Key events
Aha, our match report is here…
…which means that’s it from me. Thanks for all your company and comments; peace out and if you’re (not) partaking, well over the fast.
“I don’t think Wirtz is a luxury player per se,” says Maximilian Sanderson, “because his current best trait is how hard he works, both in the press and in creating space for Isak/Gakpo/Barcola. But yeah, paying £100m for a hardworking Raumdeuter, as was once said of Thomas Müller (who was better than Wirtz in that aspect, to be fair) is certainly a luxury. I personally hope that Wirtz will grow into that role. Ideally he could end up being a Firmino-esque (emphasis on the esque!) player for Liverpool, providing the connective tissue for other pacier, more direct attackers. But I’ll admit he’s got a long way to go until then. Bobby never lost possession as much, for starters.”
I agree he puts it in, but he’s a luxury player because his overall contribution isn’t worth the hope that, at some point, he does something game-breaking, given he almost never does.
Premier League table
They’ve finally finished in Manchester, where it’s ended City 5-3 Sunderland. Enzo Maresca’s men top the table with five wins from five.
I was hoping for much more from Rayan today who, especially in the absence of Kluivert, needed to give Bournemouth attacking edge. And I feel similarly about Scott, who showed his ability to carry the ball, but did almost nothing in dangerous areas and must develop his passing game to get the wingers early passes and to slide Evanilson in behind.
Join Taha Hashim for our 4.30pm kick-off…
“Always good to see the Guardian journalists talking absolute nonsense about Wirtz, yet again,” says Sargnarg The Hardgharg.
“You lot always want a narrative that stirs people up, even if it ignores reality. The reality is that Wirtz is a fantastically talented player who’s form is patchy because he’s playing for a team who are under a new manager and severely short on collective confidence following the relative catastrophe that was last season.”
No one has said Wirtz isn’t talented, but try subbing Bruno Fernandes into that last sentence, and see if the point still makes sense. He’s been poor for over a season and is showing little signs of improving. Blame everything else if you like, but he’s responsible for his own performances, which have been miles off.
At Elland Road, it’s still Leeds 0-0 Palace … and it’s finished there too.
FULL TIME: Bournemouth 0-1 Liverpool
With nine points from five games, Liverpool can consider themselves to have made a fair start to the season; Bournemouth, winless, are fourth-bottom.
90+3 min Bournemouth win a corner down the right, Brooks to take, and he looks to go under the bar … Alisson collecting well. He’s commanded his box well today, but under little in the way of pressure.
90+2 min At City, Haaland, who misses a sitter earlier, has now scored against every team in the league, sliding in at the far post to settle things; his team lead Sunderland 5-3.
90+1 min Evanilson gets away down the right and slams a cross to no one. Marco Rose will be really disappointed with how his team have played; Liverpool have had to do almost nothing to beat them, creating one chance to score one goal.
90 min We’ll have four additional minutes.
90 min Bournemouth win a free-kick just outside the D, just left of centre. Brooks and Scott are behind it and, they their team have attacked, this is a chance … which Scott lifts over the wall and wide.
88 min Two more changes for Bournemouth, Gannon-Doak and Toth for Adams and Rayan.
87 min “Responding to your post,” returns Oliver Losdka, “Kevin de Bruyne anyone? Took him some time too, similar player. Just saying.”
I don’t agree with that. He came to Chelsea as a young oplkayer an encountered Mourinho, but his physicality is of an entirely different order to Wirtz’s – he was a powerful runner, with and without the ball, and when he returned to England, he was good immediately. If Wirtz had his power and pace he’d be fine, but he doesn’t so he isn’t.
86 min Gakpo’s put in a shift today, out of position but creating the goal nonetheless, and he shows good feet to win a corner … which comes to nowt.
84 min I’ve been really disappointed with Bournemouth today. Obviously they played on Thursday, the first European game in their history, but that’s not a good enough excuse for how poorly they’ve attacked – it’s been balls into the box and very little else.
82 min Further changes for Liverpool, Szoboszlai and Isak off, Gravenberch and Koumas on.
81 min “I find it highly disrespectful to call Wirtz a luxury player – a player who lead an underdog team in Bundesliga to unprecedented success,” says Oliver Loska. “And I also find it highly arrogant to consider the Prem League too quick, hard etc for players of that quality. I have no doubts that he’ll succeed, once the environment has calmed down.”
How many players have come from the Bundesliga to the Prem and succeeded? Not many. Wirtz came into a champion team and was poor, and he’s still playing poorly now. How long should he be given not to be? He’s not the first to find that, despite his obvious gifts, a slower pace of game suits him better – see Veron, foir example.
79 min Truffert’s cross has too much on it for Rayan, who puts the ball back into the box to no avail, Nyoni in the right place to clear it. Given how poor Liverpool’s midfield have been tonight, he can’t be far off a start; him Szoboszlai and an attacker has a much better balance than anything else we’ve seen so far this season.
77 min Bournemouth are dominating possession now as Liverpool protect the lead, and must get Brooks on the ball on the edge of the box. Of the players they have, he’s the one with the guile to make something happen, but they also need to get more men into the box so their crosses at least have men in position to attack them.
75 min Changes for Bournemouth, Cook, Brooks and Jebbison on for Smith, Christie and Tavernier.
74 min Bournemouth try another hopefully cross to no avail; they’ve lacked guile and quality today, as well as a bit of composure.
73 min Another cross into the box and again Jacquet does well, flicking an important header away. If Liverpool win, he’ll be player of the match.
72 min Changes for Liverpool, Nyoni and Munoz for Wirtz and Barcola as Iraola looks to protect what he has while retaining a threat on the counter.
70 min Gakpo prompts, sliding into the box for Isak, where Hill jumps into a terrific challenge, winning the ball when he might’ve conceded a penalty or goal and celebrating with zeal.
69 min “Florian Wirtz plays with such obvious joy that it is impossible not to warm to him, reckons Tony Hughes. “It remains possible that he is not quite good enough at the highest level but puts everything into his play on the field and is worth persevering with. Thoughts?”
I think he’s a luxury player and the game doesn’t really allow for that now at elite level.
67 min Scott, out on the left, sees Mac Allister coming and nips the ball down the line, wearing the inevitable foul; Alisson punches the free-kick away. Then, when the ball comes back in, Christie robbing MacAllister, performing the Zidane turn and finding Adams, he then moves to Evanilson, who shoots low … and Alisson saves.
66 min I meant to say, Isak was yellow-carded for celebrating his goal; back in Manchester, Semenyo put City 4-2 up on Sunderland, by Brobbey has just completed his hat-trick and pulled a goal back.
64 min Jacquet is quickly into a challenge, sending the ball up and away, picking up Isak, who turns, shoots low … and wide. As it turns out, he was offside, but the intervention by Jacquet was again excellent – he’s already better than Ibrahima Konate, an accident waiting to happen despite his physical gifts, and the player Man United thought they were getting with Leny Yoro.
62 min “Your sympathy for Wirtz and his dilemma exceeds that of Stephen Warnock,” advises Eric Peterson, “who suggested on the USA TV broadcast during the first half that, were Wirtz an academy player, he would’ve been withdrawn at half-time.”
That comment sounds like it comes with a pint of bitter. But yes, Wirtz has been granted a lot a opportunities – though, in fairness, his contribution to the goal ought not to be forgotten or underestimated.
61 min Gakpo flicks over his head – he’s feeling himself now – to Wirtz, who feeds inside to Kerkez. With Isak free and waiting, he opts to hammer a hopeful shot into the nearest available shins; displeasure is soon shared.
GOAL! AFC Bournemouth 0-1 Liverpool (Isak 58)
Gakpo does really well, bundling through two challenges down the right, for once going on the outside and his cross is a decent one, towards the near post, where Wirtz’s challenge on Silva sends the ball squirting over to Isak. Unmarked in the middle, he coolly passes into the far corner, and out of nothing Liverpool lead.
56 min Ahahaha, you’ve got to laugh: Jamie Carragher didn’t think the match would go like this. Or, in other words, he thinks Liverpool are better than they are.
They could well win, but there are various reasons they might not.
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