Half Full Glass

Half-full glass.

Chelsea away

20^th September, 2020.

Davie met me at the door, wearing that green/blue away top. I have to say, it looked impressive – ‘I like the feel of it, Crocuh’ he later said, as I too felt it, like Pete feeling those oven gloves, Mike was wearing in ‘Gavin & Stacey’.

Deano was also there and before a ball was kicked, I went into the kitchen to see Carly. Within a moment I had bowed my head and showed her the scar which I had incurred upon myself on the previous Sunday, after I had missed the bottom step of my stairs, crashed into the side of my dad’s cabinet and lay on the floor – with blood coming out of my thick head.

She said that it looked nasty but that the scar was healing. With Carly being in the medical profession – looking after Dave she could have said was a full-time job, never mind the 3 girls, as she looks after old people, which I’m fast becoming! Like I said to her, I was quite concerned that I might have to go to hospital and have stitches but just thank God I did not; instead lobbing a towel on the spot and somehow stopping the bleeding. It was not the first time I had maimed myself in the last few years but that is another story.

She told me that it would be pointless going to the hospital now anyway as Tom (her younger brother) had a piece of glass in his neck and that he was told it was too late, three days after the event to have gone to the Gwent. ‘You won’t see it in your hair’ she reassuringly said. I was just glad I still had hair at my age and that it had not gone grey (yes boys – that Grecian 2000 is working wonders!).

Before I could say my usual opening line, ‘What’s the team?’, the boys told me that Fabinho was in at centre-half as guess what, both Joe Gomes and Joel Matip were injured. That just brought into sharp focus, like that the fragility of my dad’s cabinet and all his buses crashing down, about the flimsy defensive strength of Liverpool’s squad. Me and Davie both concurred many times during the game on that subject. Hopefully Klopp has been thinking on the same wave-length. For the last two seasons we have got away with either Matip or Gomes being crocked as they both covered each other’s absence – our luck may have run out this time.

We all agreed that if we did sign another centre-half then that would make our squad complete – especially as we had been more than delighted with the two signings within the last two days of Thiago Alcantara – a midfielder who can tackle and pass and create, and also Diogo Jota – a winger/forward who can slot into the front three. Excited – you bet! This with the addition of the Greek – ‘Taxi’ something or other, then we were pleased.

As for the game in prospect, with Davie now putting chicken crisps into the bowl as I opened-up our fav chewy refresher sweets, it was a case of hoping that we defended better against Chelsea than we had at Anfield, on the opening day of the season against Leeds where we conceded 3 goals and just about scraped to a 4-3 win thanks to a Mo Salah hat-trick – who looked on fire.

Within ten minutes of this game though, Davie was losing his patience and urging the reds to attack and step it up as an ultra- defensive Chelsea were content to sit back – at home mind and try and hit us on the break through their new boys Harvetz and Werner. I was just glad that we looked a lot more tighter than we had been the previous week as we probed for an opening with Mane and Mo trying to work their magic, as the middle three of Hendo, Gini and Keita worked the ball to the flanks as much as possible with Thiago on the bench and Jota not being able to be considered after his £40 million move from Wolves; as he was not registered in time.

It was tight but after much sighing and urging from Davie and no mention of ‘Dream Team’s’ as I’m now doing one in work, after me castigating the other 2 for the last 3 seasons, and saying there is only one ‘Dream Team’ – ‘Liverpool’, just a minute from the break Hendo played a quick ball with his left-foot, from the edge of the area, straight down the middle for an ‘El Lurkio’ Mane to run onto and out – pace Christensen. The centre-half was forced to almost rugby-tackle Sadio to the ground as Kepa came out of his goal to try and clear the danger.

‘RED CARD!!’ shouted Deano, so that the people down the bottom of the street could hear. It was a yellow at first and a free-kick but the ref must also have heard Deano and looked at the VAR monitor and over-turned his original decision. It was a red. The incident reminded me of the one versus Man City away in 2018/19 when Sadio was in a similar position and clattered into their keeper – unintentionally, and got sent-off. Maybe there is karma afterall. Trent put the resultant free-kick wide of Kepa’s right-post as the whistle blew.

Time for more tea.

I put Kayla’s card onto one of the sides and later on Davie would point out to her that fact, along with ‘Uncle Deano’s. It was a scary thought that their eldest was going to be 15 in a few days’ time. Just where had the years gone? Before I’d entered chez Wheastone, I’d called out to ‘Baby Kelsey’ who was in the park opposite, resplendent in her Liverpool kit and not glued to her or Davie’s mobile – that was refreshing. She is nearing 8 and her smile lights-up the room. It’s a real family – my second one.

‘Oh, he’s warming-up’ Davie said, as the bald Thiago was put through his paces. He did not look too much taller than Davie as it goes. I think he has a tad more ability than Davie may have had though! So, Hendo was off and Thiago was on. Hendo though was injured. He drives the team and had pressed high on occasions in the first half. Not for nothing was he the current Footballer of the Year – not that he would say that, being the humble bloke that he is.

Davie had got his wish. The reds had stepped-it up. On the front foot as they swarmed around Chelsea’s goal to the left of the screen. Biting into tackles and sure enough, thanks to an intricate triangular move which involved Mo passing inside to Bobby, on our right, and then Bobby providing a wicked cross into the 6 – yard box, there was Sadio to fly an arrowed header straight into the top corner of Kepa’s right-hand side netting to give us a crucial, crucial lead.

Arms raised aloft as I sat on the sofa and shouted ‘YES’ in a really annoying, delirious way. Our one – man advantage had put paid to Chelsea’s defensive stance, in one fell swoop.

We were buzzing and within a blink of an eye, it was 2-0. Mane lost the ball on the left edge of the area and then, annoyed with himself, chased Kepa down as he tried to kick it away. The ball only fell to Mane, who turned sharply to fire in a right-footed low effort, to ensure the ball hit the bottom right-hand net of Kepa’s goal. You could not have made it up!

Chelsea were reeling as Thiago was enjoying himself, flicking controlled passes forward all the time, probing for openings, like a conductor, minus his baton. He was fitting in snugly like a glove even being called, ‘Alonso’ by Davie. ‘Now hang-on mate’ I said to Davie, ‘don’t put that pressure on him yet’ as we purred at his Xabi like cameo, after our own much – loved Spanish maestro of yester-year, 2005 vintage. He is akin to him though, the new man.

‘We haven’t won it yet!’ Davie said, as 70 minutes passed, echoing my oft words and he was right too as from out of the blue, Chelsea got a potential ‘Get out of jail’ card as Thiago supposedly fouled one of their players and conceded a penalty which we were all shaking our heads at.

‘This is the last thing we want, to let them back in the game’ Deano sagely said.

Don’t ask me who took it but all I know is that Alisson put down his long cigar he’d been smoking for virtually all game and dived down to his left post to palm the ball away as Virgil smacked away the re-bound in a fashion, he should have dealt with Leeds second goal the previous week. From that moment on the ref may as well have blown-up.

It was a class or even, glass, performance from the reds and we were more than happy with the win. Deano summed it up when he said, ‘I said to Dave yesterday that I’d be settle for a draw’. So, would I have before the game.

As I left, I actually felt quite happy within myself for the first time in a while – it could not last of course but at least I felt like that, as I looked forward to being with these special people again; maybe my glass was half full for a change…

21.9.20

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