I know there’s a lot going on right now. We’re on the cusp of the fantastically-dense Premier League holiday fixtures, the highs and lows of anxiety that shade the January transfer window loom finger-tippingly close, and you still haven’t found a suitably garish pair of faux-antique 2017 glasses for your friend’s Westworld-themed, New Year’s Eve party. But the FA Cup will not be ignored!
Hear ye! League Two leaders, Plymouth Argyle have beaten Newport County, home of Spytty the Dog, and are set to face Liverpool in the FA Cup third round at Anfield.
These matches against “weaker” opposition, they are usually nerve-wracking affairs. They are like a delicious-looking chocolate that you bite into only to discover it’s full of sawdust. You then finish the chocolate, hoping that there is something else inside: caramel, nuts, a void of nothingness, anything but a slog through more sawdust.
On one hand, there is the delight of going up against a League Two side, at Anfield. On the other hand, there is the dread of Jürgen Klopp and the boys going full Northampton Town Hodgson. But, if you’re an expert Liverpool supporter, you’ve likely developed a sturdy, emotional protectant against such flim flam. I like to call mine a “feelings parachute.”
But, there’s a sense that, with Jürgen Klopp at the helm, we’re getting beyond the days of unexpected chaos in these domestic cup fixtures. We’re seeing control of the play even when the team is changed up to include youth or sideliners. And after last season’s almost-so-close-we-can’t-believe-we-didn’t-win-it losses in the League Cup and Europa League finals, there is a drive in this team for redemptive silverware.
Liverpool has not played against Plymouth since the 1961-62 season. The Reds beat Plymouth 2-1 on the Devon club’s last trip to Anfield and were again winners on the return leg to Home Park.
The match will be played on Sunday, January 8. But, start preparing mentally, now. The chocolate is going to look delicious, but, you need to be ready for sawdust. Order your Feelings Parachute™ today. Operators are standing by.