My wife is an Aston Villa fan. It has nothing to do with soccer; if you ask her why, you'll get vague answers (anything from "I like their colors" to "Gareth Barry's kinda cute"). So in spite of my love for Liverpool, I also have to endure some Villa games from time to time.
This isn't really that bad; Villa's a fun team to watch most of the time. They're scrappy. They're occasionally chaotic, but usually pull themselves together when it matters. They can salvage games out of bad play. Really, they're everything that I want Liverpool to be.
Of course, technically, this post is about the abhorrent 1-1 draw at the JJB last night. Really, though, it's about more than that; it's also about the two 1-1 draws against Everton and the scoreless draw against Stoke. It's about dropping four points that'd let them stay at the top of the table to teams that should've been beaten. It's about flat-out bizarre manager decisions, and it's about the fact that when we play Everton next Wednesday it's completely possible one of the biggest football clubs in the world will have gone an entire month without a win.
Really, the Wigan game highlighted the worst parts of this season. It was a relatively weakened side in a game where still managed to manufacture a goal in spite of making things much harder for themselves than they needed to be. The inexperience of that side manages a goal, Torres is taken off in favor of defense with twenty minutes left, Wigan senses blood in the water and frees themselves up to attack, and a late penalty kick nullifies a 1-0 lead. This is the same story as Everton last Monday, really, and it shouldn't be surprising...but it is. It surprises you every single time it happens. I forget why I watch this team play, because I know it isn't entertaining anymore.
It's really the same way with every team I support. I'm a Browns fan, and this is essentially the story of their 2007-08 season; pacing the favorites for the conference most of the season only to collapse at the end in a loss to a hated rival. In a way, I wish I were a Villa fan, too; they thought they'd be contending for a UEFA cup slot, only to get surprised with a possible Champions League slot. This is the best season they've had in maybe ten years (maybe sooner, maybe longer, I don't really know); Liverpool, meanwhile, is ahead of them by a point and is in free-fall. Both perceptions are accurate; Liverpool should be better, Aston Villa maybe should be worse.
Of course, in theory Liverpool isn't out of the title race yet. Manchester United could lose to Everton, draw with Fulham, and let Liverpool back into it. But for that to happen, Liverpool needs to start winning, and they need to start on Sunday against Chelsea. I'm guessing that's a 1-1 draw, with an early Gerrard goal equalized late off of a stupidly given set piece.
But at least Villa's on FSC Saturday.
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