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Match Reaction - Liverpool vs Wolves
27 Plays14 days ago
Chris & Will react to Sunday's 2-1 loss to Liverpool. The struggles for consistent officiating and Munetsi playing up top again.
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Transcript
Introduction and Match Setup
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Welcome in, Wolves fans. It is Chris again here at Daily Wolves. And we are going to be discussing the recent match against Liverpool. And with me today is my, my cohorts and my buddy and my nemesis in Will. Hey, hey, Will.
00:00:25
Will
yeah hello how are we how are we no
00:00:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm good. I just thought I'd give you every title under under the sun that I could think of.
00:00:31
Will
that's that's fine by me
00:00:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, good. um So yeah, obviously, I don't know about you, Will, and everyone out there. We've been obviously off the back of the win against Villa and the win against, I know it was against Blackburn, but you know, the Cook win.
00:00:45
Will
and Yeah
00:00:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
morale was feeling good. And I was thinking that we might get something from today, yeah or at least even if we didn't perform well. To be fair, I think second half was, we did, but um let's, let's rewind time. It sadly obviously didn't go our
Match Highlights and Controversies
00:01:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
way. I'll just summarize, spoilers everyone out there, but it did finish 2-1 to Liverpool, but it feels like there was a lot of drama. I mean, i don't get me started on the officiating, but um how are you going into today, Will? And when you saw the team sheet, we tend to start with the team sheets as well. So what did you make of the beginning of the day?
00:01:11
Will
Yeah, yeah
00:01:20
Will
um In terms of the lineup, there was nothing that particularly caught my eye in a negative way at least. Aside from the fact that there was no Rodrigo Gomez in the squad at all, not even on the bench.
00:01:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm.
00:01:33
Will
and you know I've not seen any explanation for that yet, let alone an an official one. I don't know if I've missed something. and you know Because like you said, the game, we're recording this on Sunday.
00:01:47
Will
um You know, and we've not had time to um sort of read up on anything too much post-match. We're just sort of going in raw with a straight sort of, um you know, match review based off our instincts. ah But yeah, and so, you know, I'm still relatively positive when I saw the lineups. um I did sort of think, as much as you said, we had come off the back of two wins and no disrespect to Blackburn, but, you know, you always knew this was going to be a big ask for us going into the game, no matter what the starting lineups were.
00:02:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sure, sure. I think, um yeah, you made a good point about Gomes, so I'm curious to find out more about that. Obviously, Huang out with the hamstring injury wasn't in the squad.
00:02:36
Will
Yeah.
00:02:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Larson, not on the bench either, still recovering from his knock. So we had Gedgigan at first, to start at least. And the only other, I think, point of note was that Belegard dropped back to the bench and Andre slotted back in alongside Gomez.
00:02:50
Will
yeah yeah no no i don't think so like i said there was nothing um there was little tweaks and changes like that but aside from gomez being left out of the squad there was yeah nothing nothing um too sort of unexpected or out of the blue
00:02:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, he obviously has had some good form recently, but again, I guess people can't really argue too much with that.
00:03:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, no. But then game starts, as I say, I was feeling hopeful even if we, i because my my my mindset was that even if we lose, I think we'll impress people with the performance was where I'm getting at with this, if that makes any sense
First Half Struggles and Officiating Issues
00:03:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
of silver lining.
00:03:31
Will
Yeah, yeah
00:03:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
um because I feel like we're not getting drummed and we are you know or more at least. It feels like we're kind of battening down hatches a little bit and looking a bit more solid. But then, you know, first half really didn't go away. What did you make of the first half and and the goals?
00:03:49
Will
I'll start off, I'll try and be as concise as possible. The first half, as you just mentioned there, really didn't go our way. I don't want to make this an excuse, but you alluded to it in the um sort of introduction to this ah match review.
00:04:04
Will
that the officiating from Simon Huper was woeful. It was woeful.
00:04:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm.
00:04:09
Will
I mean even Kavige on the commentary a home on Sky Sports was struggling to justify some of the decisions and understanding the frustration coming from the wolves camp.
00:04:20
Will
i think um Doc and Adri do both got booked I think in the first half for I assume dissent um for for complaining about decisions before a single Liverpool player got got booked but I think aside from that we just not only did we not show up Liverpool are just obviously very very good so you can't really afford to start slow or make sort of errors that we made which which led to their two goals you know um as you said
00:04:58
Will
it's It's very different playing Liverpool than it is to Blackburn. and i I think unfortunately for us that sort of golfing class um was yeah quite quite evident, a more evident than it should have been at least in the first half.
00:05:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I do want to get on, so there's a couple of, there's a particular couple of officiating things I want to get onto. Um, but let's, let's focus on one thing at a time.
00:05:15
Will
yeah
00:05:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
So the first goal, um, for Diaz, I mean, that was a little bit of our own making.
00:05:26
Will
you
00:05:32
Will
Yeah, was it giving away poorly? um Yeah, and then you know defense all over the place and I know we love him and I know he's been doing well.
00:05:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Ain't nori.
00:05:45
Will
but the attempted clearance from Totti on his right foot, it was just exactly what you'd expect from the narrative that people give off Totti playing out sort of thing, but it just, yeah, just sliced it.
00:05:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:06:01
Will
I mean, it was really, really poor. And then Saar tried to just throw himself in the sort of vague direction of Diaz who just I mean literally just ran he didn't even finish it he just he just sort of ran into the ball and went off his midriff and it and it was yeah really just poor goal all around really um so yeah not exactly ideal yeah yeah
00:06:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's frustrating because you go away to Enfield and the one thing you want to do is, you know, it's going to be a tough game is to not not make silly mistakes and, you know, give away an early goal.
00:06:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that was what, 15 minutes in, I think.
00:06:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
And and so you just it's ah even, ah you know, it's an uphill battle from then on.
00:06:40
Will
Yeah.
00:06:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it was a little bit of a row making, like you say, slow chances to get rid of it, not taken. But then the frustrating thing then is, you know, even at one nil, I'm thinking, okay, one nil, we've got goals in our team.
00:06:46
Will
Yeah.
00:06:55
Will
Mmhmm.
00:06:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
We are capable of still getting something from this. And then the penalty. I mean, what did you, what did you make of that? And so do you think, do you think it was a penalty?
00:07:10
Will
wow
00:07:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously, um, who was it running? Who was it running through on goal? Actually, I think it was Diaz again.
00:07:16
Will
Was it Diaz again? Yeah. um I'll be honest, I think it was a penalty. I don't... Obviously, he nudged the ball past Saar, and it was really poor play given away again, but sort of unnecessarily biased in the first place, but I think as soon as he got a touch round Saar, no matter if he was ever going to be able to collect that touch,
00:07:44
Will
It was a penalty. You know, as soon as that contact was made, um I just thought you gave Simon Hooper, who's already having a woeful appearance from our point of view, you gave him and the VAR and the officials an excuse to to give it, which they're not going to turn down when when when you were away at Armfield. And yeah, I sort of I thought it was, I don't want to say fair enough, but yeah, I i can't really have too many complaints about it, I don't think.
00:08:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, it feels like one of those typically soft penalties and the, you know, the striker is, is looking for it.
00:08:29
Will
Yeah.
00:08:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
They're going to, they're going to wrap their foot around the keeper, whatever they can do, even if they have the capability to go around them or step over them or whatever, you know.
00:08:37
Will
Yeah.
00:08:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
They don't necessarily have to do it, but they're like, okay, it's probably easier for me to get the penalty than it is to go around and slot this ball than the net.
00:08:45
Will
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:08:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
And slow and it's it's is kind of frustrating, isn't it, that the modern game has come to that, that that's the easier path to take. It says something about the way the game is ref nowadays, that that's the way that the players choose to take it.
00:08:56
Will
Yeah.
00:09:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
But again, that's possibly a whole different tangent. I'm going down there, but it is again, it feels a little bit soft almost, but Sa comes out, doesn't get it. And when you, when you put yourself in that position, you run the risk, don't you?
00:09:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
You run the risk of, of giving away a penalty and Salah is not really gonna, I mean, I tried to think how many he's missed in his career, but not many, I'm sure from the, from the spot.
00:09:18
Will
yeah no no and ah i'm gonna say something as well just two things first of all about the softness of the decision and um decisions that we see referees making in the modern game chris you know my thoughts on that i think we should probably do a wild card Wednesday episode just based on on exactly that because i couldn't agree with you more um
00:09:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
just Just a rant about the state of officiating.
00:09:48
Will
yes yes yes a sort of a little throwback to the o'neill ever under daily warps just ranting down the microphones
00:09:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
We can do that.
00:09:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:09:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, on that, on that note, people as a, you know, talking about walls and history of officiating, uh, mr our lovely, beloved, Billy Wright, obviously bless his soul, famous, one of the most famous players in our history, never booked in his entire career.
00:09:58
Will
ah
00:10:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I was chatting to someone about that, thinking about the fact that that obviously that was a very different
Second Half Improvements and Tactical Changes
00:10:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
game.
00:10:17
Will
yeah
00:10:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I imagine the game the that if you were played to get it the day, play the game today, I can't speak properly.
00:10:24
Will
Yeah.
00:10:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
believe I'm sure he would get booked many times and probably sent off.
00:10:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it was a different era to not get booked in, you know, you can go through people from behind and just, you know, be a farmer physical. um So it's like, it's iconic. But obviously, it just puts things into perspective a little bit as well.
00:10:28
Will
Yeah.
00:10:42
Will
Yeah, no, 100%. But the other point I wanted to make just off it was that it was annoying that Salah was the one who took it and the one who scored.
00:10:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:10:51
Will
I'm sure it was great for people's FPL teams. But again, in the preview to this, Chris, we spoke about how well he seems to do against the top, top players like Salah and especially Salah himself.
00:11:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm.
00:11:05
Will
And he did it again today.
00:11:06
Will
um not only did he pocket Salah for 90 minutes and Salah only got a sniff of golf from that penalty which was you know um sort of like you said but a soft one but just modern day football for you I think For the most part, at least, on the ball, Aitneri was one of our best players. And so, you know, I just thought it was a shame for that sort of narrative to be shot down by Salah getting on the score sheet.
00:11:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. And you could see Salah was getting frustrated, particularly second half when we were coming back into the game and jumping ahead slightly.
00:11:42
Will
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
But, you know, there was a few points where the the ref was making calls. And at that point, a couple didn't go Salah's way and he was getting very, very frustrated. You could see he was trying to leverage his body weight and draw fouls.
00:11:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
And and when it wasn't working for him, he was really getting, really getting ticked off, and which was making me smile quite a lot, to be honest.
00:12:03
Will
Yeah, I think that's understandable. um I mean, you said we were jumping ahead a bit, but it's safe to say for those who didn't catch the game that second half was certainly, certainly the the better half for for Wolves and Wolves fans. I think we certainly came into the game a lot more then.
00:12:22
Will
um
00:12:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
It was. Before we jump into the second half, though, two things. One is, I wanted to point out that did you watch what your opinions, everyone, if you saw it? Then now Kanate was on a yellow card already, at which point he basically barged Kunya into next week.
00:12:39
Will
Yeah.
00:12:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it was a free kick given, could have been a second yellow, obviously not going to be against the top team and at their home ground. It's just not going to happen. But is there a case, do you think, for him to have got a second yellow?
00:12:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'm going to say it was, you know, he's toeing the line there.
00:12:55
Will
um
00:12:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
And for me, that could have been a 10-man Liverpool.
00:12:59
Will
yeah i think it would have been soft i'll be honest i do think it would have been soft in all fairness but i think the amount of decisions i think that was the main frustration was the amount of those kind of 50 50 decisions throughout the whole game and there was a lot of them by the way because it was quite an evenly matched game physically
00:13:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm.
00:13:16
Will
um There was a lot that, I mean, well, all of them went against us pretty much. And I know Vito Pereira has since come out and said that Canalte shouldn't have been on the pitch. um And yeah, he he was taken off at halftime before we got to the second half, which is, you know, it's about right from from a Liverpool point of view.
00:13:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, for me, he was lucky. And it's that case of, you know, big, you know, top tier, say top six, big club, whatever you want to call it at home, they're just not going to get we're just not going to get those calls.
00:13:50
Will
Yeah.
00:13:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
And um it it was a bit frustrating. But um so that that could have gone another way and could have changed the game entirely. um There was one other the point, but it's just left my brain.
00:14:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
So what I will do before we get into the second half,
00:14:03
Will
ah
00:14:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
is just run a a quick message from one of our sponsors.
00:14:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
There we have it. So we'll move on to the second half. And um it's fair to say that some changes were made. You mentioned, obviously, Liverpool made some some changes.
00:14:57
Will
Mmm.
00:14:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
um It wasn't that long before we did because Pablo Sarabia and Gedge, who didn't, it's fair to say they didn't do much in the first half.
00:15:05
Will
Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
um were also swapped out for Manetsi and Belegard. And it was interesting to see that once again, a bit like we saw for the last few minutes against Blackburn, Manetsi was almost playing that kind of false nine position.
00:15:20
Will
Yeah, yeah no I thought exactly that when I was watching it. I knew that this was going to be one for us to discuss now, Chris, because I'll be honest, I don't see it. I don't understand. i see I see the athleticism and the power and the way you you know he puts himself about on the pitch. But I mean, he he's coming as far as I was aware, Chris.
00:15:44
Will
He was a defensive midfielder, all of them, you know, just a number of eight. He's taken Lamina's number five, you know, that's a defensive sort of number, you know. um And Vietals just gone, yeah, stick him up top, you know, very much a big man up front sort of thing. And he's looked energetic he's looked good on you know so on the ball and um he's got into good spaces but the lad just he just can't seem to finish and i I'm um'm not sort of having a go at him in that sense because it's a very very big ask to come in to a a struggling Premier League side and not only are you playing as far as I'm aware at least out of position that position is no less than like I said a sort of not even striker but
00:16:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
And.
00:16:30
Will
False nine. It's even more sort complicated. I mean the false nine is a phrase Chris is going in my sort of room 101 of modern football But I know what you mean. I just yeah, i I don't know. I don't see it and Yeah, I just think it's an odd one all in all I don't know what you think
00:16:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I mean, I agree with you firstly on the phrase false nine. and I don't really, I coined it because it seems the most apt, but um it's, I mean, is it fair to say, do you reckon?
00:16:56
Will
yeah
00:16:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
And again, I like to play devil's advocate, advocateca but if, cause I'm bearing in mind, he hasn't played a full game right yet. He played the last part of Blackburn and the last half of this game.
00:17:08
Will
Yeah.
00:17:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Strandlarson is injured. Huang is injured.
00:17:14
Will
yeah
00:17:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Gage was the one that came off for him. There is no recognized striker, could because Kunya, he's not a striker. He's a number 10. And so with if we had a fit Strandlarson, for example, that had been on the bench for this game, is there an argument to say that he might have come on instead at that point?
00:17:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or do you think it's the fact that someone like Manetsi even though he's mainly a midfielder, like you mentioned the athleticism, the speed he's undeniably quick and strong, because he makes, like some of the runs on my word, like please, if he could just stay onside.
00:17:48
Will
Yeah, that yeah, that was another thing yeah Yeah, yeah Yeah a client yeah
00:17:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's his other nemesis right now. Yeah, is is if he could just stay onside my word, and if he could finish, because he could have had a hat trick against Blackburn, he could have had a couple of goals here. ah we Potentially, I mean, potentially Vitor is on to something, if he could just put one of these in the net.
00:18:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
So there is a sea kind of what he's done but I also wonder just as I'm saying that like if everyone was fit he may not be doing this.
00:18:16
Will
no yeah i think i think that's for certain and but i i also i look at our bench today and the only um player that could have come on in that position and done a similar job if not probably potentially better was carlos forbes there was there's literally no one else on the bench and um neither only or nor perver seems to rate forbes enough to give him um any sort of minutes, which seems odd, because I've weirdly liked him in the glimpses that we have seen of him.
00:18:48
Will
He's certainly got the same attributes as Manetsi in terms of the speed and the the the runs. um But I suppose the...
00:18:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, by all like sorry by all accounts,
00:18:58
Will
Sorry, go on.
00:19:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
he was all ready to go home in the transfer window, but it was purely that if he'd gone, they wanted to fill the gap with someone else to have um names on the bench.
00:19:04
Will
Yeah.
00:19:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it seems like he's definitely a last on that, like last straw kind of thing.
00:19:11
Will
yeah no i know i know but i just i'm just talking about in terms of on paper he was the only attacking sort of option um you know or at least um
00:19:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:19:26
Will
traditional, um more well-suited attacking option as opposed to Manetsi. So I do understand with that logic why Pereira is doing it. I think it's probably beggars can't be choosers and there are glimpses and you can see the idea there, but I just, yeah. I think i think it's safe to say that it's not necessarily working.
00:19:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, I think, although what I think it did do potentially in this game, because it'd be interesting to see against different opposition, again, if we still don't have the the players fit, is that against Liverpool that second half, it added a bit more security to the midfield.
00:19:58
Will
Mm.
00:20:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
When he wasn't and breaking runs forward, just having an extra body in midfield, um because arguably as we've said the second half rules were more contested we had we had shots we had we scored a goal like we were more in this game and we start to push the ball back and arguably you know we we could have gone on should have gone on for a draw at least because we were.
00:20:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
they were getting really worried late in that second half if you could see it and they were getting very very concerned and you could see the celebrations when they were managing to block last ditch tackles at the end and and you know sorry shots and and whatever or deny the cross because they knew that they were a little bit on the ropes in those closing moments.
00:20:30
Will
Yeah.
00:20:44
Will
Yeah and I do think, I mean they used the excuse a lot of the European football and I think they played on Wednesday. or something like that, or they are going to play this Wednesday, I'm not i'm not too sure. i've not you know Unsurprisingly as a Wars fan, I'm not kept up with the European fixtures.
00:21:02
Will
um but The point is, we were definitely as the game went on, they were definitely tiring, and we were on top in that second half. i mean We need to speak about our goal because um not only was it a great finish from Cunha outside the box, left foot right in the corner, right in the bottom corner.
00:21:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm hmm.
00:21:22
Will
you know I love the way it just rolled down the ah inside of the net. It was a great finish. It was a lovely little assist as well, Chris, from um Jean-Michel Belgard, who, you know, I said, I never want to see a wolf shirt again. And, you know, since the turn of the year, he's certainly stepped up his game. So he's obviously been listening to our criticism and decided to act on it. um But yeah, it was just it was a really good goal, sort of all down from the assist and the finish. And then yeah, we but we were definitely asking questions. I don't think, I don't know if you just mentioned it then, but I don't think Liverpool had a shot in the whole of the second half.
00:22:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Uh, no, I don't think they did. And I'm going to try and check that as we're talking, but I'm pretty sure you are right there. Cause I remember looking at that in the, in the summaries after the game.
00:22:11
Will
Mmm Yeah Yeah Yeah
00:22:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Um, but yeah, it was all wall second half pretty much. And so that, that was, um, that was great to see. So I'm sad that we didn't come away with a point. I also think that everyone pretty much who came on in the second half performed well.
00:22:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, Doyle came on, was playing more on the right and yet. was involved in a couple of, I mean that one moment where he was out on the right and putting a beautiful pass, he looked up.
00:22:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
So again, I think it was Minetsi in the middle.
00:22:40
Will
yeah
00:22:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I thought for certain, this is an equalizer. I mean, I'm still not sure because I haven't seen enough free plays.
00:22:45
Will
Yeah, yeah as it's happened
00:22:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
I still couldn't figure out in the moment, and you may know, whether he scuffed it somehow, or whether Defender got his foot on it. i it was so I've watched like two angles of it, and I still can't quite figure out how it didn't go in the net.
00:22:57
Will
um
00:23:01
Will
I think a bit of both. I think it's one of those. It's good defending in terms of if Monezi did scruff it, it's no doubt because of the fact that Kwanza was sliding in and was doing that last ditch defending that you spoke about.
VAR Decisions and Injury Concerns
00:23:17
Will
um but it's one of those i think if you if you speak to a sort of a old-fashioned traditional striker number nine it they'd say that thing of you shouldn't you shouldn't be letting the defender even get a chance at that you've like it's one of those where i think the top strikers no matter what the defender is doing they score those you know the top top ones and um Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean. And I also want to speak about Chris. i'm Sorry if this is going out off on a bit of a tangent, but Liverpool actually were awarded a second penalty in the second half, weren't they?
00:23:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah, I was going to get to that. um So yeah, there's so many things actually that that's actually worth discussion, if not today, over the next day or two. That's like a penalty. Given all the moaning about the officiating, even when they were reviewing it, I was like, they're not going to it should be overturned.
00:24:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's not a penalty. He doesn't touch him. But I was thinking, the way they've been, they're going to find some excuse to give this penalty.
00:24:16
Will
Yeah.
00:24:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh, they'll say that someone and else's fingernail did something dangerous.
00:24:21
Will
yay Yeah,
00:24:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know. um But Heaven be, they didn't give it because Jota, as we spoke about with the Diaz incident before, he even more so has stepped, he's able to step round Aga who makes and makes the mistake of going to ground.
00:24:37
Will
yeah
00:24:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
and then ah But he literally just sticks his left foot out and touches him to throw himself to the floor.
00:24:42
Will
He's done that before Jotter for Liverpool and some high profile games has done a similar sort of thing and it's easier for him to have the shot surely but no, like I said, he quite simply dived, you know, and that raises two points. As you said, um fair plays for VAR doing the correct thing. But notice how Simon Huber gave it instantly. You know, he couldn't he couldn't wait. He literally couldn't wait to um give give another penalty for them.
00:25:09
Will
um but what I don't understand Chris and I don't know if this is just a simple VAR thing you know it's not in the rules for whatever reason or something but surely once VAR has looked at it and decided that it's not a penalty right surely then that's confirming that it's a dive Now, shorter being booked obviously wouldn't have affected the results in any sort of way, but I don't understand why you wasn't then booked for diving if you've just if you've just gone over to a screen and confirmed it for yourself.
00:25:42
Will
Do you know what I mean? I just ah ah don't get it.
00:25:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Yeah, no, I had the same conversation at the time. I was like, that is surely then a yellow card because you've made the referee the referee initially give the decision for a penalty, which would have put us well out of touch.
00:25:51
Will
Yeah.
00:25:58
Will
Yeah.
00:25:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
And and then only by VAR has it been overturned. So surely more than anything, that should be a yellow card because he's halfway gone to convincing everyone that it was a penalty.
00:26:05
Will
Yeah.
00:26:10
Will
yeah
00:26:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, it doesn't make any sense. And on that note about, you know, the consistency of the bookings and all that kind of thing, we I mentioned earlier in the week or after the Arsenal game about how we spoke about the way the Arsenal team surrounded the ref when they got there sending off.
00:26:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
and no one was booked despite the whole theme surrounding him and forcing him backwards for several minutes.
00:26:28
Will
yeah i
00:26:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
And when you think back to Lamina and various walls players just approaching as like the second or third player and randomly getting booked in the past, in this very game we had Agbadou booked for complaining to the ref.
00:26:39
Will
Yeah Yeah Yeah, yeah Yeah,
00:26:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
On that Kunya fowl that we spoke about earlier, he gets booked, And, but then we don't see a booking for various things that Liverpool did during the game that included, included the dive and various bits of complaining as well.
00:26:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
It just, it's the, again, it's that lack of consistency when it has a massive impact on the game. Cause that's our central defender that you're giving a yellow card to.
00:27:04
Will
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:27:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah in ah in a ah really demanding game in the first half when we can't really afford for him to go off. And i I'm also concerned because we should note that he did go off second half with an injury.
00:27:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Agbadoo. Now hopefully it was protected more than anything because we were at that point, I think we were actually 2-0 down and
00:27:25
Will
What's that from when he slid in on that jotter?
00:27:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
That was from when he slid in on that penalty incident.
00:27:28
Will
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, because I think his stud got caught in the turf and kind of pulled at his leg.
00:27:32
Will
Hmm.
00:27:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so, you know, he went off with about 20 minutes to go. Now, at that point, we're two nil down and they're probably thinking it's kind of, ah you know, let's save him. Let's protect him and let him recover.
00:27:43
Will
Yeah, yeah,
00:27:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
um I really hope having come in and done so well for the first few games and made such a massive improvement that we don't then lose him for a while because that's ah we can afford to lose a front player or two. We cannot afford to lose someone like Agbadou so soon.
00:28:00
Will
Yeah, no, 100%. Yeah, it's just it was just a typical sort of, you know, situation first throughout the 90 minutes with little things like that, wasn't it?
00:28:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
It was because when you're you know you're, whoever you are, whether you're a big team or a small team, going somewhere like Anfield, the crowd's against you. It's going to be such a big deal. It's such an intense
Post-Match Reflections and League Standings
00:28:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
atmosphere.
00:28:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
The one thing you need is consistency from the officials. You don't want to feel like you are fighting the officials as well when you've got such a big task ahead of you.
00:28:29
Will
Yeah.
00:28:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
and so So to come back as we did, get the goal and then be pushing for a second and get them a bit panicky in the later stages.
00:28:33
Will
Yeah.
00:28:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
that there's still optimism, there's still some optimism to take away. Because everyone who came on, as I mentioned, I thought everyone, even Pedro Lima for the like the two minutes or so that he was on the pitch, he at one point, I thought he was going to get a last minute crossing when he kind of nipped it through someone's legs, but the second time they brought him down, but just a glimpse, just a brief glimpse, it made me so happy.
00:28:46
Will
Yes, yes, yes. Yeah, yeah. yeah
00:28:59
Will
Yeah, and there's there's like I said, the second half was full of positives, I think all round, um but just unfortunately, just not quite enough.
00:29:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, no. So, um, on that note, people, I should begin to wrap up, I guess, because we've kind of got, we've got, uh, it's late in the day, it's Sunday and we've watched the game.
00:29:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're giving you this coverage and it's just coming out of our brains as it, as it comes to us, but we'll be here, you know, on and off throughout the week to break this down a bit more and then look ahead to the next venture.
00:29:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Um, is there anything lastly, Will, that you wanted to touch on today's episode at least before we close out?
00:29:38
Will
Yeah, just the overall sort of, um, weekly, uh, weekly relegation check. And it was annoying that our counterparts in the West Midlands, um, Aston Villa drew at home to Ipswich.
00:29:52
Will
Um, you know, they had one job, um, means that we're only two points clear now, I think it is.
00:29:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:29:57
Will
Um, and so, you know, and, and there's a big gap above us now. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but since Moyes has come in at Everton, he's, got them up to about 13th and they were the only other team in the scrap with us. um But yeah, I think...
00:30:15
Will
If we play like we played the second half, we will be fine, but it's a big, big if. and you know um to the The longer this goes on for, the closer it gets to squeaky bum time, if you like, towards the end of the season. and Yeah, I think we'll be okay, but it's it's it's close.
00:30:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, to accurately summarize that for you, Ipswich are 18th on 17 points. We are 17th on 19 points.
00:30:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then the next is sixteenth in 16th is West Ham on 27 points.
00:30:48
Will
and
00:30:52
Will
Yeah.
00:30:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it is, everyone else is starting to pull away from this bottom floor.
00:30:57
Will
Yeah.
00:30:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Leicester are 19th on 17 now as well. So they're actually, you know, there's only two points between us and the next two down. So it's, it really is still ah very much an open race at this point.
00:31:09
Will
Yeah, I mean, you think one lost first and a win for either of those two, which could easily happen, you know? And we're right right back in the thick of it. um you know So, yeah. But I think, like I said, we'll try and finish on a positive note, which is that if we perform to the levels we performed second half, which by the way, I know this might be another tangent. If that was an O'Neill game, I think we lose about 5-0. But the the the persistence and um professionalism of Perez Wolves, I think if we can maintain that, we we'll be okay.
00:31:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I hope so. And if we can get some consistent officiating as well, that will also very much ah but help.
00:31:52
Will
Would help, would help.
00:31:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
it well But if anything, like you said, well, the second half showed us that if we keep playing like that, then out of darkness will come a flight.
00:32:06
Will
question