A Time To Be Thankful

To say I sit her thankful following the Thanksgiving long weekend, as a Liverpool supporter, would be an understatement. Winning the group in four matchdays was impressive. Let alone now having the chance to be the first English team to ever complete the group stage with a perfect record. How much more could a supporter ask for? Well, the trophy with the big ears for one (or seven)! The other would be a chance to win this title, along with the league and maybe even a cup too. Domestic and European glory? Why not? A supporter can dream and really should, we have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to in the coming months.

Liverpool 2 – Porto 0

This was an official Match Day recap article so we will review last Wednesday’s match against Porto. Starting Mane and Mo was a shocker and I wasn’t a fan. Excited for young Tyler Morton and I feel the lad did his part to show he has a long-term future at the club with a steady starting debut performance. He still has a lot to prove but that performance is a great first showing at the highest level. A player I believe to have a huge (literally) role to play for us moving forward is Ibrahima Konate, and he had a horrid first 45 minutes of this match. He picked up a yellow card and never looked comfortable. Used his closing speed a few times which was great, but these were due to his poor positioning and instincts. The half ended 0-0 with Porto having the better of the overall play.

The second half started similarly with Porto on the front foot and attacking until Thiago hit an absolute Golazo in the 52 minutes. The strike was pure class, low, and skimmed off the surface as it bustled into the corner of the net. Type of goal even a keeper applauds. His performance on the night deserved that moment and I believe we are just starting to see the true genius that is Thiago. Mo added to his brilliant goal-scoring form with another beauty during the 70th minute and it was 2-0 and good night turn out the lights. Another clean sheet, another win, another match with two goals scored, another moment to be thankful!

Speaking of being thankful, how about we recognize some things to consider when making your gratitude lists for 2021.

Having the best keeper in the world…

Can you imagine where we would be today with Allison? I think about it every once in and while when he gifts a goal or could be stronger on a corner. Then I kick myself in the arse and realize I am criticizing arguably the single best player we have at his position in comparison to others in the world. Not only is he a great teammate, club servant, but he is also great with the ball at his feet and as he proved last season he’s got a goal in him as well. We talk about how Phillips got us to Champions League, and he rightly deserves a lot of credit. What Alisson did with limited resources in front of him last campaign was special. He is only improving on it now, can you imagine the legend he will be when he leaves this great club? Me neither.

Fullbacks on Fullbacks on Fullbacks…

Manchester City might have spent closer to 400 million in transfers of fullback since Pep arrived but they have nothing on us. We knew we had special talents in TAA and Andrew Robertson but the emergence of Kostas Tsmikas as a reliable deputy at left-back has been a great addition to 2021. Robbo’s drop in form and subsequent niggling injuries have seen a small dip in form. To which Kostas has taken his chance and so far this campaign Liverpool has not conceded while he was on the pitch. Outscoring opponents 19-0 during that stretch. Robbo looked great in his 30 minutes of action on Wednesday, maybe the push from Kostas will get us the best of Robbo.

TAA has moved to a new level in my opinion. The maturity of how he is supporting the community through his foundation, his response to his ongoing Three Lions status situation, and how he has responded to criticism of his form have been great signs of maturity. His play is also reaching back to its great heights with his goals and assists continuing to rise. Since the start of the 2018 campaign TAA leads the EPL in assists with 38. KDB for City has 34 followed by Robbo & Mo both tied with 31 for third. Two of the top three assist makers are our fullbacks. Don’t tell pep but all three combined cost less than a quarter of what they paid for Benjamin Mendy (Too soon?)! I’ll take it and appreciate it.

Youthful Exuberance and Trust in it…

Night’s like last night and moments like Klopp hugging Tyler Morton on Saturday is always great to see. Simple run-outs are one thing, but when you start to see youth incorporated into your side it is entirely different. We have seen this transformation and trust by the manager to give youth their time, once it is earned. TAA was the first example followed by an extended faith in Curtis Jones and most recently with Harvey Elliot to start of the season. More youth and academy players are likely to come through the doors and I couldn’t be more excited. I love cup matches and matches that the squad is used to see the additional levels of talent we have. Our future is bright with the lads outlined above let alone the additional shrewd buys our recruitment department has been making the past few years. Speaking of recruitment.

Solid Leadership – Thank you Michael Edwards

I might be in the minority but I believe that Liverpool Football Club has amazing leaders from the top-down. Yes, that starts with FSG to Michael Edwards, to Julian Ward to Jurgen Klopp to Pep Lijnders. Their work all together to make our club great is special. Some are more important than others, but all are needed. As we prepare to see Michael Edwards depart in the summer, I say thanks. For building something great and for teaching both FSG and Julian your principles. His buys have been calculated and determined and the selling of players has been nothing short of brilliant. Simply look at the handling of Rhian Brewster, who sold for 23.5 million, and now a year later they are planning to sell him to Nottingham Forest, at which point we make more money. I.E. Edwards is brilliant, thank you Michael, and best of luck (anywhere but England).

Mo Salah – Enough Said

When Liverpool first tried to sign Mo Salah from Basel, I was excited about the idea of such a young talented prospect. I saw him play against us in the Europa League and was very impressed. He signed with Chelsea and well, as most went out on loan, again and again. His eventual signing was great, but I believed he was coming in to be a great attacker and add to the depth. I never in a million years believed he was coming in to become the best goal scorer in the Premier League, maybe the world. That is what he has become, the barometer of class in the EPL and right up there with Benzema, Mbappe, and Lewandowski on the world stage. Many will get caught up in reports regarding his contract status, not me. I will simply revel in watching his greatness and appreciate every moment of it!

A Big Thank You, to all of you!

From all of us at American Scouser.com, Happy Thanksgiving and thank you, to all the supporters who interact with our writing, podcasts, Instagram posts, and recently released Discord fan channel. We love this club and love bringing you new content and ways to interact with other American LFC Supporters. A special thank you to all the other website contributors as well, without you and your efforts this wouldn’t be possible.

Hope you enjoyed your Turkey, your time with family, and don’t forget to be thankful, you could have been born a United supporter! YNWA