From derby match to north vs south. Not to mention me embarrassing the U.K parliament shortly after Fulham entered the back door. Seriously, I really did share the Ctrl+Fail on FB with the intention to educate and embarrass people at the same time.
At this point in time, I no longer want to pursue the issue. Just like how it's ridiculous to use the ref to ignore Gestede missing a sitter or more, it's absolutely absurd to blame Gestede for the ref getting it wrong once or twice. Oh wait, the order should be the other way around. Sorry.
Bencic vs Williams=Liverpool vs Manchester City (Srsly... WTH?)
Yesterday is a song sung by the Beatles. At the same time, yesterday was famous for two reasons. The first would be Belinda "will she be the next Swiss Miss or just another Swiss cheese?" Bencic defeating Venus "she's definitely not from Mars" Williams 6-3 and 7-5. Apart from giving the lads (and ladies) a visual feast of technique versus power, I'm afraid Bencic might have made more than just a few lads gone broke. Not broken-hearted (for whatever crazy reason), but rather truly broke since I'm sure the lads at Ladbrokes would have offered a tasty odd or two.
Like how Bencic did a lads gone broke yesterday, Liverpool did the same #IMPOSSIBRU by edging Manchester City 4-3. But not before going 4-1 up first. So what was the relevance when it comes to two entirely different sports going by two entirely different set of rules? What was the common ground between Bencic's #IMPOSSIBRU and Liverpool's #IMPOSSIBRU since I've hinted this much?
She said, "I played it offensive..."
Well, not word for word, but I guess that's what she means in a tactical sense. In other words, it's a case of "go hard or go home". Not to be confused by the fact that Lady Amelia "not to be confused with Windsor Castle" Windsor is considered a royal party lady, it means you either go hard on the opponent or you can go home. I won't be surprised if a Slavic Bencic actually inspired a German Klopp to victory against whatever odds fixed by the likes of Ladbrokes and William Hill. Or maybe it's actually the other way around. Either way, let us take a look at the team sheet.
Pilfered and pasted from Sky Sports, the most interesting part (apart from the absence of Simon "are we still talking abt mignonne fingers?" Mignolet and Alberto "no more leftback role for him pls" Moreno) lies in the midfield. Yes, I know #TeamRoboKop went 4-1 up before suffering an almighty scare. It's not like winning the second set 7-5 after cruising to a 6-3 first set win, right?
The absence of Jordan "pretty sure my primary school wasn't named after his family" Henderson means #RoboKlopp favouring a more physical middle 3rd. Anglo-Saxon guts-and-glory fare, pure heroism per expected from any Saxon across the sea. Never mind the fact that they're black. They're still heroes. You have Georginio "name sounds like a Brazilian, plays more like Nigel de Jong" Wijnaldum, Emre "YES, HE CAN!!!!" Can, and Alex "Pyongyang got #RocketMan but they have #RocketOx fyi" Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The plan was very simple. It's back to the basics and four by two. Take a look at the team sheet below.
Kevin "Der Bruys" De Bruyne, Fernandinho, and İlkay "Der Gün" Gündoğan... well, not exactly the kind of midfield that would inspire fear from #TeamRoboKop under the stewardship of #RoboKlopp himself. It's like a Catalan duelist going one-on-one against an Anglo-Saxon knight complete with confined space. 'Tis a recipe for disaster where Pep "will he remain bald after this defeat?" Guardiola is concerned. The starting lineup where the middle 3 was an indication that Pep would be forced to look like Clotet instead of Guardiola (no offence intended to the Welsh Monk's BFF considering which division the football team made famous[?] by Aung San Suu Kyi is currently at). Let's connect the dots like a tactician, shall we?
Pep's middle 3 was about playing the ball forward from the back with plenty of space in front. It's never a case of four by two, but rather four by one. This tactic works, but provided space is aplenty between the back 4 and middle 2. The reason why I say middle 2 instead middle 3 lies in Fernandinho most likely playing deeper in order to allow De Bruyne and Gündoğan to roam forward. The former plays like Ryan "not a Shawcross" Giggs while the latter is the flair version of Steven "Stevie Great" Gerrard. Pep's problem?
Purchase a cow and it may only cost you 40 GBP (after converting the price from INR). Sign an Ox and the deal cost Liverpool 40 million GBP instead. So now comes the most damning question: Did Arsène "Le Professeur X" Wenger sell #RoboKlopp an Ox or just a cow worth a measly 40 quids?
If there's anything to go by from Manchester City getting demolished four goals to one before pulling two back, scenes like this below may well be consigned to the annals of history very soon.
Liverpool shocked Manchester City in the only way tactically possible. Either you go hard or you go home, that's most likely #RoboKlopp giving his Saxon ultimatum to an Anglo-Saxon Ox. And went hard #RocketOx did. Much to the dismay of those who should be dismayed. Arsenal is dismayed at eating a humble pie filled with roasted crows. The same goes for critics like the two Jamies from Anfield. Needless to say, Pep was forced to feel like Clotet for all the wrong reasons (or correct reasons if you want to see it tactically).
If Philippe "it may rain in Catalonia, but it truly pours in England" Coutinho is all about footwork and movement, then #RocketOx is all about raw pace and brute force. Perhaps there is indeed potential in the lad. Sadly, the northern end of London is never a fan of bruisers. Just ask the Spurs and Gunners, I dare you. In Liverpool, however, that's where the rules of engagement change. #RoboKlopp is never a sucker for pure flair and 100% guile. While he was Der Klopp overseeing the army of Die Schwarzgelben, the combination of a swashbuckler's flair and a Viking's brutality was for all to see. In fact, J.Mou never had an answer to the Saxon onslaught when Estadio Santiago Bernabéu had to overcome a 4-1 deficit. The game ended 2-0 to Los Vikingos, but the real Vikings still won it 4-3.
Therefore, should it be any wonder that #RocketOx is more comfortable with today playing in Anfield instead of yesterday at the Emirates? I wouldn't be surprised if he indeed made his Anglo-Saxon presence felt in front of City's four by one. And for that, he got a Lee to thank.
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| Sorry, it's neither Lee Hsien Loong nor Lee Hsien Yang. |
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| It's actually Lee Johnson. |
Lesson learnt: Not from either side, but from the other side
If Bencic was truly inspired by Liverpool, then credit must surely go to Bristol City. If Pep is a symbol of the foreign talent scheme, then Johnson is living proof of local talents refusing to go... well, there's a British slang for belly up and I don't want to offend the non-British who enjoy using British language. Foreign talent? So what? Pep? Who cares which Pep? Such was the temerity displayed by a motley XI attempting to outrun, outpass, and outsmart an illustrious XI. Yes, the domestic cup is always the Mickey Mouse deal for teams in the top flight capable of entering Europe nine times out of ten. Does that make Johnson a local muppet? Surely not!
Outran!
Outpassed! Okay, maybe not.
Outsmarted!
The only problem with Bristol City's guts? They still lost the match. But make no mistakes about it. The local Lee made the foreign Pep sweat for his keep. Seeing him reminds me of another local talent. Namely, this bloke.
If England can produce more Johnsons and Howes, the future will look bright. Very bright. And I'm talking about the standards of local football from the Under-16 to the senior team on an international basis.
The key to taking the fight to Manchester City lies in getting the mentality right. There is more than one way to display fighting spirit, but only one way to show cowardice before a giant like Pep. You play it deep like an Irish, you're showing cowardice. Once you display cowardice, that's it. You're dead. The opposition needs to understand the need to be flexible when it comes to understanding psychological warfare. What works for your team may well become a legit case of fatality before the opponent. That's how Manchester City nearly did a Les Invincibles. Cynics and romantics have the local Lee to thank, this I can assure that worthy rival to my beloved Boro.
Go forward, go hard. Otherwise, just go home. Sounds like what Lady Amelia believes in? In reality, this logic is more akin to how the famed strategist Sima Yi managed to quash the Xincheng Rebellion initiated by Meng Da. And that he did by seizing the initiative without seeking prior approval from the emperor (i.e. his boss).
Set up the army in the middle 3rd, pin them back once we got the ball. This was most likely Johnson's instruction to his charges. And charging like a disciplined army under the command of Prince Edward during the Hundred Years' War they did. Like Meng Da who was convinced Sima Yi would seek prior approval due to the protocol enforced, Pep was convinced Bristol City wouldn't have the impudence to play it tough and forward across the middle 3rd. Well, they actually did so. And with impunity, no less.
In a very weird way, the battle was won by Bristol City despite Liverpool dealing the coup de grâce. Johnson did lose the skirmish, but he won the battle in a way beyond his wildest expectations. Take the credit and a bow, local talent. You deserve it.
