I'm still livid beyond words. I can't ever remember being quite so angry over a game of footy as I am over this, to the point that my head's still spinning so I might ramble a bit. Forgive me if I do. First of all let's get the Elephant in the room out of the way. It was not a penalty. Neither of them were. First was offside, second was not a foul in a month of Sundays. That's not with the benefit of close up camera shots either, it didn't look remotely like a penalty. For the first one it was as blatant a dive as you're ever going to see. Having already set a precedent for himself by booking Ali for an equally obvious dive, questions need to be asked why he then gave the penalty to Kane.
For the second penalty, anyone who thinks it did needs to give their head a wobble. In real time it just looked like Lamela dived into Van Dijk. With the benefit of close up camera angles, you can clearly see him going down before contact is even made. Diving aside, if that's a penalty then Football is truly dead because no team is ever going to finish the game with eleven men. It was a pathetic decision, but sadly one not atypical to the increasingly poor standards of refereeing in this country. These pricks need to be wired up so everyone can hear what they say like in Rugby. Like Managers do, they should have to go on television with a post-match interview and justify those decisions. Until they do, it won't change.
That's why we drew the game. Nonetheless, Poch's comments do have some merit. We were absolutely abject in the second half. A goal was coming for a very long time and only our defenders, including Karius, kept us in the game as long as we where. Our midfield was non-existent to the point that they may as well not have even been on the pitch, they were so poor. To my mind this reinforces the dereliction of duty of all those involved by not reinforcing in the January window. Even in the first half, there was not a shred of creativity in the middle of the park, we got by on aggression alone. If this team is to progress and be successful, both of these aspects of the game are needed. Quite honestly, a midfield of Henderson, Can and Milner is about the weakest midfield I think I've seen us play in a very long time. They absolutely failed time and again to establish any sort of control or exert any pressure on Spurs in the second half.
Unfortunately that's the problem. This is a draw that feels like a defeat, and for all our failings, not a defeat of our own making. Yes, a win for us would have been a smash and grab but we were cheated out of a win by another outrageous refereeing decision. I would rather Spurs had scored their two goals on their own merits, from open play. It would be more palatable and, given just how good they are, and how well the played in the second half, would hurt a lot less than this does.
We also need to look at the Striking situation as well. Firmino, Salah and Mane are all well and good but the drop off then to Ings and Solanke is unacceptable for a club with our ambitions. I shudder to think what will happen to our season if we lose one of them. During the first half, we also ran into one of our other main problems this season: lack of clinical finishing. Salah has to go down as one of our best signings of all time, at least on the evidence we have so far, but he's one of three and the other two need to start taking the chances they're presented with as well, of which they do all too infrequently. Again this comes back to the lack of business done in January when everyone else strengthened. Looking to the bench today and I despair at the lack of quality back up we have. We seem to have come full circle under Klopp and it needs addressing this Summer.
MOTM then. Three contenders. Salah, for dancing through half of Spur team and scoring one of the best goals you're likely to see, a goal that deserved to be the winner. Karius for doing what was needed of him, when it was needed. This is the first time in a very long time I can hand on heart say that our Goalkeeper won us points. But I voted Van Dijk, who looked every inch the £75 million defender we've bought. His commanding presence, his organising of the defence, the guy bossed that back line, a back line that played probably the best game I've seen them play under Klopp.
So, as much as this is a draw that feels like a defeat, we didn't need to win today, and so a draw still sees us third, above Spurs and Chelsea with plenty of Football still to play, and in all honesty, I'd have taken a point before Kick off, and certainly taken a point halfway through the second half when we were under the kosh. Was a point fair? In the cold light of day, yes it was. I just wish it was a point under better circumstances.
Firstly now that I've calmed down let me just say that Spurs deserved at least a point, they bossed that second half better then any other we have faced this season imo,
A game of two halves they say, well yes to a point it probably was, we pressed the sh*t out of them and had we been more clinical we would have been out of sight,
So what the F**k happened second half, well, we stopped pressing, let Spuds get a foot hold and allowed them the space we didn't give first half, that gave them the confidence to come at us and set a nice rythem more akin to their style,
They dominated the central areas and exploited our midfield trio,
Despite all that our defence held firm and for the most part were weathering the storm, until Wanyama's wonder strike, should have closed down but it was a worldy so hats off yada yada yada !
The Pens...1st one, not a pen imo, Kane WAS offside and besides a close look in slo-mo Karius does not bring him down, he's on the floor arms fully extended reaching for the ball, Kane leaves his foot in and feigns being tripped...no pen...
2nd, Firstly Virgil does not see Lamela until his is already in mid-swing, Lamela moves across Virgil and is already on the way down, its inevitable contact would be made, you cannot stop your foot when you have already applied momentum to strike the ball, also, Lamela himself could have won the ball had he not jumped in front of Virgil,
Like your good self 5X, i was apoplectic, i had to go apologise to my neighbours for my extraordinary ranting & raving ,not for yrs has a match had me so fooking angry,
That fat useles dogturd of a ref could hardly keep up with play nevermind come to a reasonable decision, you are completely correct in saying refs should have to face the media to explain certain decisions particularly those deemed controversial.
If they did that it would at least alleviate some of the anger/ angst among the most passionate of fans, and may even gain some respect.
YNWA
