PL Matchweek 23

[Wee Baby Seamus]

I think Kovacic's performances with Chelsea this season are being really underrated. He's been great IMO, one of our better players. His movement on the ball through midfield has been a key part of our transition game, and he's one of the few guys we have right now who are really willing to take players on. Sarri needs to have more faith in him, because I think he can definitely reach a next level - if I'm Kovacic, I'm starting to get really discouraged by being substituted in the 70th minute of every single match. He still hasn't played a full 90.

Salah's diving is for sure overstated - the reason it's getting a lot of chatter right now is because there have been a few instances in a very short period of time, and so people have been inundated with it. Like most players who dribble in the box, he takes a lot of contact and has learned to sell that when he needs to. Hazard absolutely does the same thing (although I will say that Hazard also gets kicked to shit week-in week-out, and I don't remember the last time he won a call that I was like "okay, that's weak.") I think it's stupid that people are complaining about Salah diving Liverpool to a title right now because they didn't get that call yesterday - the thing to complain about with Liverpool and reffing is that Keita very obviously should've been sent off, and was not, not that Salah tried to win a pen and failed.

 

[Prntscrn]

I think it's stupid that people are complaining about Salah diving Liverpool to a title right now because they didn't get that call yesterday - the thing to complain about with Liverpool and reffing is that Keita very obviously should've been sent off, and was not, not that Salah tried to win a pen and failed.

Meh, the same could be said about how Liverpool probably would been more than 4 pts clear if Kompany would have gotten what he deserved against Liverpool then. Reffing is definitiely not the reason as to why Liverpool are where they are.

 

[YNWA14]

No...reffing decisions have only gone in Liverpool's favour hence their table placement. If they can hold onto this horseshoe until the end of the season it will likely be the luckiest season of all time.

Also I havent watched the replay yet but it looked like someone was holding van Dijk in the box so he couldn't challenge for the header that CP scored their 2nd on (iirc).

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Meh, the same could be said about how Liverpool probably would been more than 4 pts clear if Kompany would have gotten what he deserved against Liverpool then. Reffing is definitiely not the reason as to why Liverpool are where they are.

At zero point have I said that reffing is why Liverpool are top of the table because of reffing, so don't put words in my mouth. In the context of yesterday's match, there's a legitimate complaint that Liverpool should've been down to 10 men for a large part of it. That has nothing to do with Kompany and the game against City.

 

[Prntscrn]

At zero point have I said that reffing is why Liverpool are top of the table because of reffing, so don't put words in my mouth. In the context of yesterday's match, there's a legitimate complaint that Liverpool should've been down to 10 men for a large part of it. That has nothing to do with Kompany and the game against City.

Oh my bad, must have misapprehended the context then, my apologies. Truth to be told though I see a lot of people who seem to think that's the case which is all wrong.


And about that Keita/Townsend challenge, do all of you think it's a clear red? Orange maybe, not high enough for a clear red imo but maybe that's just me and the reddit nerds. It hurt like crap but no real injury risk

 

[Evilo]

Oh my bad, must have misapprehended the context then, my apologies. Truth to be told though I see a lot of people who seem to think that's the case which is all wrong.


And about that Keita/Townsend challenge, do all of you think it's a clear red? Orange maybe, not high enough for a clear red imo but maybe that's just me and the reddit nerds. It hurt like crap but no real injury risk

Who said Liverpool are where they are because of reffing? Nobody here.

And yes Keita was an easy red. In fact, two reds in one single play.

 

[phisherman]

I think the point everyone is making is every Reds fan except for one would ignore any favourable calls or non calls they get but will try to make themselves look like a victim every chance they get.

If you all would act like the one reasonable fan here that acknowledges, accepts and takes it then everything would be fine.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Who said Liverpool are where they are because of reffing? Nobody here.

And yes Keita was an easy red. In fact, two reds in one single play.

I think you pushing it a bit with the 2nd red offense. He stepped on Townsend (true) which looked absolutely 100% accidental, those type of contact happen almost every game and are very rarely cautioned. I actually don't remember the last time a red was handed out for a foul like that.

 

[YNWA14]

I think the point everyone is making is every Reds fan except for one would ignore any favourable calls or non calls they get but will try to make themselves look like a victim every chance they get.

If you all would act like the one reasonable fan here that acknowledges, accepts and takes it then everything would be fine.

This is quite rich.

 

[Evilo]

I think you pushing it a bit with the 2nd red offense. He stepped on Townsend (true) which looked absolutely 100% accidental, those type of contact happen almost every game and are very rarely cautioned. I actually don't remember the last time a red was handed out for a foul like that.

Well yes I'm pushing it because the second step MAY be unintentional. However, given the clear intent of the first I have my doubts.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

It's funny because in real time, most of the Liverpool supporters on this board argue to the death that Salah isn't diving or wildly embellishing.

Now it's all, "Well, here's a list of other players that have dived". Yeah, no shit other players dive, thanks.

I'm glad someone else brought up Drogba, because at the time Scousers couldn't shut up about his antics either.

 

[maclean]

Hazard is worse if anything but he doesn't get nearly the attention.

I think Hazard gets attention for it (and Alli has as well) but as D2K already summed up, Salah is more in the spotlight now because of his recent success, it's natural really.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

It's funny because in real time, most of the Liverpool supporters on this board argue to the death that Salah isn't diving or wildly embellishing.

Now it's all, "Well, here's a list of other players that have dived". Yeah, no **** other players dive, thanks.

I'm glad someone else brought up Drogba, because at the time Scousers couldn't shut up about his antics either.

Calm down.. Since when one fan = most fans. He embellished last game definately and lately he had a tendency to embellish fouls which he did not do as often in the past (as claimed here). Both fouls ( in which he got a penalty were warranted at Newcastle and Arsenal) you could also add Brighton & Holve Albion which was also warranted.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Calm down.. Since when one fan = most fans. He embellished last game definately and lately he had a tendency to embellish fouls which he did not do as often in the past (as claimed here). Both fouls ( in which he got a penalty were warranted at Newcastle and Arsenal) you could also add Brighton & Holve Albion which was also warranted.

The Newcastle incident was most certainly not a penalty.

And again, you're doing the exact thing I'm describing, only an even further removed retrospective, which is just strange ("Yeah, he embellishes, but all the specific incidents that have been talking about the last few weeks were warranted"). I'm not going to litigate the Brighton and Arsenal penalties again, but suffice it to say the Brighton one at least from what I remember was soft as hell and helped by Salah throwing his back on the ground like he got clotheslined in a WWE match.

And no, it's definitely not one fan. A cursory look at the last like 4 game threads would show as much.

 

[Live in the Now]

It's funny because in real time, most of the Liverpool supporters on this board argue to the death that Salah isn't diving or wildly embellishing.

Now it's all, "Well, here's a list of other players that have dived". Yeah, no **** other players dive, thanks.

I'm glad someone else brought up Drogba, because at the time Scousers couldn't shut up about his antics either.

He's diving for sure and if you noticed I haven't complained about anyone else.

He did start diving after a series of not getting calls that were obvious penalties all last season. VAR in general would take care of this and prevent the diving in the first place, in my opinion. My personal perspective is that I'm so desperate to win I don't really care, but I will acknowledge he's diving. Clear for everyone to see and there's no point in arguing that he's not because it's a fact he's diving.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

He's diving for sure and if you noticed I haven't complained about anyone else.

He did start diving after a series of not getting calls that were obvious penalties all last season. VAR in general would take care of this and prevent the diving in the first place, in my opinion. My personal perspective is that I'm so desperate to win I don't really care, but I will acknowledge he's diving. Clear for everyone to see and there's no point in arguing that he's not because it's a fact he's diving.

VAR will definitely do it.

What's so interesting to me, is that the FA is reviewing it now! For Salah and a lot of other controversial incidents, they come back and say the incidents "don't meet the threshold". Well, I think they might need a new threshold then. I get it. It's a slippery slope when you start trying to determine how a player should have or would naturally have gone down in these situations, but my god, sometimes it's just plain as day.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

LFC have never won an EPL trophy... I don't think anyone of them cares if Salah goes down after the slightest of contact. Especially, after Ramos was rewarded for injuring him. If you're not going to send people off f*** it cheat defenders and make them look like idiots along with the refs. That will be my mentality in copa 2019.

 

[YNWA14]

It's funny because in real time, most of the Liverpool supporters on this board argue to the death that Salah isn't diving or wildly embellishing.

Now it's all, "Well, here's a list of other players that have dived". Yeah, no **** other players dive, thanks.

I'm glad someone else brought up Drogba, because at the time Scousers couldn't shut up about his antics either.

Who was arguing to the death that Salah hasn't been diving/going down easy/embellishing? Most Liverpool supporters I've seen acknowledge it but don't care because, as LITN mentioned, he was getting fouled quite often with no call previously.

Personally I don't like it. I don't like when Mane does it either. I would like to see the calls made right when they are fouled though.

 

[Chimaera]

All good players dive.

I’m not the biggest fan, but I rather he go down and get the penalty than get hacked and play on to end up dropping points. It serves a purpose. players have to let him have more space. If he goes down easy, you can’t mug him left and right like they normally do. At some stage, refs won’t give it, but I think that’s overblown for top players. It’s not like there was no contact or that he leapt into the challenge. For a few, there was an exaggeration of lesser contact. So be it. That’s on the low end of cheating.

I have no problem with other players doing it. I also have no problem calling players on it. As long as there’s no VAR, and as long as you have refs missing calls or defenders making dumb challenges in the box, it will still happen and players are right to dive. But there’s a massive difference between going down and exaggerating, and then falling over without contact at all.

 

[Evilo]

VAR doesn't change diving.

 

[Prntscrn]

Who said Liverpool are where they are because of reffing? Nobody here.

And yes Keita was an easy red. In fact, two reds in one single play.

Oh it's widespread all over the internet how lucky Liverpool has been with everything(wins, goals, reffing etc) and shouldn't be where they are. Fact is they've just been better than everyone else.

 

[Corto]

VAR doesn't change diving.

Sadly, no.
Bans and suspensions would though. Yet no league is taking steps to do that.

 

[Evilo]

Oh it's widespread all over the internet how lucky Liverpool has been with everything(wins, goals, reffing etc) and shouldn't be where they are. Fact is they've just been better than everyone else.

As I've said from the beginning, champions need luck, reffing decisions and breaks. That doesn't make them lesser teams.
Liverpool have ticked all the boxes so far.
Good for them. Doesn't make them any less deserving.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

The Newcastle incident was most certainly not a penalty.

Holding a player arm is a foul everytime anywhere on the field not different in the penalty box. Salah embellished to get the call agreed but it is still a stupid play by the defender.

The Brighton & Holve Albion penalty, Salah has beat Gross and he has a clear way to make shot and possibly score. Gross get hold on Salah shirt and on the back of his foot. Salah reaction is clear embellishment (as he fall backward) but it still does not mean it was not a foul. Their coach even said it was a penalty. I think you problem with Salah is the embellishment (agreed) I also personally find him bad in his embellishment with his arm over his head. He should do like Hazard and fall forward not backward, it looks more natural. Also another master of creating foul in the box: Harry Kane, he will try initiating contact and fall to get favorable call. That is way more clever than Salah.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Oh it's widespread all over the internet how lucky Liverpool has been with everything(wins, goals, reffing etc) and shouldn't be where they are. Fact is they've just been better than everyone else.

Every league winner has reffing decisions go their way. Every league winner has ref decision go against them. Every league winner gets luck on the way.