The international break forced a break in Premier League proceedings, allowing us to take stock of the start of Liverpool’s campaign and who stood out.
The Reds started the new season with a draw at Chelsea, which Jurgen Klopp didn’t seem too bothered about, but perhaps that should be an afterthought.
Three straight wins followed, albeit with red card drama in two, extending their unbeaten run to 15. The longest in the division.
We may only be four games in, but we’ve learned a lot from Klopp’s Reds…
We have a real gem in Szoboszlais
It’s a sign of the times that £60m is considered a bargain, but that’s how it feels when it comes to Liverpool’s new No.8. Dominik Szoboszlai has settled in quickly and immediately provides what the Reds lacked in the No.8 role in terms of fresh legs, energy and intensity.
According to FotMob, the 22-year-old is Liverpool’s second-best player (7.65) behind Mohamed Salah (7.68) and the midfielder has quickly established himself as one of the Reds’ hardest-working players.
It’s early days, but the No.8 shirt seems to have found a player ready to take up the mantle from previous owner Steven Gerrard.
Alisson proves why he is the best…again
Amazingly, Alisson won two trophies during the international break despite being clearly the number one goalkeeper in the world.
He needn’t take long to showcase that this season either, need we remind you of that brilliant save at Newcastle? Incredible.
The Brazilian may not have wished to be tested as much as he has this season, with Liverpool still very much susceptible to conceding chances, but he has been more than up for the task.
He saves Liverpool time and time again, but perhaps moving forward we could return to the days of relying on him less. Just a thought. Authors on the right
Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold have joined the right-back for seven seasons now, and adding Szoboszlai to the mix has strengthened Liverpool’s right-back.
Of course, Alexander-Arnold’s new role gives him the flexibility and freedom to roam on the right-hand side, but it is the aforementioned trio who played in six of the Reds’ nine goals.
Salah (two goals, two assists), Szoboszlai (one goal) and Alexander-Arnold (one assist) contributed to the scoreboard.
The trio take the chances created by the Reds so far (23 in total) in the top three.
Only four games into the season, it’s an exciting development and Liverpool will take all predictions in their 8th position, haven’t had any goalscoring contributions from that position in recent years. A timely reality check
“We had 35 percent of the ball, which is an absolute joke. It shouldn’t have happened,” Klopp said of Chelsea’s opening day draw.
Of course, it was only the first game and there are bound to be growing pains, but not since 2018’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham when Liverpool had less possession.
Even with the two red cards affecting subsequent possession percentages, Liverpool have averaged more than 56 percent in the three games since Chelsea’s exit.
Klopp admitted his side were “too busy” at Stamford Bridge and that the Reds needed an early upset to start the season and ensure they play the way they want to.
They are currently averaging 13 shots on goal and 4.3 on goal, the latter of which still needs improvement, but has followed an upward trend since the first day of play.
There are positive signs of what Liverpool are capable of this season and the hope is that their goal threat will continue to grow as their reliance on Alisson diminishes.
