Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool
How depressing was this?
I still feel depressed writing about it two days later.
Manchester City were definitely up for this one and with it being Pep Guardiola's 1000th game it was always going to be difficult with the extra motivation they had.
There's no doubt about it we were extremely poor in the first half.
We improved in the second half but it just wasn't enough and we couldn't create enough chances or get the ball over the line when we created the few we did.
It's difficult to criticise tactics as if you asked me before the game should we play cautious and compact away to City, using the counter attack, I might have said yes.
On the other hand I was also thinking during the game that the best way to beat Manchester City is to play to our strengths and play them at their own game.
They don't play long balls as much as our other opponents or have a low block so it's an opportunity to play our football but I think we gave them too much respect and were thinking more about containing them rather than dominating the ball.
The ball should always be the focus rather than the opposition.
I will give them credit, at times they were unbelievable and made it so hard for us to get the ball but I don't think we helped ourselves at times.
It's also a difficult defeat to take because of the disallowed Van Dijk goal that we all know could have changed how both teams played and changed the outcome of the game.
The assistant referee took around 14 seconds to raise his flag I hear, is that even allowed? There's something suspicious about it and again shows there's corruption and bias in football and yes they are strong words but I strongly believe it to be the truth.
Not only did it take so long to raise the flag but then the decision by VAR to disallow the goal was completely wrong.
In a previous job I did I had a customer who was friends with a Premier League referee and he knew from his friend referee that this bias went on as he told me in more detail that I won't share here, but I have no doubt about it, a lot of officials have it in for us.
I think whenever we come up against teams like this who want to play football on the ground as much as we do we have to go for it and try to score more because we definitely have the quality.
I do feel like we were lacking belief and energy for much of the game.
Difficult emotions affecting us all
I do feel and have done for a while now that our up and down performances this season are a manifestation of a bigger struggle everyone in and around the club are going through and I will write about it when my head is in the right place to do so, as I believe the words have to be the right ones.
Highlights and reaction below.
