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Crossover Thursday: The Reds visit the Gtech - Brentford vs Liverpool Preview
17 Plays6 days ago
Louie Easton joins Lydia Batalona from Daily Brentford as they discuss all things Brentford vs Liverpool plus more.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Promotion
00:00:07
Speaker
sports podcast network Hi everyone, it's Lydia here from the Daily Brentford. Today I'm joined by Louis from the Daily Liverpool. How are you today? Yeah, I'm great. Looking forward to the weekend. A very fun midweek. Yes, very fun. Exciting draws for both of our teams, but ah it should be a good match on the weekend, absolutely. Thanks for having me.
00:00:28
Speaker
right Yeah, i'm I was saying before, it's a bit of an important match for my family, considering my mum's from Liverpool. So it's kind of who has the bragging rights in the family for the rest of the year. So extra pressure. from the and Just a reminder to everyone, we are a new podcast. So please give us a review and a share on your socials, as that would be much appreciated.
Liverpool's Strong Start
00:00:50
Speaker
So as usual, going to start with a Liverpool focus.
00:00:53
Speaker
um Obviously, great first half of the season. um How were you feeling before Arn Slott was in charge? like what were you Were you expecting this when you came? Well, I wasn't expecting this. Genuinely before the season started, I was saying to myself, you know an ideal situation would be semi-finals of a cup competition, quarter-finals of the Champions League. We haven't got that far yet, so we don't know if that's going to come true or not.
00:01:21
Speaker
And I would have ah honestly taken top four, but the way we are playing at the moment, um maybe not in the last few matches, but before that, the way that we've been playing this season just has been absolutely mesmerizing. The things that he has done, like the little tweaks putting Ryan Gravenberg further back.
00:01:38
Speaker
Um, you know, the stuff that he's done with sob or sly as well has just exceeded expectations. And it did a bit, it did a bit, it did annoy me a bit, uh, before the season when everyone was talking about, you know, title challenges, Manchester city and arsenal and leaving us out of the conversation. I understand it was a new manager and we had a bit of a shaky end to the season last season, but I always have backed the Liverpool board because our recruitment of our players has always been phenomenal. um you know Players that you may have heard of slightly or never heard of and then bring them into the team and they fit like a glove. I thought, why can't we do that with the manager?
Brentford's Recent Performances
00:02:19
Speaker
um And everyone was slating us for signing on a slot because everyone was just saying, oh, it's another bald Dutch manager. It's going to be like 10 Harg again. I just thought that was absolutely ridiculous. um And, you know, we've seen who's who's where at the moment. So I'm absolutely loving life as a Liverpool fan at the moment, but nervous for the Brentford game because I know how good Brentford are at home.
00:02:45
Speaker
I mean, as we saw last night, I was there. It was honestly, I knew that after we had that shocking defeat to Plymouth, that we would come back and get a point against the city. Like, we genuinely had so many chances to make it 3-2, but I knew that we'd come back fighting yesterday. And if anything, I think it's even more confidence for Saturday.
00:03:08
Speaker
Yeah, I appreciate that one actually, by the way, because we drew as well and I was worried about city because they're starting to look good again, but I was very relieved about that Brentford draw. Honestly, i I just knew that that's what happens. It's such a Brentford thing to get.
00:03:25
Speaker
knocked out the cup by Plymouth and then go get a point against City. So yeah, that was good. We've got Plymouth next in the FA Cup, so um well we'll see what happens there. Yeah, let's
Nottingham Forest's Form
00:03:37
Speaker
see. um So yeah, would you be thinking at this point that Forest would be your closest runner-up?
00:03:48
Speaker
Um, no, uh, no, I was, I was shocked by forest, um, how good they were against us. You know, second in the table at the time of recording, um, four wins out of their last five. Um, just looking increasingly good every week. And what's amazed me is the fact that the majority of the time they spend on the pitch is without the ball.
00:04:15
Speaker
but they're so clinical going forward and they've got pace and, you know, Chris Wood, not the fastest, not the player that you thought he would turn into this season, but he has just exceeded expectations. and We were all talking about Wood and Welbeck earlier in the season and how they've just, you know, completely exceeded everyone's ideas of who would be in the running for the Golden Boot. Obviously, Sal has pulled further away now, but it's it It was just ridiculous to see, um you know, it these sort of throwback strikers. um So, yeah, absolute credits in Aussie and Forrester for where they are um and credit to them for getting a point off us. I'm still frustrated about that match because I thought we were so good in the second half and we deserved to win, but their defense and goalkeeper especially unbelievable.
00:05:09
Speaker
and the defence like obviously because I was at the Brentford game but seeing the highlights I thought yeah Liverpool definitely turned up in the second half which is what I'm more worried about I mean apart from yesterday Brentford we obviously did turn up in the second half but It's been a recent trend of ours to just
Liverpool's Second-Half Strength
00:05:28
Speaker
be brilliant when we start and then come back after the second half and we're just we don't have that depth, like we're just tired and you can tell. yeah it's the opposite It's the opposite with us. um So I feel like if Brentford are to get anything out of us, I think it will have to be quite early on because it takes us time to adjust to a match.
00:05:49
Speaker
And also, out of Salah's 18 goals for Liverpool in the Premier League this season, 16 of them were in the second half. So we really, we we can really go for it in the second half, but just having all, I mean, that's what happened against Forrest. Just clueless ah passing, randomly shooting from range and scuffing chances in the first half, but in the second half, when we get into our rhythm and really turn up the intensity, usually the other teams we've been playing haven't been able to cope with that. um And also, we seem to do really well on the counter as well. um that's ha That's been a constant trend of Liverpool, not just throughout the season, but throughout previous seasons under previous managers. We've always been a team that can hit and be clinical out of absolutely nothing, um especially when we've been at Anfield.
00:06:45
Speaker
Obviously Brentford have a huge home advantage and have had all season. So that's where I'm a bit nervous. Yeah. I mean, we'll move on to like our full score predictions at the end, but it's interesting what you were saying about Brentford perhaps getting ahead in the start. I mean, don't know if you remember, it's like October, November when we just had that crazy, I think four games in a row of scoring in the first minute.
00:07:12
Speaker
Yeah, I remember that was she's all just a bit random. Also very Brentford to have a record like that, um in something strange and obscure like that. um I don't think we're going to get one in the first minute, but I do think, yeah, we never know.
Transfer Speculations
00:07:26
Speaker
We tend to dip a little bit after halftime, which is yeah where I'm concerned for Saturday. um But again, to more general Liverpool news,
00:07:40
Speaker
Do you think that Trent will leave to Real Madrid this month? I mean, I know they've come out and said they probably won't. No, I think we all know he's going. And, you know, judging by I mean, this is a bit of a crazy allegation to make, but ever since Real Madrid put in that bid for him, and that was according to some reports so and none of none of them I've seen were absolutely concrete. But apparently Real Madrid did put in the bid for him a couple of weeks ago and we rejected it immediately.
00:08:08
Speaker
um We know that he's best friends with Drew Bellingham for the England team. and We know that Real Madrid are probably the biggest club in the world and you know it's obviously such an opportunity and such a flattery for him to be wanted by Real Madrid in the first place. um He's still like 25, 26, I can't remember his exact age off the top of my head so still got a lot of career ahead of him. He's prime really, he's already at his peak but since that bid was put in he's really started running less and everyone says that he's a terrible defender. I don't believe that for a second because we so earlier this season when slot first ah had him playing in right back he went to a proper right back role you know just straight up fallback none of that hybrid ah thing that he did under Klopp and seeing the defensive part of his game
00:09:15
Speaker
completely revolutionized. I couldn't believe what a player we had. An all-rounder. I used to think he should be put in midfield and we saw a little bit of that when he played for England at the Euros and it didn't really work out for him in Gareth Southgate's system but I thought in the right system he could be an incredible midfielder but ah It's obvious Real Madrid want a new right back, you know, Carvajal's on the way out, Lucas Vasquez, well, he's, so I don't watch the Spanish League, but I'd imagine he's been decent. You know, he is the captain of that team at the moment. But they want to star. they They're a team of star players and
00:09:53
Speaker
I think that's kind of been their downfall this season, just too many egos, but if they were it would be such a Real Madrid signing for them to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold and have the English connection and I do think it's
Key Liverpool Players
00:10:08
Speaker
going to happen. I don't think Virgil van Dyck will leave based on the fact that he's been handling the situation so maturely and he is our captain and the way he's been playing for us it he deserves whatever numbers he wants because there's been so many times this season that he's just saved us and been the only defender back and taken on multiple forwards at the same time and come out on top he's so physical um he's quick he gets the tackle perfectly he's
00:10:38
Speaker
just so huge as well um and i think out of the three he's the one i want to leave the least um salah second 2021 when he was he had that injury issue yeah the one against pickford yeah and we struggled so much that season yeah and you know you can tell the difference when he isn't playing even now um there was a match against Brighton earlier this in the season in the league cup where we had Kwanzaa and Gomez at the back and you could tell the difference immediately you know Van Dyke not only is so good off the ball in defense but he's just incredibly commanding on the ball um and everyone around him listens to him and against Nottingham Forest they just didn't even bother pressing him in the first half and
00:11:26
Speaker
when When he takes out the first player of the equation every single time, it's so obvious as to why they would make that decision and andm surprised. It took them so long. ah again I mean in the Champions League against Leverkusen, Virgil van Dijk had such a great performance and no one would even bother trying against him again. He honestly could have just sat down on the ground, crossed his legs and had a think about what he wanted to do next and they would have given him the time.
00:11:53
Speaker
um As for Salah, I don't think he wants to leave, but it's sort of at the stage now where, because a lot of us think he's the best player in the world and he's probably going to win the Ballon d'Or next year, um loads of top clubs will be after his contract as well, and he's at the stage now where he can demand like ridiculous wages.
00:12:20
Speaker
so It honestly has. And his agent will obviously talk that up. And ah Liverpool aren't the sort of team that would spend so much money on one player. And that's where our success
Team-Building Approaches
00:12:32
Speaker
has been. That's where I think Liverpool have a lot of um things in common with Brentford. Two Moneyball teams who might not have the biggest transfer targets in the world, but, you know, we'll work with what they have and put an incredible team together. That's why I admire Brighton as well. And Moneyball teams in general, I absolutely love. And, um you know, that's why I have a bit of a soft spot for Brentford as well. Correct. Second team, I'll say that. I won't say second team, but yeah, they're not bad.
00:13:06
Speaker
um I'd say, honestly, I'm not the biggest salafan. I think sometimes he can be quite selfish with the ball. and which is ah Just say that to Sadio Mardi. I think you he'd agree with you there.
00:13:20
Speaker
ah So yeah, I think, yeah, I don't think Liverpool should be shelling out like, so much to keep up with his wage. I think, honestly, yeah, keeping Van Dyke. Yeah, I'd be happy for Trent to leave, but I really do want Salah because the ah The numbers he's put up this season are unheard of. You know, topping goals and assists. And he did that at like 18 games where he had 30 goals or assists. It's numbers that had never been heard of in the Premier League before. And he's already he's either about to take overtake Thierry Omri, or he already has. I can't remember which one it is. But for him to be at this level for so many years now, I don't want to see him leave.
00:14:06
Speaker
No, I get why you don't want to see him leave. Okay, maybe it's also because I'm Dutch, but I just rate Van Dyke a lot more. Oh, yeah. i think i think they do I think all Dutch people love him, who love the national team.
00:14:20
Speaker
Yeah, I honestly, I think it's especially after obviously a new manager is also Dutch. Yeah. In my mind. He's revolutionised Graven Burke and Gackpo as well this season. It's the Dutch influence that's doing it for you guys this season. So
Liverpool's Challenges
00:14:35
Speaker
you can thank us. So before we have a a quick ad break, what do you think your biggest obstacle will be to winning the league? And do you think you've got it in the bag? Well, I think it's A bit of an experience in our team. You know, um Ryan Gravenberg, this is his first season at the highest level. I don't think Alexis McAllister has ever, ever been in this position either. Neither is Dominic Soboslai. So our midfield, the little bit of inexperience there. um Also because it's Anna Slott's first Premier League season as manager and you know,
00:15:16
Speaker
It for someone to come in and immediately when the league is very very difficult unless they've had tons of experience not on a slot as far as managers go is quite young. um I know we did wonderful things with fire nord but it's it's still it's still.
00:15:34
Speaker
only halfway through the season as well. So that gap can easily decrease. And, you know, our last three matches against Premier League teams, we haven't won any, you know, we drew, we drew against Man United, we drew against Forest, we lost in the FA Cup to, um to Tottenham.
00:15:52
Speaker
ah say you know I think if we do beat Brentford it will do amazing things for our confidence and motivation going forward and it's also really strange that this is happening now as well because let's not forget during our so-called hard run of matches we won all of them by Arsenal.
00:16:15
Speaker
Yeah. Against Real Madrid, against Bialevacousin. You know, that's absolutely insane. And it just seems like things things have changed since the Christmas period. I think maybe it might just be a ridiculous amount of fixtures as well. But we also had the break against Everton, where we went a little bit without playing. We also put out our second team against Darrington Stanley. So maybe it's not entirely the ah what it all boils down to. but it think Our form has been a bit questionable in our last five games, but you know we're still clear at the top of the league with a game in hand on the other teams. So we'll see what happens to come the end of the season, but I'm not going to say we're going to win the league. Obviously I'm going to say we're favourites, but I hate making predictions.
00:17:07
Speaker
Yeah, you don't want to drinks anything. Absolutely not. I just hope it's not city. I just want to see someone else win. I don't think it will be city. A lot of people share. Yeah. I mean, after yesterday.
00:17:18
Speaker
Let's be honest, Pep needs a break, doesn't he? Pep needs a break. Seeing him having a go, um like every player on the pitch afterwards, I was like, this man just needs a holiday, like, about this pressure cooker. Yeah, he i his blood pressure must be absolutely insane during these matches. I i do not. And he's just had a divorce as well. So, poor guy. Poor guy. Not poor City. I don't care about them. I'm not poor City.
00:17:44
Speaker
um So we're gonna have a quick ad break and then when we come back we'll move on to the all-important score predictions.
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00:18:02
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:18:54
Speaker
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Memorable Matches
00:19:22
Speaker
Right, so before we move on to the school predictions, I thought I'd recap the recent head-to-heads, Liverpool winning our last three meetings, but I don't think we can forget when, a few times when Liverpool come to the G-Tech, and I think the first time was 3-0 and that was very exciting. That match still haunts me, by the way, because we lost the league by one point that season. And I thought drawing against Brentford at that time was seen as an upset. I think that was my first season. Yeah, that was your first season. That was our first ever trip to the GTEC. And we lost the league by one point to Manchester City again. And ah I just I was so frustrated looking back over the season and seeing that 3-0 against Brentford. I mean, right it was my first time seeing Brentford play. I'd never seen Brentford play up until that point. But yeah, that was that was a crazy match. I remember Thomas Frank and young Klopp sharing a few smiles at the end of that one as well. That was good. I mean, what I appreciate about Klopp was that he was able to give credit
00:20:34
Speaker
to Brentford where it was due. I remember after that one as well. And also just because I remember being there and because I'd grown up always hearing about Liverpool from like my family from around there. I was like this is a big moment and it was honestly such a good game. It was so good. I think it was the season after that we then won 3-1 at home.
00:20:57
Speaker
I mean, I can't remember that off the top of my head, but I i have seen the stat of like us struggling in the past at the GTEC. And I mean, I'm trying to remember what season that was when you beat, well what season would that have been? but Roughly. 21, 22 probably.
00:21:19
Speaker
okay well that well that's weird because we were absolutely incredible that season that was the season that we got to the Champions League final and lost narrowly to Real Madrid and I think we lost the Premier League by one point again that season I think I can't remember or somewhere but that was that was when we had that super team with Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Jota, Diaz they were all there at the same time And I thought, like I know, yeah, we did lose the Premier League that by one point that season, because then I remember, it's OK, we still have the Champions League. Broke my heart again. We won the FA Cup and the League Cup that season, though. so Yeah, I was because I happened to be like visiting um family.
00:22:02
Speaker
in Liverpool when it was the victory parade. So I was there. That was fun. You were there. I wanted to go there, but it's a long way to go just for a parade, isn't it? Yeah, I'll do it next time. Why not? Why not the Premier League? My dad was um really happy because Virgil recognised that he was shouting something in Dutch and he got a little recognition. Oh titty, oh that is so cool. That was it.
Brentford vs. Van Dijk
00:22:27
Speaker
um Right but actually talking about van Dyck, I'd say he's someone that I'm obviously really nervous about facing on Saturday. Obviously we used to have Ivan Tony who was tall and like bigger physique and I think that he was able to match van Dyck
00:22:46
Speaker
really well in our meetings. However, now our team at the front of the WISSA and Burmo are insane and they pair up really well together. But I just think they will struggle with Van Dijk, I really think they will. Yeah, it's it's a size difference, but and Burmo is a really clever player yeah and you know he'll be yeah i mean he he'll obviously come in off the right like we've seen him before and you know have a go.
00:23:14
Speaker
um There's there's been links between in Bermo and Liverpool as well But yeah, I don't think that's going to happen because it's really not the sort of signing we'd make he's But I think your front three in general visa and Bermo and dams guards They all look very good. No dams guards got that. ah No, it wasn't times God It was Christian nor guards. No mine ah who got the last-minute equalizer against man city, but ah you know, I've been impressed by dams guard when I've seen him play visa I I was surprised at how well he's doing this season because I thought, you know, without Ivan Tony, and is visa going to be the new striker? And I'm so used to seeing him on the wing. um But no, he's really impressed me by his sort of positional play and his finishing this season. And I've been surprised at how well Brentford have been playing.
00:24:04
Speaker
Yeah, I think people thought we were really in trouble and that we were going to struggle without Tony. Myself included. But yeah, ah I think after that, there was a brief time right before Whistle got injured where it looked like, you know, we weren't missing him at all. And I think we've gone back to that. I think that they've really stepped up. So yeah, I'm not too worried
Season Highlights and Predictions
00:24:25
Speaker
about that. Yeah. And you're in the top, just about in the top half of the Premier League table as well. You must have wanted to. You must have taken that before the season started.
00:24:35
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. Like, honestly, i I was worried, but if anything yesterday as well, it's been such a good season to be black at home, like watching all the ah matches and things like that. So now I'm enjoying it. But moving on, I thought we'd end it with score predictions and I'm going to be positive and I'm going to say Brentford to win 2-1.
00:25:03
Speaker
to win. Okay, I thought you were going to say it to draw. To win 2-1. Okay. I'm going to say it can happen. Yeah, I mean, absolutely it can happen. It's the Premier League, it's football, anything can happen. but I do think Brent football score. I just don't think, I think our fullbacks in recent weeks, and um I'm more than happy to welcome a change in this match, but I just don't think our fullbacks have been good enough. I think we were quite, they were our two main suspects against ah Nottingham Forest, you know, Trent especially. um Robertson had a bit of a shaky game, but sort of had that performance where he got away with it, with recoveries.
00:25:41
Speaker
um And everyone are calling for Kostas Timakas to come in as our new left-back. I'm still loyal to Robertson. ah Some of the other members of the Liverpool podcast have really ripped on me for being so loyal to Robertson, but I just haven't forgotten how he was probably like top three of our players last season. and he was so good but this new sort of system he's sort of struggled to adapt because he's usually the sort of wingback that will go up the pitch and then track back but uses pace to be able to catch up to the rest of them and van dyke would cover him and if needs be but
00:26:18
Speaker
Yeah, it's been it's been a weird season for Trent and Robertson. And I think those are the two positions that Brentford can exploit, especially in Robertson's position when he's facing in Bermo. I think he'll have his match there.
00:26:34
Speaker
unless he doesn't start in which case fair enough but I think Brentford will score early it's so Liverpool to let in a goal against Brentford early it just seems like that's absolutely on the cards and like you said Brentford start early but I think we win it in the second half I think it will be a 3-1 And I hate school predictions because they always come back to bite me, so I'm not going to put my life savings on that. I'm just going to say, if you put a gun to my head and ask me what I think the school will be, I'm going to say 3-1 to Liverpool, and I think Salah will score again. Well, I guess it remains to be seen who was correct. But thanks for listening, everyone. Remember to share us on your socials and your fellow fans. And yeah, thanks for listening and thanks to Laurie for joining us. See you, everyone.
00:27:25
Speaker
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