The first international break marks the first real time fans are able to evaluate their side and the results that have come this season. For Liverpool fans, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone unhappy about the season to this point. Four games, four wins, a single goal allowed, one of just three sides to win all four of their matches. There's plenty to discuss about Liverpool's season thus far, and yes, some is not shimmering like their perfect record to this point. Here are my five key thoughts about what Liverpool has done so far, and what could come.
1. Depth in Midfield
When the Reds signed Fabinho early in the summer window, most expected him to walk directly into the side or, at the very least, contend with Jordan Henderson for a starting in the eleven. Instead, it's been Gini Wijnaldum at holding mid ahead of both men. Even with Henderson in the starting line-up against Leicester it was Naby Keita who was demoted to coming off the bench instead of the Dutchman. As it stands, Fabinho has been involved in just one match day squad, the first match when Joel Matip was unavailable with a knock. Not to be lost in all this is James Milner's continued late-career renaissance as he has started all four matches and done outstanding work in midfield. As it stands, Liverpool's midfield depth is unrivaled to any moment in Jurgen Klopp's tenure so far with the Reds.
There are many underlying factors along with stating the explicit. First is Fabinho, who fans are looking forward to seeing the Brazilian in their side. The drawing of PSG in the Champions League would certainly make sense to be a match where Klopp could favor the former Monaco man. Also, with Henderson and Wijnaldum both starting, perhaps we could see a system that he may be more familiar with in terms of selecting two holding midfielders ala Monaco (a topic I've discussed so much I'll refrain this time) perhaps alongside the club captain. There is also Adam Lallana who is occasionally a forgotten man within the Liverpool ranks despite his importance in Klopp's first season. His press-leading skills were massive for Klopp, but that sort of player is Bobby Firmino. I think playing both he and Lallana at the same time would be interesting to see how much pressure could the opponent be placed under, but also it would be a likely 4-2-3-1 to provide extra defensive protection. Perhaps this could be how Fabinho and Henderson play together? Regardless, it's important to note that with the amount of difficult fixtures still to come this year, rotation will be a certainty for Klopp's men.
2. Not All Fun and Games
Things have not been all clear in terms of the Reds. A straight forward victory against West Ham did not signal more of the same. The 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace included a converted penalty and second half stoppage time counter attacking goal. Brighton and Hove Albion gave a fantastic fight at Anfield and Liverpool could only find one goal in the match. Leicester dominated the second half at the King Power Stadium and found the first goal against Liverpool through an Alisson mistake. Still, winning ugly is vital in terms of attempting to mount a title challenge. Manchester City was dominant all last year but even they had a handful of matches where they need late winners to clinch the three points. Obviously I am not proclaiming Liverpool as the next champions or next 100-point team in the league this season. But the important thing to note is that winning glamorously is great, but simply winning, period, is what's most important.
3. Front Three Still in Fashion
It took till the match with Leicester for Firmino to find the back of the net, but he did well and all three members of Liverpool's vaunted front three each have at least one goal for Liverpool. All three have had good days and bad, even Sadio Mane who, while tied for most goals in the league to this point with four, was quite poor against Leicester. Still, the three that lead the way for Liverpool are crucial in helping the side overwhelm their opponents in any given match. The speed and pressure they provide on back lines takes focus from the other units of the team and serves as a way to get in the heads of the opposition. Will Mo Salah hold pace from last season into this season? Probably not. But does he remain a massive source of concern for opposing defenses? Without question. The reigning Player of the Year in the Premier League will hope to build off that season with another brilliant season this year. Not only that, but the hope with Firmino will surely be that his first goal can kick start his goal-scoring record once more.
It's not just about the front three though when it comes to attack. Daniel Sturridge scored on his first touch against West Ham not even a minute into his cameo. Xherdan Shaqiri will also definitely play a key role similar to Fabinho when it comes to the set of matches Liverpool face in the upcoming month or so. Rotation is probably more important with the attackers than the midfielders as they need to keep scoring pace that arguably England's finest front three has already set. The depth is present with Sturridge, Shaqiri, and hopes that Dominic Solanke can impress in cup appearances and slightly more limited game time in his second season in red. The depth accumulated by this Liverpool team is outstanding and something to bring about a great deal of excitement for Liverpool fans even in this time of busy fixtures.
4. Rock Solid Defense
Talk of the Liverpool team has been the brilliance of the defense, more specifically the center back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. The two of them have been immense, without question, and entering a year where Dejan Lovren is coming off being a part of a World Cup finalist defense, he will be hard pressed to displace the 21-year-old English national who has made right center back his own. Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the importance of the two full backs, Scotland's new captain Andy Robertson and hometown hero Trent Alexander-Arnold. The two offer plenty getting forward, Robertson in particular has been brilliant with his cross delivery, and have been key in shutting down wingers (Alexander-Arnold's assistance on Wilfred Zaha in the Crystal Palace match comes immediately to mind when he drifted wide). It's been a brilliant season from all four players who have done incredibly well to have kept Liverpool's clean sheet streak the deepest into the season out of any Premier League side.
Alisson is another key component of why this defense has been up to the caliber they have been. His mistake to cause a goal against Leicester was very, very poor, and he played himself into trouble against Brighton's Glenn Murray, but between the two posts he has been nothing short of outstanding. His saves have helped keep scorelines in Liverpool's favor on multiple occasions. He has even shown himself able to avoid trouble playing with the ball at his feet with a chip over Anthony Knockaert of Brighton. Liverpool paid a premium for their Brazilian keeper, and he may be more flashy than what Liverpool fans are used to, but he's generally been a joy to watch and is going to be vital in saving points for Liverpool if they are to continue their winning ways.
5. The Best (and Worst) of the Rest
There's been plenty more than just Liverpool this season. Let's check out the good first. The surprise of the season has been Watford and Javi Gracia's 4-2-2-2 taking them to third in the table with four wins in four matches. I mentioned this on my Twitter, but I'm a huge fan of the tactic, especially the four midfielders. Etienne Capoue had an alright year last season, but it was a down year when compared to his 2016-17 which included seven goals. This year he's been nothing short of spectacular on defense with 3.8 tackles and 2.8 interceptions so far this season per game. His deeper partner is the superb Abdoulaye Doucoure who had a strong season last year and was linked to moves this summer. He is playing great football, aside from a tough break and own goal against Tottenham, once again and is a player to watch in the future. Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra drift both centrally and on the wings and do well to vary their methods of attack. I really enjoy this team's composition and will be watching them in September to hold pace or drop off. That said, I do see some cracks potentially. Andre Gray and Troy Deeney have been very good as a partnership, but I don't know how comfortable I am to predicting them both to be in top form enough to hold them around European places all season. Will this defense also be able to continue holding sides to zero or one goal? We will certainly see.
As for the disappointing, I could go Manchester United, but I have to discuss the horror start that West Ham have gotten off to. Four losses in four matches have questions being raised of new manager Manuel Pellegrini, and rightfully so. Perhaps Pellegrini has brought in too many new players, because this is a West Ham side that seems without identity. Reports of Pellegrini wishing to play two men up top still have not fully appeared true as this side has wavered with a 4-2-3-1 favoring a bright spot Marko Arnautovic alone on top. Mark Noble and Carlos Sanchez have both struggled alongside Jack Wilshere in a two-man holding midfield. Issa Diop is just 21 but has not been brilliant alongside lone outfield ever-present Fabian Balbuena. The talent seems to be there, but at the moment it's just a combination of players that I don't think work well as a whole unit together. Felipe Anderson has been great, and Michail Antonio is a strong right winger. Why not put Anderson on the left, Antonio on the right, and swap Robert Snodgrass, who has struggled a bit, for a second striker in a wider 4-2-2-2? That may be a mess, requiring serious defensive work from Anderson and Antonio (who has begrudgingly played wing back before, in fairness) but it might be worth a shot. Pellegrini has run a 4-2-2-2 with Manchester City before. Why not try it again? Everton, Chelsea, United, and Spurs await the Hammers within their next five games. Pellegrini will be coaching for his life at West Ham over that span.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for Liverpool FC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
1. Depth in Midfield
When the Reds signed Fabinho early in the summer window, most expected him to walk directly into the side or, at the very least, contend with Jordan Henderson for a starting in the eleven. Instead, it's been Gini Wijnaldum at holding mid ahead of both men. Even with Henderson in the starting line-up against Leicester it was Naby Keita who was demoted to coming off the bench instead of the Dutchman. As it stands, Fabinho has been involved in just one match day squad, the first match when Joel Matip was unavailable with a knock. Not to be lost in all this is James Milner's continued late-career renaissance as he has started all four matches and done outstanding work in midfield. As it stands, Liverpool's midfield depth is unrivaled to any moment in Jurgen Klopp's tenure so far with the Reds.
There are many underlying factors along with stating the explicit. First is Fabinho, who fans are looking forward to seeing the Brazilian in their side. The drawing of PSG in the Champions League would certainly make sense to be a match where Klopp could favor the former Monaco man. Also, with Henderson and Wijnaldum both starting, perhaps we could see a system that he may be more familiar with in terms of selecting two holding midfielders ala Monaco (a topic I've discussed so much I'll refrain this time) perhaps alongside the club captain. There is also Adam Lallana who is occasionally a forgotten man within the Liverpool ranks despite his importance in Klopp's first season. His press-leading skills were massive for Klopp, but that sort of player is Bobby Firmino. I think playing both he and Lallana at the same time would be interesting to see how much pressure could the opponent be placed under, but also it would be a likely 4-2-3-1 to provide extra defensive protection. Perhaps this could be how Fabinho and Henderson play together? Regardless, it's important to note that with the amount of difficult fixtures still to come this year, rotation will be a certainty for Klopp's men.
2. Not All Fun and Games
Things have not been all clear in terms of the Reds. A straight forward victory against West Ham did not signal more of the same. The 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace included a converted penalty and second half stoppage time counter attacking goal. Brighton and Hove Albion gave a fantastic fight at Anfield and Liverpool could only find one goal in the match. Leicester dominated the second half at the King Power Stadium and found the first goal against Liverpool through an Alisson mistake. Still, winning ugly is vital in terms of attempting to mount a title challenge. Manchester City was dominant all last year but even they had a handful of matches where they need late winners to clinch the three points. Obviously I am not proclaiming Liverpool as the next champions or next 100-point team in the league this season. But the important thing to note is that winning glamorously is great, but simply winning, period, is what's most important.
3. Front Three Still in Fashion
It took till the match with Leicester for Firmino to find the back of the net, but he did well and all three members of Liverpool's vaunted front three each have at least one goal for Liverpool. All three have had good days and bad, even Sadio Mane who, while tied for most goals in the league to this point with four, was quite poor against Leicester. Still, the three that lead the way for Liverpool are crucial in helping the side overwhelm their opponents in any given match. The speed and pressure they provide on back lines takes focus from the other units of the team and serves as a way to get in the heads of the opposition. Will Mo Salah hold pace from last season into this season? Probably not. But does he remain a massive source of concern for opposing defenses? Without question. The reigning Player of the Year in the Premier League will hope to build off that season with another brilliant season this year. Not only that, but the hope with Firmino will surely be that his first goal can kick start his goal-scoring record once more.
It's not just about the front three though when it comes to attack. Daniel Sturridge scored on his first touch against West Ham not even a minute into his cameo. Xherdan Shaqiri will also definitely play a key role similar to Fabinho when it comes to the set of matches Liverpool face in the upcoming month or so. Rotation is probably more important with the attackers than the midfielders as they need to keep scoring pace that arguably England's finest front three has already set. The depth is present with Sturridge, Shaqiri, and hopes that Dominic Solanke can impress in cup appearances and slightly more limited game time in his second season in red. The depth accumulated by this Liverpool team is outstanding and something to bring about a great deal of excitement for Liverpool fans even in this time of busy fixtures.
4. Rock Solid Defense
Talk of the Liverpool team has been the brilliance of the defense, more specifically the center back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. The two of them have been immense, without question, and entering a year where Dejan Lovren is coming off being a part of a World Cup finalist defense, he will be hard pressed to displace the 21-year-old English national who has made right center back his own. Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the importance of the two full backs, Scotland's new captain Andy Robertson and hometown hero Trent Alexander-Arnold. The two offer plenty getting forward, Robertson in particular has been brilliant with his cross delivery, and have been key in shutting down wingers (Alexander-Arnold's assistance on Wilfred Zaha in the Crystal Palace match comes immediately to mind when he drifted wide). It's been a brilliant season from all four players who have done incredibly well to have kept Liverpool's clean sheet streak the deepest into the season out of any Premier League side.
Alisson is another key component of why this defense has been up to the caliber they have been. His mistake to cause a goal against Leicester was very, very poor, and he played himself into trouble against Brighton's Glenn Murray, but between the two posts he has been nothing short of outstanding. His saves have helped keep scorelines in Liverpool's favor on multiple occasions. He has even shown himself able to avoid trouble playing with the ball at his feet with a chip over Anthony Knockaert of Brighton. Liverpool paid a premium for their Brazilian keeper, and he may be more flashy than what Liverpool fans are used to, but he's generally been a joy to watch and is going to be vital in saving points for Liverpool if they are to continue their winning ways.
5. The Best (and Worst) of the Rest
There's been plenty more than just Liverpool this season. Let's check out the good first. The surprise of the season has been Watford and Javi Gracia's 4-2-2-2 taking them to third in the table with four wins in four matches. I mentioned this on my Twitter, but I'm a huge fan of the tactic, especially the four midfielders. Etienne Capoue had an alright year last season, but it was a down year when compared to his 2016-17 which included seven goals. This year he's been nothing short of spectacular on defense with 3.8 tackles and 2.8 interceptions so far this season per game. His deeper partner is the superb Abdoulaye Doucoure who had a strong season last year and was linked to moves this summer. He is playing great football, aside from a tough break and own goal against Tottenham, once again and is a player to watch in the future. Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra drift both centrally and on the wings and do well to vary their methods of attack. I really enjoy this team's composition and will be watching them in September to hold pace or drop off. That said, I do see some cracks potentially. Andre Gray and Troy Deeney have been very good as a partnership, but I don't know how comfortable I am to predicting them both to be in top form enough to hold them around European places all season. Will this defense also be able to continue holding sides to zero or one goal? We will certainly see.
As for the disappointing, I could go Manchester United, but I have to discuss the horror start that West Ham have gotten off to. Four losses in four matches have questions being raised of new manager Manuel Pellegrini, and rightfully so. Perhaps Pellegrini has brought in too many new players, because this is a West Ham side that seems without identity. Reports of Pellegrini wishing to play two men up top still have not fully appeared true as this side has wavered with a 4-2-3-1 favoring a bright spot Marko Arnautovic alone on top. Mark Noble and Carlos Sanchez have both struggled alongside Jack Wilshere in a two-man holding midfield. Issa Diop is just 21 but has not been brilliant alongside lone outfield ever-present Fabian Balbuena. The talent seems to be there, but at the moment it's just a combination of players that I don't think work well as a whole unit together. Felipe Anderson has been great, and Michail Antonio is a strong right winger. Why not put Anderson on the left, Antonio on the right, and swap Robert Snodgrass, who has struggled a bit, for a second striker in a wider 4-2-2-2? That may be a mess, requiring serious defensive work from Anderson and Antonio (who has begrudgingly played wing back before, in fairness) but it might be worth a shot. Pellegrini has run a 4-2-2-2 with Manchester City before. Why not try it again? Everton, Chelsea, United, and Spurs await the Hammers within their next five games. Pellegrini will be coaching for his life at West Ham over that span.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for Liverpool FC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
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