Michail Antonio had plenty to say in the build-up to West Ham’s trip to Anfield, but the striker had an afternoon to forget as Liverpool got the last laugh.
The pre-match speech is an often praised part of football, although how much it actually matters is debatable.
However, for Liverpool against West Ham, Jürgen Klopp may not have inspired his team. Mikhail Antonio had already given the Reds all the ammunition they needed.
The Hammers forward was particularly blunt in his build-up to the Anfield game. A clearly confident Antonio expressed his belief that his side will finish above Liverpool this season and top Merseyside.
“I support Liverpool,” he said on the Footballer’s Football Podcast. “You know what, I think we are better than Liverpool this season.
“I watched the game [Wolves v Liverpool] because it was before our game and Wolves could have got away with it! They had a lot of chances. We have them this weekend and that’s six points. We have them!”
If you talk the talk, you must be able to walk the walk. Antonio, emphatically, could not.
His afternoon didn’t get off to the best start as he missed a glaring chance inside the opening 10 minutes, curling his header just wide of the Kop to grace his goal.
From then on he didn’t bother Alisson at all. Liverpool kept him under wraps and his touches were greeted with a few cheers, showing that his comments did not go unnoticed by the Anfield crowd.
Wherever you are – US, UK or elsewhere – you don’t want to miss out.
His rather forgettable afternoon ended with David Moyes sending him off after Darwin Núñez showed Antonio how to do it at the Kop end.
There’s nothing wrong with a player showing confidence, but it’s quite strange how many players seem to fall into the trap of publishing their results before they’ve even played.
Antonio’s misguided confidence is certainly not the first and probably won’t be the last, but his comments are a good indication of where Liverpool are at this season. While the teams may feel they have their way against the Reds, Klopp’s side are too strong and clinical to turn them down, and while West Ham look stronger this season going into the season, they still have a long way to go.
