When approaching a topic of discussion within the various communities dedicated to discussing Liverpool Football Club in all of its glorious repugnance – at times such as the period following a defeat to Newcastle at the weekend – a profoundly disturbing trend appears at haste, seeking to disrupt the equilibrium that all too frequently dissipates and reappears at the feet of those who pledge allegiance to the Reds of Merseyside.
Given any modicum of journalistic repute, the hive-mind of football social forums gravitates toward the opinion presented like moths to a flickering bulb in the humid lingering air of a late summer’s night.
Most recently, this bipolar sway of approval was hurled in the direction of Liverpool striker Christian Benteke.
Following a disappointing display, which saw the Reds fail to capitalise on falterings by nearly all of their major competitors for a Champions League place, supporters took to blogs and Twitter to find some respite in the languish left behind by a sour concession of three valuable points.
This pursuit of an ultimately elusive banner with which to adorn their demeaned spirits would eventually be procured in the form of the Belgian forward, who merely a week ago was being hailed for his tact and intelligence in front of goal.
Bolstered by anger and a penchant for scapegoating, the views of some moderately respected voices within the supporter community were conflated into all-out gospel, with Benteke the focal point of a somewhat ill-advised diatribe.
A single half of poor play, markedly defined by a lack of pace and pressing, which is emulated by almost all of the players in Klopp’s system, resulted in the dramatic shift in opinion in reference to the recently acquired front-man.
It’s likely that Jurgen Klopp is just a smidgen less rash than the greater supporting body of Liverpool Football Club, but the reaction does uncover a larger trope plaguing the people of the red half of Merseyside. Much like a scorned lover fears their new partner abandoning all rational principle and hurting them without reason, Liverpool supporters fear that each slip-up could propel their squad back to the days when Roy Hodgson couldn’t force a victory against mighty Wolves.
The currently popular view that Benteke is unfit for the side will arrive at an untimely demise once he scores again, and the antiquated wheel of blaming will continue along merrily. Fortunately, there will be yet another chance to fume when Liverpool inevitably drop points at some future date.
