the opportunities that they can have in the events industry not just in festivals but the events industry you know great yeah so all that to come I like the idea of a road show uh when it came out we were honestly all delighted at the anfield rap we were absolutely pleased obviously there was all the jokes as well because it's a that's the way in which it goes they made him a doctor for God's sake uh as though he's going to walk around with a stethoscope on top of everything else uh but it's the business we're all so proud of him it's Paul deaney great stuff there uh from Paul a pleasure uh to well a pleasure to work with him across five or six years and what he does with OA is the absolute business um so yeah uh very very proud of him delighted he got that um I've got a book coming out on the 26th of September it's about the previous manager it's called Transformer um it's not at all nostalgic uh quite the opposite it's an argument against nostal Bel I want that born in mind as we go all the way through and it's about how football's a series of building blocks both on and off the pitch uh I want you to buy it uh I'm not shy about this um I'm keep trying to wake out precisely why I'm so determined other than the obvious reason why I want people to buy it I think it's mostly for the needle and I think it's also because you know we do our thing up here in the uh in the northwest of England um and we crack on in a number of different unlikely ways and I just quite like the idea that the the water stones in lra has got to put our book at number one um I genuinely do think I like that idea more than anything else so if you could help with that buy it on hardback uh we sending lots of emails about it's on all the social media platforms all the ways to do it if you're in the UK and outside the UK if you're in the UK please do buy it through the UK channels and we'll find out a way to get it get them all signed at some point if you're outside the UK youve got there is a link going around that you can buy it from uh sooner rather than later if not you'll have to wait uh until December uh in in in a couple of territories for it and go from there and we've got live shows uh about this as well which is part interview about the book and then an anfield rap live show on Monday the 23rd uh we in Edinburgh um at a venue that I think is called Malon and I've forgotten to write it down before this so I apologize Jordan says yes Jordan's carrying my memory for me um the efl at the time of recording the show is still not confirmed when the [ __ ] hell we're playing West Ham so on whatever night in London we're not playing West Ham um well I'm playing West Ham in Liverpool ha to ad so Tuesday or Wednesday we'll be playing West Ham on the one that isn't when we play West Ham we'll be doing an event in London honestly Sean you imagine what the promoter's like with me at this point the promoter wants me dead why can't you just tell me a date well have you know Rick P that's clash with Milan at the minute it that no no no that the West Ham no the issue is so we the the Milan game will definitely be the week before but the they didn't confirm all the UEFA games until Sunday so I think the efl quite reasonably sorry Rick the efl I know he listens the Andy gestion at me I know he listens are you Rick I hope you're well um so the AFL have quite reasonbly waited for UA but UA didn't confirm confidence games until yesterday so I think that hopefully by close of play today we will actually have a date uh so we will be in London central London I'll confirm the venue and everything when it is done uh but it'll be Tuesday or Wednesday that week then Thursday we're in Liverpool and be Keller you can buy tickets for that and then on Friday uh we're in lavies in lavry comedy club in Belfast on Friday the 27th uh that's what all that's that's the way that's going and we're going from there um anyway I want to talk about all well the Defenders and the goalkeeper Ian uh before we get on to the messes that have around this weekend um there's tons in the Tren goal and it's a shame to lose it but no harm done I think Tren tries to force it a few times he's otherwise great but I just love that triangle at the back when canate is on it and I feel he has a tough Trot last season canate when canate is on it he is the perfect footballer on the planet to play next to Virgil Van djk yeah and he he currently looks absolutely imperious doesn't he he's what he's doing what he was good at when he first came in and that's like winning his individual battles but he's also carrying the ball B feather up the pitch he's kind of becoming a hybrid matip at the moment he's um the last player on earth I thought you'd see carrying the balls to halfway line but it's happening quite a bit and he's covering for Trent when Trent goes forward does that understand he's had that year of being next to Trent when Trent's moving inside and had little struggles but at the moment it just it just looks so fluid it just looks like there's an understanding I think it was summed up at the in the um the postmatch interview by rbo rubo's first thing was when they ask him what you doing differently well we're defending better and it's it's such a nebulous concept to defend better there's obviously a lot of technical stuff going on there but Trent has got the he's got the same Freedom he had when he first moved into that hybrids right right back going into Midfield that's not changed but it just appears that he's using it in a as everything a more calm more measured way there's there's an understanding of responsibility of the role and everything seems again only three games in but it seems seamless at the moment and the relationship between the five them I was thinking this in the car on the way in the idea that quaner is now third choice whereas three four weeks ago we thought he was automatically second choice and EBR starting center back next to Virgil he's dropped back to third choice and I think that's a brilliant position to be in the fact we're not even talking about Gomez and he's clearly our fourth choice Central Defender because there are literally no others anymore um it's a great place to be in we look really good and just praying that this new form this new system this idea of resting within certain games is going to maintain the fitness all them so we don't need to call anybody Beyond those four to be clear on the defendant well aspect Sean you know in in 2122 Liverpool con seeed 26 leag goals in 1920 Liverpool con seeed 33 but by game 29 when the pandemic hits and it's all done unj justed Liverpool have only conceded 21 uh um at that point eight games to go and if they continue to concede at that rate they concede about 26 League goals in 1819 uh Liverpool concedes 22 League goals the point about this is Liverpool in recent living memory these players have all been part of a cohesive defensive unit they know what it's about you know what it entails and I think that that's one of the reasons why as it does s to close solid performances make a ton of sense to them Virgil Van's quite happy to be a solid Center half he just happens to also simultaneously be the best one yeah 100% And I think what is probably overlooked a little bit is that they didn't play much together at all last season so that back five that's the back five that starts the Champions League final in Paris I think um and they I I don't know exactly how many times he started last season but I don't think it was many but robo's out for a long stretch isn't he go and Tren told he gets 28 games you know and even then when they do come back they're all coming back at different times and they're not quite in the right Rhythm and stuff so you know it is clear from the numbers that you've just you know sort of um showed us that that this this is a solid defense if you can keep them fit and they can play in the right s of Rhythm in the right s of style and I mean that that was always the Bedrock of klopp's success you know we we the attackers get all applauded and rightly so but it was always on the foundation of a solid defense and I think because of injuries because of different players not being you know fist at certain points we that was when we lost a little bit on the clock so it's it's when he first comes in we don't really have the solid defense because he's know he's picking up other people's players and we have the sort of crazy Klo mad football where it's just sort of back to front and and we beat on emotional we beat you on great attack and play then we sort the defense out and in that period that we sort of two three four years where we're just absolutely solid you know win everything that we can possibly win and then you have sort of the the injuries or maybe certain plays moving on or whatever and and the defense isn't quite where it is so we still have all the attacking quality but we don't want have the solid defense and I think if you know that is the key if Robo was already saying that would defend them better that that's a really exciting thing for me because the attack and stuff is is there for all to say but the defense is where you win your trophies essentially it's where this team wins its trophies because it a problem that need solving if you see what I mean like even last season it wasn't a problem that needed solv and there were so many games where they were having to score two because they' conceded one draft one uh often quite early that's not happening at the minute as I said they could have conceded yesterday couple of good saves from the goalkeeper so it's not you know it's important not to get two carries away on that but you can't argue with what you've seen so far it is three clean sheets and it's just three series of performances where with the exception of Quant first half you given everyone seven out of 10 eight out of 10 maybe even nine out of 10 yeah wouldn't this agree I mean he mentioned before about you know when was the last time they got three clean sheets in a row I've not checked this but in terms of last season how long did it take them to get three clean sheets I'm going to say maybe September October till they got three clean sheets something like that there was a stat after brenford game that that was the first time we'd had two wins with clean sheets in about 14 months so I've not checked that stattic Cy B to go to go and get to go and get three clean sheets I think what that does that gets you incredible Buy in as well so any doubters in in in the kind of changing room and stuff who were maybe thinking well h on this is this is all going to be a bit new what are going to be like all of a sudden you've got a back five there and it'll be all of them because no one wants to concede goals but especially the back five you can imagine them now where it's just like same again boys we don't consider again if you get through Forest then it's Bournemouth and all of a sudden maybe you are kind of four five games in not really conceding the goal psychologically what does that do for you but also for the opponents as well you know all of a sudden you see it against brenford don't you where brano who I think is a very good footballer just doesn't fancy the challenge of taking on Vel vanai but he's back to his best he get scores to um so yeah it's one of them but I think Virgil's kind of almost you know this this thing that hangs around him his presence it's it's still there still exists I think people still look at him and think he's an unbelievable footballer if you can you stay away from him but you know they've all talked about this thing of not conceding goals it's it's clearly kind of got them kind of excited enough for you know Robo references it again post match yesterday you know back FES they they don't want to ConEd goals they want to keep it tight you know yes last season you mentioned Danel you know going behind every what seemly felt like every game you were you were up against it and yes the forwards at times you wanted them to kind of performed to the XG and do a little bit better in big moments you know the Old Trafford thing will get reference but they still go to Old Trafford last year and still score goals more than one goal on two occasions and yet don't win either game because they're shipping so many at the back and listen it's a balancing act you want both ends of the pitch to be perform to to be performing well um but all the signs at the minute look like Liverpool are a cohesive unit and you know all the parts top end of the pitch middle of the park you know the defense and the goalkeeper it all seems to be working well I think I think just very quickly I think um what we've seen with this team is that like certainly defensively they are a team of habit so back four like clean sheets become a habit you get a clean sheat and all of a sudden it becomes a habit just like conceding goals fa did last year because one goes and you go it's happened again and then it doesn't feel as bad as it does so if you build up a number of clean sheets one goal against you feels like the worst thing in the world when you do it every week it's just sort of like oh it's happened again doesn't really matter I think that's been clear I remember you know watching games when in probably Allison's first or second season and we can see our first goal on field in probably 20 years or something that's what it felt like at the time and he's fuming he's absolutely livid and I think we lost a little bit of that last season or you know he he was missing the past the season but I think that's that's an important Point uh indeed indeed listen I wanted to do more in the wi picture but we we're short of time uh but it will be remiss Shan if we didn't at least briefly mention the blues um it was I mean in in the round the the underlying numbers are still quite kind to them and they have been for the period the way last season um you know and the way that the underlying numbers are not kind to Manchester United but the underlying bleakness is the XB is off the charts at the minute goodness on the statisticians have never seen the like uh it was it was it was something to behold uh on Saturday where it goes 32 it it's quite something when winning 3-0 at Old Trafford is not the best thing to happen this weekend from a footballing point of view yeah I mean obviously that's a joke but I think it's a I mean they did that stuff really well by the way honestly you'll be fine well you'll be fine you see the humor in the as I'm sure they don't but um I mean it is unbelievable isn't it it is unbelievable I mean just when you think they can't get more everon they always surprise you that's the great thing about them they always surprise you like I was um iend I ended up with a barbecue on Saturday and it was um it was full of Reds really and then the blue started turn up after the game oh God and and luckily play to them by fair play to them yeah I mean I fairness there was only one so I mean like fair play to him but um as I mean you can still sort of have a joke with him um but you can tell they've just completely given up and I think that is the if I was at everon at the moment that's what I'd be most nervous about because because it feels like they get the fight and then as soon as something goes wrong it it just completely falls apart um but yeah quite enjoyable for us was can I just throw the other side in for as a man who's married to an evertonian and whose son is is a glad the street season ticket older um I had to pick our Mai up from the game on satday oh God I um I dropped him off at the game I had to pick him up from the game and as I turned into the road off County Road where generally I pick him up I was a little bit early so it was still 2-0 so I had the first goal go in and then the second goal go in I was watching people Le and walking past me from the ground who' left on 86 and had left a 2-n win looking at their phones I was then watching as it came to 2-1 then two all and suddenly they left W become a draw and then the third went in and I'm sat parked up listening to the third go in and genuinely I'm heartbroken for our Mai cuz he's there and he's watched this happen and 2-0 I'm listening to Alan STS on the radio talk about how good the game's been how good and die has been how good look like they played well a match of the day they look they look like look really good and d looks like a footballer looks like a footballer it looks like they bought intelligently but then that happens them again and you can't feel anything but doomed and the only thing that lifted on mat's day was he'd got Oasis tickets at lunchtime in the car on the way of the match so yeah yeah I mean what I will say is like M did say upset it was the best football they've played in years like for 40 minutes they played really well so maybe they're not down out but he just said there was just just inevitability of the way happen they're talking about the subs being obvious and I think there's watching the highlights they've got have a conversation about their goalie yeah yeah definitely um all right you all right with it I had a great weekend yeah I loved it when it goes one you think there's every chance it goes two but when it goes two there is that inevitability where you think this is going to go through it is it is going to go through bour smell blood and I listen I think the goalkeeper has more often than not been the best player but then you know there is that clip of him I think he's laughing at 2N and all of a sudden it sh over his head at 3-2 I thought it was glorious what a weekend there we go uh that'll do is uh it is the unfield rap uh it is a pleasure to be with you uh all the way through anything that you need from Liverpool uh you're going to get across the course of this week honestly I've seen the schedule it's [ __ ] great uh so do subscribe if you're not already subscribed uh do most definitely subscribe uh it would be an absolute pleasure uh I don't know how anyone else feels but you know you never know boys this is the one [Music]