Amid the speculation and rancor projections over the thorny subject of an impending moment of silence at Anfield, the real reason we all attended in the first place was largely relegated to the background.
Football as a sideshow, as we made our way through the turnstiles, little had been said in the build-up to Ajax’s visit, trivia such as the injury that would sideline Andy Robertson or a possible return to the starting lineup. by Thiago and Diogo Jota.
There were no in-depth talks about perceived defensive weaknesses, no debates about a troubled midfield or words about the work of a front three still looking for better collective cohesion.
Instead, all that was talked about was the sound of silence, or more pertinently, perhaps, the lack of silence, a ‘will they, won’t they’ question with which the writers of an American sitcom from the 80s or 90s could only dream of.
concerted campaign
Cloaked in pantomime and a complete and utter lack of common sense throughout the weekend, Liverpool supporters were even criticized for hypothetically booing the playing of a national anthem that ultimately never aired before a game that was cancelled.
We’ve all heard of xG when it comes to the concept of expected goals, but here was xB’s all new ball game. Boos expected.
Seen by many on the outside looking in as outrageous militants, a community of deliberate contrarians, on the contrary, at best, what Liverpool supporters are is the voice of reason, the standard-bearers of common sense, the conscience, heart and soul of the nation.
Whether the UK likes it or not, this is a country that quickly looks to the city of Liverpool for its reaction to social, cultural and historical events and then adjusts its own responses according to its decreed criteria. We lead and they follow or complain.
Before Tuesday’s match, there was a concerted campaign to persuade us to respect and revere the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, who died last week at the age of 96.
subtle messages
Jurgen Klopp was asked at length for his opinion, Jordan Henderson was widely photographed signing a condolence book, club elders were sent to speak in soft tones and the match program was adorned with a photo of the lost monarch handing Ron Yeats the Liverpool’s first FA Cup. in 1965.
It became an overabundance of not-so-subtle road signs pointing to an almost direct order of impeccable behavior.
Don’t tell us what to do; treat us like the adults we are.
As a collective, the vast majority of us are more than capable of holding back for a moment of silence, whether the topic is something we subscribe to or not. Chances are we all know someone to whom it means something tangible, someone who means something very dear to us.
We see an annual version of this with the home game closest to Remembrance Sunday, a gesture to acknowledge the semi-sacrifice of a generation of young people for a horrible cause that was not of their instigation or will.
It’s kind of noble, but it’s also kind of crazy that we’re being recruited for this ritual, more than a century after its genesis. It still doesn’t stop us from taking the time to adjust to that short window of time once a year, because, well, you know, we’re adults at the end of the day and chances are we all know someone who’s going to mean something tangible to someone who means something very dear to us.
A match took place
In the days leading up to Ajax’s visit, social media was flooded with sizzling shots of the sound of silence. For the most part, the wonderfully healthy Reds sat on both sides of the divide and were vocal about their polarizing stances.
Stay on the esplanade or turn your back if you think that is the mantra of the more relaxed militants. Choose as you see fit and air your grievances if you like, said the most volatile. At the other end of the spectrum were pleas for better behavior, mainly because they seemed concerned about what others would think and say.
However, I think this should never have been a consideration; Why should we care what the angry people of Manchester think about all the replays on TV?
People who pride themselves on being outraged by Liverpool FC will always move on to the next perceived misstep a few days from now. Some even make a run of it, with a Telegraph reporter broadcasting a line that the partially punctuated silence had been broken.
Agendas successfully satisfied. We should be beyond worrying about what our detractors have to say for themselves, just shine a light on silly behavior for what it is and move on.
After the tense preliminaries, on the pitch, a football match took place, with Liverpool achieving a deserved victory. Ajax were organized, dense in defensive situations, fluid when in possession and unsettling at half-time, but Klopp’s players dominated overall while looking frustrated as the 90th minute wore on.
Joel Matip was majestic all afternoon and was the deserved scorer of our winning goal; Mo Salah had reassuringly put himself on the scoreboard earlier in the night. There were many positive aspects and the three points gained were vital.
It’s not an outcome we can build on as such with 17 days to go before our next game, it’ll be like starting over when October 1st rolls around.
Will will then embark on a 43-day stretch in which we will play 13 matches in three different competitions before the World Cup closes in November and December, where many of our fatigued players will be racing in the Qatari heat.
With the national anthem due to be played in the Premier League this weekend, the xB will pale in comparison to what the powers that be may have feared possible at Stamford Bridge.
The thing is, we’re all adults, guys.
