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Return of the big game mentality?

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LFC winI hope we can now all finally take great comfort in the fact that Brendan Rodgers has managed Liverpool to a win at one of the big Premier League teams. It has been used as a stick with which to beat the manager with in the past, perhaps a little unfairly as he shapes the team in his image.

How big a win the extremely impressive demolition of Spurs is in the context of our season will only be judged in May of course, but the result is massive for us right now as we enter a tricky period that will likely have a massive say in our league placing.

But it is important that this performance is set as a benchmark and not a one off. I’m not saying I want us to go to the Etihad and Stamford Bridge and win 5-0 because that is patently unrealistic. But I want to see us perform with the same vigour, the same ruthlessness and the same team spirit that helped to bring the fantastic result at White Hart Lane.

All too often we find ourselves dampening expectations ahead of big away games. It feels like a long time since we won them consistently. Even Benitez, whose tactical acumen on the road was usually impressive, didn’t manage to consistently win games at our biggest rivals. With six losses in a row at Spurs, it’s fair to say that North London isn’t one of our happier hunting grounds. I thought we might get a draw and maybe pinch a win. We seem to have regained our confidence after the demoralising loss against Hull City.

But now perhaps we might collectively start to have higher hopes on our travels. It’s down to the players and the manager to continue to put in performances like against Spurs. Everything was spot on. Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for actively seeking to address the mentality of the team over summer. He reportedly turned down Christian Eriksen from Ajax for a reasonable fee because he wasn’t impressed with the player’s mentality.

I think we have lacked the whole “big game mentality” for a while and whilst you could possibly argue that we have had few big tests so far this season. Only United at home and Arsenal away (one win, one loss) are the traditional tough games. But we have safely negotiated White Hart Lane, a ground where we have been luckless and pointless for a significant length of time, and done it in style.

It is the perfect way to begin a difficult period but must not be an isolated performance. We must endeavour to win more of the games against the bigger teams – because if we start to do that then we are well and truly in the middle of a title race.

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I'm a fully trained journalist who shunned a career in the profession due to my disillusionment with the tabloid press, instead hoping to become a professional author. I've written for The Liverpool Way for 7 years and am a regular on the forum using the name Agt Provocateur.

A passionate member of supporter group Kop Faithful, I've been a season ticket holder of 8 years and a regular match goer since 1995.

When not criticising diminishing refereeing standards in football, I can be found at Langtree Park, the home of St Helens Rugby League Club being highly critical of non existent standards of refereeing in Rugby League. I'm is also a massive Lancashire and England cricket fan.

15 comments

  • Emeka says:

    Happy if we get 4 points from a possible 6 against mancity and chelsea

  • charles says:

    Chelsea wuld definitely pose no threat 2us, Man city can, buh I stl belief we can beat dm both.. A game at a time, lets continue this winning streak by mauling Cardif at Anfield thus sendn shivers down d spine of Chelsea n Mancity. YNWA

  • Ray Maxie says:

    Go for the kill because we have the ability.

  • Khagu says:

    Just hope two points against city and chelsea maybe we destroyed spurs but chelsea and city are currently the best teams with gunners and of course us.
    So two draw would make me happy coz it will our tougher games in the whole season and the best part is that after that we should have no problem to win every week (i know we won’t but we could)

  • Loth Joseph says:

    One game at a time please. Take seriously every game. YNWA.

  • aaron says:

    Not sure we’ll get any kind of result against City. A tad more hopeful about Chelsea but on paper their first team is amazing.

    even if we lose both it’s not the end of the world.

    Well done lads, did us proud yesterday.

  • Michael says:

    The Hull game was mostly down to Moses and Sterling playing terrible and constantly losing the ball and that just encouraged their home fans. Sterling yesterday was a completely different animal and looked stronger, faster, and hungrier. If Liverpool are to do well in the next few weeks Sterling, Allen, and the rest will have to be constant.

  • saint prime says:

    Even if city will b a tough test as they pose, @least let show consistency & never gt demolished like other big guns did away to them.

  • ojay samuel says:

    I believe afta dis weekends win against cardiff we’ll wil definately be sittin on top of the table or strongly on d second.and wit our current form we shud hope to make sth out for d last two fixtures of which chelsea won’t be too much of a problem den mancity.and for us to win d city we nid strong midfield players to stand against d likes of toure,nasri,fernandinho etc.YNWA

  • Yana says:

    We will be ok without Gerrard.

  • Lennon says:

    As the game vs spurs have proven, we should go for the kill all the time, we played a great game last year in the ethiad and should have come out with 3 points, as for chelsea, they have been our bitches for a few years now so we should demolish them

  • bj says:

    I’d rather take it one game at a time, let’s host cardiff city first n hopefully a win, then we can watch how manc play n plan our strategy on how to get d better of them. manc n chelsea, four points won’t be bad out of six.

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