The Will To Win
Even by the very high standards set by sports fans, I’m fairly superstitious. The sheer number of pre-match rituals and taboos I’m subject to from week to week could make for a comprehensive anthropology curriculum. Or an extremely hefty psychiatric case file. That being the case, there’s not a single word in the English dictionary that fills me with greater dread and loathing than “procession”. Supporting Liverpool for nearly two decades is an immensely punishing affair. This rises exponentially when you’re the type of person who will irrationally blame themselves for every negative outcome. This is certainly a season where the creative masochism section of the brain is given a ton of material.
READ MORE: If We Don’t Win The League… by Jack Champagne
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Slipping, Falling
The first domino was falling to the last-place strugglers of the Championship in the FA Cup. Contesting a nearly-invincible campaign in the Champions League’s league phase only to crash out in the round of 16 came roughly a month later. Steamrolling to the finals of the League Cup only to lose to a Newcastle that had not, even at their best, managed to beat us before in this season acted as the rotten cherry on top.
All of these things co-exist with a double-digit lead in the Premier League that Arsenal has consistently failed to shrink. It’s the type of thing that defies rational explanation that one instinctively looks for an irrational one. And from there is a short distance to irrational fear. The bulk of Liverpool supporters have, rightly, recognized that even a lead of this size cannot be taken for granted. We refuse to consider victory until it is certain mathematically.
Still, that hasn’t stopped the media from bandying about the dreaded p-word in response to the unexpected boost we got on two fronts from the perennial failures on the blue part of Merseyside. The fact that we would subsequently field our second loss in the league to Fulham is hopefully all the evidence needed to indicate how deeply cursed the word is.
A Proper Lens
Some perspective is necessary, of course. This is, from an objective point of view, a remarkable season. The lead-up to Arne Slot’s first go as head coach was marked by constant management of expectations. This was a squad virtually unchanged from last season. For Arne Slot’s debut, we were implored to not expect too much and not to be too disappointed. Few people dreamed we’d have a shot at winning the league, let alone entering April miles ahead at the top. Fewer still expected us to simultaneously be on top of things in Europe.
Understandably, however, this is of little comfort when taking results one week at a time. The squad must be feeling the weight of these defeats. Objectively, “just” winning the league is incredible, an unprecedented achievement in light of the circumstances. There’s a reason why an English Quad hasn’t happened yet: it’s really hard to pull off. Psychologically, however, our current position is the result of crashing down from impossibly lofty heights, and it’s not much consolation to note how lofty those heights truly were. For the fans, this is an open invitation to blame Jack Champagne of the United States for not consistently wearing the right socks on matchday if that’s psychologically helpful.
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For the men on the pitch, coping with the mental rigors of such crushing disappointments while still maintaining a title campaign is no trivial task. The motivation game is a hard one to play. It’s so hard that it drove Jurgen Klopp out of the dugout for good. One of the major downsides of a largely unchanged squad is that the disappointments of last season are sure to be fresh on their minds. Compounded with how much worse those disappointments are this season, it’s little wonder that the Pool Boys looked so defeated at Craven Cottage. My own coaching experiences have taught me that this is a delicate dance. Believing that there’s nothing left to play for is terminal, whether that belief stems from overconfidence or hopelessness.
Looking To Finish Strong
Against Everton, Liverpool looked better than they have in a while. Even still, they looked fairly far from their imperious best. This week is a hard reminder that even the most satisfying of Liverpool’s successes are no guarantee of future victory. A ten-day break is not enough to completely restore the competitive greatness that we started the season with.
Any hope of a “procession” is a sham. We can talk all day about the factors that go into any given performance. Who’s not playing well, the lack of squad depth, whatever mistakes Arne Slot makes in his squad rotations, the distractions of the contract drama, etc. But these things are all, at most, secondary to one simple fact. Playing at such a high level all season with nothing so far to show for it is exhausting both mentally and physically.
Arguably, Arne Slot still has to manage expectations. Now it’s not about if we’re winning the league, but how we’re winning the league. How Liverpool finishes the season is largely dependent upon whether they can summon up the will to limp across the finish line. I don’t think it’ll come to that. Slot’s Liverpool have already proven that even at their worst they’re the best team in the country. But they’ve also proven that the best team can lose for a lack of a will to win. Arsenal may be staring at our backs from a distance, but that’s a hell of a motivator. If Liverpool wants to lift that final prize, they’ll need to prove that they want it.