Liverpool are on the march under Jurgen Klopp. After last night's excellent 3-0 victory over Villareal, confidence is booming, and whilst the club's incremental improvement is pleasing, there's an unfortunate by-product to consider: LFC exceptionalism, which means endless hype, gloating, and boasting about the Reds' alleged superiority over everyone else.
Ex-Red Michael Owen provided a prime example of this last night. Analysing Liverpool's 'magic' victory over Villareal, he crowed:
"They [Liverpool] are unbeatable here [Anfield]. It’s virtually impossible for anyone to come here and win. It’s becoming a fortress again, and as I say, it's virtually impossible to win here".
Yes, it's 'virtually impossible' for teams to win at Anfield...except for the teams that have actually won at Anfield this season, including:
* West Ham: 0-3
* Crystal Palace: 1-2
* Man United: 0-1
* Stoke City: 0-1
Liverpool's overall home record is not that impressive, either:
* Played: 29.
* Won: 14 (48%).
* Drew: 11 (38%).
* Lost: 4 (14%).
* Failed to win: 15 (52% of games).
On the plus side, Liverpool have lost only one of the last twelve home games (all competitions), and won 7 (58%), which suggests the team is putting a decent home run together, but to suggest that Liverpool are 'unbeatable' at Anfield is hyperbole of the highest order (though, of course, I wish it were true).
As is always the case, it's seemingly impossible for fans and pundits to moderate their views. Why does everything have to be either sensationally amazing or catastrophically tragic, with no grey area in between?
Author: Jaimie K
Ex-Red Michael Owen provided a prime example of this last night. Analysing Liverpool's 'magic' victory over Villareal, he crowed:
"They [Liverpool] are unbeatable here [Anfield]. It’s virtually impossible for anyone to come here and win. It’s becoming a fortress again, and as I say, it's virtually impossible to win here".
Yes, it's 'virtually impossible' for teams to win at Anfield...except for the teams that have actually won at Anfield this season, including:
* West Ham: 0-3
* Crystal Palace: 1-2
* Man United: 0-1
* Stoke City: 0-1
Liverpool's overall home record is not that impressive, either:
* Played: 29.
* Won: 14 (48%).
* Drew: 11 (38%).
* Lost: 4 (14%).
* Failed to win: 15 (52% of games).
On the plus side, Liverpool have lost only one of the last twelve home games (all competitions), and won 7 (58%), which suggests the team is putting a decent home run together, but to suggest that Liverpool are 'unbeatable' at Anfield is hyperbole of the highest order (though, of course, I wish it were true).
As is always the case, it's seemingly impossible for fans and pundits to moderate their views. Why does everything have to be either sensationally amazing or catastrophically tragic, with no grey area in between?
Author: Jaimie K
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