Premier League Match Review - Everton vs Liverpool
Three things we can say about Everton 0-0 Liverpool
Politics in football is now ok, at least for this week
Three months ago it was hard to imagine that English football would be shutdown for months, but it happened. One month ago it was even harder to imagine that when football finally started again, lockdown would not be the biggest off-field story. But it isn’t. The Black Lives Matter uprisings have changed all that. And they have also changed UEFA’s long standing attempts to keep politics out of football.
In 1997 Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler showed a t-shirt supporting his city’s striking dock workers after scoring in a European tie. He was fined by UEFA who said ‘it is a strict rule that a football ground is not the right stage for political demonstrations.’ UEFA has tried to enforce this policy in all its competitions and national leagues ever since.
Until now. At Everton v Liverpool this week all players had Black Lives Matter stitched on their shirts, and all players took the knee before the game. Unlike in 1997, the authorities did not try to stop them. They had little choice. This is a player led movement. Many players have been angered by the football authorities’ weak action against racism in recent years. The Premier League was wise not to deny them their voice. What happens next week and the week after, however, remains to be seen.
Liverpool struggle to break Everton down
The game looked more like a pre-season friendly than a league game involving a team on the cusp of a title. Klopp’s line-up set the tone. For the past two seasons he has barely changed a winning team. But in this game Takumi Minamino and Naby Keita, who have both struggled for game time, got the nod. It did not do Liverpool’s attacking fluency any favours. Everton were happy to sit deep, and when they did get the ball they gave it away cheaply. But Liverpool struggled to do much with all their possession. Perhaps it didn’t help that much of their play was coming down the right, where the unfamiliar pair of Alexander-Arnold and Minamino did not gel. That left the incisive Mané marginalised. Liverpool’s lopsided attack nearly brought dividends though midway through the first half. With Everton’s defence sucked over to the right, Mané suddenly found himself in space on the left during on a Liverpool mini break. Only Keita didn’t pass to him, and wasted Liverpool’s best chance of the game with a tame shot. The extra substitutions did not help either. Liverpool’s attacking structures frayed the more the second half wore on.
Everton unlucky not to nick it
Everton’s midfield looked ragged for most of the game. But it nearly didn’t matter. When they sprung forward they looked up for it, none more so than Richarlison. A dangerous shot cum cross from the Brazilian in the second minute was a warning. Deep into the second half he caused panic amongst Liverpool’s backline, particularly after Matip was forced off with an injury and Lovren came on. But Liverpool scrambled well and Everton were denied a derby win yet again.
The FFA and Fox continue their reluctant dance, for now
At the end of primary school, we all had pre-chosen dance partners for our end of year formal. Neither my partner nor I really liked or knew each other much, and we both had a similar lack of interest in the whole event. But we had to keep on dancing, because it was school and it was required.
The FFA and Fox Sports find themselves in a similar position. While everyone else in the Australian football scene pulled together for the July 16 restart, Fox remained on the outer. In their minds the broadcaster was being charged exorbitant fees for a product with perpetual underdelivery.
After a solid month of will they won’t they, it appeared Fox had chosen the latter. On Thursday, news circulated that Fox had walked out. SokkahTwitter, as SokkahTwitter does, went into meltdown. Would we ever be able to watch the Hyundai A-League again?
On Friday there was light at the end of the tunnel. Temporary salvation was here as Fox and the FFA finally agreed on a new deal. It’s shorter and cheaper, worth reportedly only $32m per year compared to the previous $57m, and only covers the end of this season plus next. But beyond the A-League being saved, the headline news was that gradually the league would be shifting towards a winter competition.
For football fanatics it’s fantastic. Football fundamentally is a winter sport and while grassroots competitions are generally winter based, the top leagues aren’t, which is a problem. What’s more, playing in the Australian summer can range from uncomfortable and difficult to downright dangerous - Ryan Lowry, who threw up at half time during a match against Adelaide United a few years back will be the first to celebrate.
Football across the Tasman has historically been a summer sport to avoid competing with the NRL, Super Rugby, and others. Not since 1989 have we seen winter football in Australia, while NZ switched to the summer in 2004. This has the effect of disfranchising us diehards - football is a winter sport so naturally we’re the ones celebrating the change. But will the more casual fans come when there’s a host of sports to choose from? One may argue given how low crowd numbers have fallen, there’s nothing to lose. And should a winter league fail, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t just return to a summer league.
Metrics are stagnating. The A-League needs new life and more money, and the financial situation of both Fox and clubs are perilous. A winter season could end up being a last ditch roll of the dice by both. But whether Fox will still want or be in the position to continue broadcasting post 2021 is up in the air. Fans may turn to Optus as their saviour, as Fox’s competitor has made no secret of their interest in football, but they have produced a lot of content over the lockdown slandering Australian football. To say they will swoop in and take over from the NewsCorp giant is putting the cart ahead of the fox.
This is where for me, the most interesting part of the deal comes in. Fox will no longer broadcast the FFA Cup, and reportedly this will see the FFA launch their own streaming service. While James Johnson & Co. would probably prefer Fox, they’ll make the most of this opportunity. With the future of A-League broadcasting uncertain when the 2021 deal runs out, the FFA Cup will be a chance to trial and tweak a streaming service in a reduced risk environment. Fox for their part have secured one of their big earners; they’ll have the NRL until 2027 at least.
So the dance between football’s governing body and their broadcaster continues, but with each player eyeing up alternative options while still trying to get the current partnership to work.
It truly does remind me of my primary school dance. But said dance ended up with us out of time, out of line, and eventually with me tripping up and landing on the floor. The girl in question and I didn’t speak again.
ICYMI: A recap of a huge A-League news week
Oh, A-League. Only you can have such a bustling week when no games are being played.
It's been a monster news cycle for the A-League, with the headline being the FFA and Fox finally reaching an agreement about televising the rest of the season, as well as the first matches in the restart being announced - Melbourne Victory and Western United will be kicking us off.
But there was far more which may have gotten lost amidst the news cycle. Luckily for you, I am here to provide a round up of what you may have missed over the past week.
First off, it’s all change at the Newcastle Jets. Import striker Kaine Sheppard and the Jets parted ways on the 18th, after a paltry 3 goals in 28 games. Newcastle also announced the retirement of veteran kiwi keeper Glen Moss. This is huge for us in NZ; Moss was New Zealand’s and the Nix’s No 1 for the longest time, he will be missed. The club could also be changing owners as Chinese millionaire Martin Lee may at long last sell his club with a Sydney based consortium being the most likely buyer - although there are others. This one is not just speculation as such articles tend to be, in the linked article Newcastle chief executive Lawrie McKinna speaks to SBS about it. Finally, the Jets have been boosted by the return of head coach Carl Robinson and assistants Kenny Miller and Darren Bazeley - who you may remember as Anthony Hudson’s assistant - to Oz. As we’ll soon find out, that will make them the envy of some.
Newcastle are not alone in the change game; Adelaide United have decided they want to play too. The South Australians announced Carl Veart as their new interim head coach until the season finish with Airton Andrioli as his assistant. Veart was former head coach Gertjan Verbeek’s assistant, and actually played for the reds all the way back in 2005. Adelaide football director Bruce Djite also seems keen to have him continue long term, and called this a dress rehearsal for the real thing. Meanwhile, Michaël Maria has departed South Australia, with Curaçaon full back deciding he and his family should head home. Understandable, but a shame to see him leave.
Newcastle and Adelaide may be seeing players depart, but the Brisbane Roar can’t get their manager to return home. Robbie Fowler - who still hasn’t apologized to Ladies League contributor Nerisa - returned to England because of that whole pandemic thing, but despite the Roar being back at training remains trapped in England. Brisbane are frantically trying to get him and assistant Tony Grant back before the A-League restarts, something which is further complicated by the need for a fourteen day quarantine. Naturally, as a foreigner he is not the top priority, so for the moment assistant Darren Davies is taking training. Davies was the caretaker manager for much of the 2018/19 season, so he will at least have experience in this area.
It seems as if the border is open to everyone but Fowler as the Wellington Phoenix touched down in Sydney on Saturday. Naturally it was not without drama however. A decision on whether they would be allowed into Australia was initially expected Monday, but said decision was not finalized until Friday, in which time the Nix aired their frustrations to which an exasperated FFA complained about the Nix complaining. After everything was finally sorted, pre flight the Nix had a few standups at Wellington airport of which Phil Rollo has a good read on the return of the long injured right back Louis Fenton. I was also at the standups, so whenever I stop being lazy there should be an article with quotes from Nix players here on Total Football. Imports Ulises Dávila and Gary Hooper who were in Mexico and England respectively will unfortunately have to self isolate away from the rest of the team. We also at long last have a response to Tim Payne and Oliver Sail’s quarantine-breaking golf cart joyride; the pair will serve a four match ban. The end result of this is that third choice goalie Zac Jones will be heading to Oz alongside the rest of the Phoenix squad.
Oh, and just before we leave Wellington after a mammoth section, don’t read this next line unless you want to be sad: Roy Krishna is not returning to the A-League.
Over in Perth, things are all ok on the financial front. Apparently. The West Australians were widely reported to have taken out a million dollar loan from the FFA to cover leave and superannuation payments thanks to the lockdown. However, chief executive Tony Pignata said this was simply money which the FFA was going to give Glory later down the track but which Glory requested now. Ok then. Money matters dominate the news in the Glory, with their owner Tony Sage calling the new deal with Fox “a disgrace.” It’s worth remembering Sage tried to sell Perth to the London Football Exchange just a few months ago, so they are probably hyper aware of any financial issues.
Some bits and bobs with no common theme to round out the article: Eun-Sun Kim and Chris Harold will not finish the season with the Central Coast Mariners, with Kim returning home to Korea while Harold bows out for personal reasons. It’s not clear whether they will be back for next season. There is more clarity around Western Sydney Wanderers goalie Daniel Lopar however, who’s staying in Switzerland until the start of 2020/21 while Pirmin Schwegler will stick out the season with the Wanderers. Staying with Western Sydney, The Irish Sun of all places has an interview with their general manager on how the red and black are preparing for a safe restart. If you are curious about Melbourne Victory’s new interim manager Grant Brebner (who took over from their previous interim manager, Carlos Salvachúa), their website has an article on Brebner’s six years as a Victory player. Finally, Sydney have gotten off lightly in regards to players leaving and in quarantine, as for them it’s just Ryan McGowan. However he needs a treadmill in isolation, so Sydney are having to try and fetch one for him.
That’s it for this round up, if there’s popular demand I could be interested in making this a weekly article. Certainly some interesting reads in all of this.
Dan Moskovitz joins the Total Football Team
Total Football is pleased to announce that as of today, Dan Moskovitz is joining the team as our A-League correspondent. At just 16, Dan has been The Football Sack’s Wellington reporter for the last eighteen months, and has also written for the Wellington Phoenix in the past. Dan aims to provide a weekly article on the A-League and will do his best to remain unbiased despite his Nix-tinted view of the world.
Dan became smitten with football while watching the 2014 World Cup, and the rest is history. Dan is fanatical as they come in regards to the Phoenix, while in Europe he’s made the tragic mistake of supporting Manchester United and AC Milan. Outside of watching the game, Dan plays as a defender for Seatoun AFC, and beyond football he blogs about things which interest him on Medium. In 2017 he interviewed 15 out of the 32 new NZ Members of Parliament. Dan hopes to become a full time journalist, but for now he’s a year 12 student at Wellington High School.
Dan will also be a regular contributor to the Total Football podcast, and is looking forward to his Total Football story.
What the All Whites (and NZ Football) could learn from the All Blacks
So, it is not often as a football fan that you look at rugby and compare the oval ball game favourably. However, there are three things that the All Blacks do that the All Whites should take notice of.
1. Treatment of the referee
The All Blacks and all rugby players treatment of referees is quite often exemplary. Yes, sometimes certain players will try and bend the rules, but when a decision is made there are no complaints. Compare this to modern day football where players surround the referee at the awarding of a free kick, or think they are within their rights to talk back at every opportunity. People say that football is a gentlemen’s game played by thugs, where divers and fakers try to con the referee at every opportunity and do not focus on the core values that make football so enjoyable to watch. Fans don’t flock to stadiums to see their team con or be conned, they want to see attacking football and a game won on the merit of their teams scintillating attacking play or unbreakable defensive line. Fans pay to for television subscriptions and tickets to games to see their players score goals, play as a team and fight within the laws of the game to cover every blade of grass and come away with a win, three points or progression in the cup competition they are competing in.
What does this make rugby? Today it is a thug’s game played by gentlemen. Aside from a few bruisers who are sent to revel in hurting the opposition, most of the players play to win and know that the referee’s word is law. No surrounding, no screaming, no shouting and when fights do break out, they are stopped and sorted out with sin bins, an admonishing from the ref and the players return to model citizens.
2. Culture
In his book, ‘Legacy - What the All Blacks can teach us about the Business of Life’, author James Kerr talks about how the All Blacks character is shaped by Maori culture. He talks about how current All Blacks teams always ‘sweep the sheds after a game’. That is, they have the humility to realise that no one is bigger than the team and that everyone no matter their place in the hierarchy, should pitch in. Their attitude is exemplary, and their play reflects it.
3. Perfection on and off the pitch
This is something that the All Blacks do better than any other side in world rugby, without question. They are faster, fitter and their ball handling skills are second to none when they are on the field. With access to all the similar facilities, staff, gear, and training space they require, the All Blacks have created an aura on the back of simplicity executed to perfection. As a result of their on-field legend, they have created their own story and identity off the field. Their aura transcends sport to become a symbol for the country they represent. The most winning team of all time, a source of envy and inspiration for coaches such as Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp. For the All Whites, despite the access to the same level of support, they have failed to capitalise on the popularity of their sport and their poor on and off-field performances have caused the team and the brand to suffer. NZ Football posted yet another financial loss and seems to suffer turmoil year upon year. The team fail to execute the basics on the pitch and off the pitch they struggle as well. The fear factor that the All Blacks have around the world, where teams can’t even call them that name and refer to them as NZ (I’m looking at you Cheika and Australia) is something that the All Whites would love to be able to replicate.
Why I get no sleep on a Saturday night and Sunday morning
Like many young adults I’ve been doing this throughout my teens and into my twenties. Long nights spent out at pubs, on the couch, at friends’ houses or anywhere you have access to the good stuff. And before you say it, it’s not because I’m drinking and heading to town. First year University finished a long time ago. At 11:30pm on Saturday I’m trying to find a stream and a screen. At 2am I’m settling in on my couch to watch the goal rush. At 4:30am I’m watching the biggest match of the day and struggling to keep my eyes open as sleep threatens to overcome me, but the football keeps holding my attention.
The English Premier League will return in June, and for us football crazed New Zealanders that means minimal sleep and maximum football screen-time. As a football fan desperate for matches that mean something, the Premier League has no rival. The history of the clubs, the commentators, the music, the matchday packages and the players on show are all world class. It’s the best of the best and they are spread across 10 grounds every week playing some of the most eye-catching, dramatic and quality football you ever will see.
The players in the league are a melting pot of nationalities and all have vastly different skill-sets. Every player has his own intriguing story and teams are filled with people who have worked their way up from nothing to become a premier league player.
With the fairy-tale of Leicester City’s 2015/16 season still fresh in the memory, here’s hoping Liverpool, with a seemingly uncatchable lead and only one loss in the 2019/20 season, can shake their chokers curse and ensure we have a new Premier League champion this season.
Connor Clements
How will football in New Zealand shape-up post COVID-19?
With the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the globe, everything has changed. There is a ‘new normal’ for everyone – our question is, how can football come out of this in a better place than it started?
In New Zealand, we have the perfect chance for us to take stock, review our situation and reinvent our grassroots football set-up so that we can build on the performances that we were starting to put together and the players that we are starting to produce.
Two steps forward, one step back
New Zealand football did announce that they would be using this time to review football in this country. However, part of that process was the early release of Des Buckingham and his experienced coaching staff from the Under 23’s/Oly-Whites. Strides forward have been made in the quality of coaches/players in our national and winter leagues, but it seems New Zealand (NZ) Football undermines itself by removing key personnel at the wrong time.
The handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by sports organisations has been confusing at times, to say the least. There have been confusing guidelines issued from different clubs, sports, national bodies, and the Government, without a clear unified message. Different federations and councils are combining to create a myriad of rules and regulations, and the season has been slated to start in early June for grassroots players. In a bid to ensure money continues to pour in, injuries are also certain to flow as players are thrust back into a competitive environment after not being allowed to train or play for 10 weeks.
How do we turn this situation into one that benefits football in NZ?
We need a national winter competition for men’s and women’s football, with teams from each federation represented. Get rid of the reserve leagues that you see higher up in the AFF competitions and just have those teams play. Create a tier one and tier two nationwide league with the bottom two finishers in the tier one league relegated to tier two and then the bottom two in tier two replaced by the best team in their federation.
We need the game to become professional at national level, with the best winter and summer clubs turning professional. There should also be more amateur league options for those that want to play social or Sunday league football. There also needs to be a continued focus on futsal, with a more structured competition put into place in summer and options for players to play/train in winter.
Finally, we should ensure that there is increased coverage and interest for any new leagues as well as improved coverage for the current ones. There is no reason why football should not be the most popular game in the country, if everyone tries to make changes for the good of the game, rather than to suit themselves. There is no place for politics, only the development of better competitions, players and environments to enjoy the game.
Next Step for Total Football NZ
For over six years we have existed as a YouTube channel without having a website, we decided that in 2020 we would create a site that would help us accomplish what we had set out to create all those years ago.
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