The first international break has reached us, and the questions we had about some teams have been answered, others, not so much. While Liverpool are the lone team to have won all four of their matches, Manchester City only dropped points to Tottenham and continue to look as good as ever. The other 'big six' each have their worries, some of the newly promoted teams look impressive, and some mid-table sides are looking to make their next big jump. But, of course, let us focus on Liverpool before have a look around the league as well.
The Leaders -- Liverpool's Brilliant Start:
Despite having had to balance a pair of cup finals in the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup within this opening run of matches, Liverpool have started the season off 4-0-0 in the Premier League gaining maximum points and never seemed too threatened by any side outside of perhaps the final ten minutes against Southampton on the road. The schedule will continue to increase in difficulty, but there have already been some difficult fixtures moved out of the way. Arsenal at home is always a thriller, and Liverpool put three on the board against the Gunners. Meanwhile Liverpool held their first clean sheet of the season in Turf Moor against the always tough Burnley side. Games will soon be coming even quicker with the Champions League group stage matches coming in. They will visit Napoli in the mid-week and Chelsea on the weekend in their second week back from the international in what is sure to be a massive test.
What has made this side so good, though? In short, just about everything. The biggest early story of the season was the loss of Alisson in the first half of the season opener against Norwich in a non-contact injury. That goalie concern was almost even more critical when Adrian, the new second choice, was injured by a fan sliding on the pitch at the Super Cup final and Liverpool signed Andy Lonergan who had been training with the side in the preseason. Adrian has not been Alisson, but has made some nice saves -- like the one in the first couple minutes on Chris Wood of Burnley -- and clinched the Super Cup with a save on Tammy Abraham in the penalty shootout. Adrian has shown himself to be a solid shot-stopper and serviceable enough with his distribution to alleviate a few nerves with the Liverpool faithful, which is well-needed with no set return date for Alisson from his calf injury.
All eyes have lately been on Virgil van Dijk for winning the the UEFA Player of the Year award over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Indeed, he has been superb to start the season as usual. Joel Matip, however, has been able to make himself into an ever-present force in the back line as well. Loved for his ability to make runs from the CB position into opposing midfields, the tall defender is also a difficult man to mark on corners and other set pieces. This has left Joe Gomez out in the cold, which is disappointing for the player surely, especially when you consider that the defensive peak of last year's side was with Gomez and van Dijk as a CB duo. The full backs have been strong as ever. Andy Robertson is arguably (inarguably, in my mind) the best left back in the world with the ability to get forward and cover himself when defending. On the opposite flank, Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to impress at just twenty-years-old and with minimal defensive help from Mo Salah on his wing. Liverpool will not be thrilled to only have kept one clean sheet, but the quality in defense is obvious.
Lost in the shuffle of the thrills of the attack and defense is the solidity within the midfield. Fabinho at defensive mid has become a world-class holding midfielder and has played his way into becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet in recent weeks. He was perhaps the best player on the pitch against Arsenal and needed to be against a side with attacking quality like theirs. Jordan Henderson, too, has become undroppable as the captain brings vital leadership to the pitch. As has been the same last season, Henderson's been allowed more freedom in the 4-3-3 with Fabinho playing deeper and that has let him get forward with ease. Against Burnley he dominated the right side of the pitch out of the midfield position and got into dangerous areas on the wing drifting out from his more central position. These two men are joined by a stable of midfielders -- James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Adam Lallana. Wijnaldum has been more of the staple within the line-up as he offers versatility to any line-up. He can get forward and defend as a holding midfielder, and that lets him do plenty. Against Southampton, though, it was Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain spelling Henderson and Fabinho, with Milner averaging a deeper position on the pitch according to SofaScore. The two Englishmen, along with Lallana, will need to be ready to get called on at any moment with the games coming in heavily.
Finally, we have the attackers. The front three is well-known and have been contributing up to their usual standard. Roberto Firmino has been, again, in my opinion, the best player in the league this season even without gaudy goal numbers (two goals and two assists). He continues to do tons of pressing, his close control is absurd, and he is able to drop deeper or drift wider for a change of pace. Mo Salah has three goals and two assists and continues to round into form, while Sadio Mane has two goals and an assist while continuing to prove himself as world class, making this front three just about unplayable. With the Burnley game fresh in mind after typing this, obviously there is the disagreement that Mane had with Salah about a missed pass for what would have been goal number four, but it is the competitive nature of Mane that can be taken as a positive as he refuses to stop caring no matter the scoreline. Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri will also be looked at as needed with the heavy fixture list. Shaqiri has been in more headlines given his lack of minutes, making only a brief cameo against Burnley in terms of the league. Much has been said about this team's attacking quality, but it continues to be as good as advertised.
The four fixtures this season (Norwich home, Southampton away, Arsenal home, Burnley away) each came with their own warnings. Liverpool were able as a team to navigate these minefields and turn in four quality performances with at least two goals in each match. As I mentioned already, my Liverpool player of the season after these few games has been Firmino. His quality is evident and he leads the team in action at a vital position where he does plenty of gritty and occasionally unsung work. Players I'll be looking at to make a further impact are primarily Wijnaldum and Alexander-Arnold. Wijnaldum's been strong at all times and his match against Burnley entering the international break was perhaps his best match. He was everywhere on the pitch and was able to regain possession in important areas with frequency. I'm also looking at Alexander-Arnold to build off an already strong start and continue to find more offensive joy. He caused an own goal against Burnley but the assists that were so high last season would still figure to be coming as well.
Around the League:
The biggest stories early in the league campaign have been Chelsea and Manchester United's struggles. Chelsea enter the break at 11th with a 2-0 halftime lead at half to Sheffield United not being enough to earn them all three points in their most recent match. United, meanwhile, are only slightly better as they sit in eighth place with their only win being the 4-0 thumping of Chelsea at home. Both sides have had focuses on youth early in the season. Chelsea out of a bit of necessity with Frank Lampard having to suffer through the transfer ban and three academy projects getting starts in the early stages of the season. United, meanwhile, are currently suffering through a lack of tactical ambition with a shoddy 4-2-3-1 as well as questions of who can find the back of the net -- especially with Marcus Rashford struggling. The two sides have a lot to prove and a lot of ground to make up if they want to reach the top four.
Not to be lost in Chelsea and United are Arsenal and Tottenham with their own plot points. The two sides played to a 2-2 draw in a thrilling North London Derby that saw Arsenal score their two goals in the second half in a comeback fashion. Spurs have been in poor form dating back to last season with just four wins in their last sixteen matches, none of them being particularly impressive (a home victory over Palace, a home thumping of already-relegated Huddersfield Town, a late home winner over Brighton and Hove, and a home victory over Aston Villa after heading into the half down 1-0). Arsenal, meanwhile, are sitting in fifth in the table on seven points, but have lots of questions. Still, with Hector Bellerin and Kieren Tierney both hurt still and set to return, and a lot of versatility within the squad depth, the future could be bright. Alas, I still believe they are an elite center back away from really staking regular claims back in the top four. Regardless, the fight with all four remaining 'big six' sides should be interesting.
Finally, there are a handful of other teams who have either surprised in a good way, or shown a bit of quality but need some more to survive. Leicester City have been impressive as they are just one of the three teams in the league to avoid defeat thus far, joining Liverpool and Manchester City in exclusive company. After two early draws against quality competition, they took down Sheffield United and Bournemouth. Leicester have a balanced squad with quality in building from the back now under Brendan Rodgers and with a loaded midfield including Wilfred Ndidi, Youri Tielemans, Hamza Choudhury and James Maddison, but of course Jamie Vardy can allow his side to be a bit more direct with his speed. Crystal Palace, despite lacking a goal in their first two matches, are also currently sitting in the top four thanks largely to Jordan Ayew's goal-scoring heroics against Manchester United and Aston Villa. Sheffield United also sit in tenth place including a win over Palace and the aforementioned draw with Chelsea. They have been a positive surprise. Finally, we have the two bottom teams with Watford sitting bottom with just one point, and Norwich with three points thanks to a win over Newcastle. Watford are a disappointment with their slow start when considering they were a solid mid-table side last season. Norwich, meanwhile, have impressed with their attacking desire and Teemu Pukki's five early goals in the season. The Canaries, however, need to shore up their defensive ability as they currently lead the league in goals conceded with ten over the first four matches.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
The Leaders -- Liverpool's Brilliant Start:
Despite having had to balance a pair of cup finals in the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup within this opening run of matches, Liverpool have started the season off 4-0-0 in the Premier League gaining maximum points and never seemed too threatened by any side outside of perhaps the final ten minutes against Southampton on the road. The schedule will continue to increase in difficulty, but there have already been some difficult fixtures moved out of the way. Arsenal at home is always a thriller, and Liverpool put three on the board against the Gunners. Meanwhile Liverpool held their first clean sheet of the season in Turf Moor against the always tough Burnley side. Games will soon be coming even quicker with the Champions League group stage matches coming in. They will visit Napoli in the mid-week and Chelsea on the weekend in their second week back from the international in what is sure to be a massive test.
What has made this side so good, though? In short, just about everything. The biggest early story of the season was the loss of Alisson in the first half of the season opener against Norwich in a non-contact injury. That goalie concern was almost even more critical when Adrian, the new second choice, was injured by a fan sliding on the pitch at the Super Cup final and Liverpool signed Andy Lonergan who had been training with the side in the preseason. Adrian has not been Alisson, but has made some nice saves -- like the one in the first couple minutes on Chris Wood of Burnley -- and clinched the Super Cup with a save on Tammy Abraham in the penalty shootout. Adrian has shown himself to be a solid shot-stopper and serviceable enough with his distribution to alleviate a few nerves with the Liverpool faithful, which is well-needed with no set return date for Alisson from his calf injury.
All eyes have lately been on Virgil van Dijk for winning the the UEFA Player of the Year award over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Indeed, he has been superb to start the season as usual. Joel Matip, however, has been able to make himself into an ever-present force in the back line as well. Loved for his ability to make runs from the CB position into opposing midfields, the tall defender is also a difficult man to mark on corners and other set pieces. This has left Joe Gomez out in the cold, which is disappointing for the player surely, especially when you consider that the defensive peak of last year's side was with Gomez and van Dijk as a CB duo. The full backs have been strong as ever. Andy Robertson is arguably (inarguably, in my mind) the best left back in the world with the ability to get forward and cover himself when defending. On the opposite flank, Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to impress at just twenty-years-old and with minimal defensive help from Mo Salah on his wing. Liverpool will not be thrilled to only have kept one clean sheet, but the quality in defense is obvious.
Lost in the shuffle of the thrills of the attack and defense is the solidity within the midfield. Fabinho at defensive mid has become a world-class holding midfielder and has played his way into becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet in recent weeks. He was perhaps the best player on the pitch against Arsenal and needed to be against a side with attacking quality like theirs. Jordan Henderson, too, has become undroppable as the captain brings vital leadership to the pitch. As has been the same last season, Henderson's been allowed more freedom in the 4-3-3 with Fabinho playing deeper and that has let him get forward with ease. Against Burnley he dominated the right side of the pitch out of the midfield position and got into dangerous areas on the wing drifting out from his more central position. These two men are joined by a stable of midfielders -- James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Adam Lallana. Wijnaldum has been more of the staple within the line-up as he offers versatility to any line-up. He can get forward and defend as a holding midfielder, and that lets him do plenty. Against Southampton, though, it was Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain spelling Henderson and Fabinho, with Milner averaging a deeper position on the pitch according to SofaScore. The two Englishmen, along with Lallana, will need to be ready to get called on at any moment with the games coming in heavily.
Finally, we have the attackers. The front three is well-known and have been contributing up to their usual standard. Roberto Firmino has been, again, in my opinion, the best player in the league this season even without gaudy goal numbers (two goals and two assists). He continues to do tons of pressing, his close control is absurd, and he is able to drop deeper or drift wider for a change of pace. Mo Salah has three goals and two assists and continues to round into form, while Sadio Mane has two goals and an assist while continuing to prove himself as world class, making this front three just about unplayable. With the Burnley game fresh in mind after typing this, obviously there is the disagreement that Mane had with Salah about a missed pass for what would have been goal number four, but it is the competitive nature of Mane that can be taken as a positive as he refuses to stop caring no matter the scoreline. Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri will also be looked at as needed with the heavy fixture list. Shaqiri has been in more headlines given his lack of minutes, making only a brief cameo against Burnley in terms of the league. Much has been said about this team's attacking quality, but it continues to be as good as advertised.
The four fixtures this season (Norwich home, Southampton away, Arsenal home, Burnley away) each came with their own warnings. Liverpool were able as a team to navigate these minefields and turn in four quality performances with at least two goals in each match. As I mentioned already, my Liverpool player of the season after these few games has been Firmino. His quality is evident and he leads the team in action at a vital position where he does plenty of gritty and occasionally unsung work. Players I'll be looking at to make a further impact are primarily Wijnaldum and Alexander-Arnold. Wijnaldum's been strong at all times and his match against Burnley entering the international break was perhaps his best match. He was everywhere on the pitch and was able to regain possession in important areas with frequency. I'm also looking at Alexander-Arnold to build off an already strong start and continue to find more offensive joy. He caused an own goal against Burnley but the assists that were so high last season would still figure to be coming as well.
Around the League:
The biggest stories early in the league campaign have been Chelsea and Manchester United's struggles. Chelsea enter the break at 11th with a 2-0 halftime lead at half to Sheffield United not being enough to earn them all three points in their most recent match. United, meanwhile, are only slightly better as they sit in eighth place with their only win being the 4-0 thumping of Chelsea at home. Both sides have had focuses on youth early in the season. Chelsea out of a bit of necessity with Frank Lampard having to suffer through the transfer ban and three academy projects getting starts in the early stages of the season. United, meanwhile, are currently suffering through a lack of tactical ambition with a shoddy 4-2-3-1 as well as questions of who can find the back of the net -- especially with Marcus Rashford struggling. The two sides have a lot to prove and a lot of ground to make up if they want to reach the top four.
Not to be lost in Chelsea and United are Arsenal and Tottenham with their own plot points. The two sides played to a 2-2 draw in a thrilling North London Derby that saw Arsenal score their two goals in the second half in a comeback fashion. Spurs have been in poor form dating back to last season with just four wins in their last sixteen matches, none of them being particularly impressive (a home victory over Palace, a home thumping of already-relegated Huddersfield Town, a late home winner over Brighton and Hove, and a home victory over Aston Villa after heading into the half down 1-0). Arsenal, meanwhile, are sitting in fifth in the table on seven points, but have lots of questions. Still, with Hector Bellerin and Kieren Tierney both hurt still and set to return, and a lot of versatility within the squad depth, the future could be bright. Alas, I still believe they are an elite center back away from really staking regular claims back in the top four. Regardless, the fight with all four remaining 'big six' sides should be interesting.
Finally, there are a handful of other teams who have either surprised in a good way, or shown a bit of quality but need some more to survive. Leicester City have been impressive as they are just one of the three teams in the league to avoid defeat thus far, joining Liverpool and Manchester City in exclusive company. After two early draws against quality competition, they took down Sheffield United and Bournemouth. Leicester have a balanced squad with quality in building from the back now under Brendan Rodgers and with a loaded midfield including Wilfred Ndidi, Youri Tielemans, Hamza Choudhury and James Maddison, but of course Jamie Vardy can allow his side to be a bit more direct with his speed. Crystal Palace, despite lacking a goal in their first two matches, are also currently sitting in the top four thanks largely to Jordan Ayew's goal-scoring heroics against Manchester United and Aston Villa. Sheffield United also sit in tenth place including a win over Palace and the aforementioned draw with Chelsea. They have been a positive surprise. Finally, we have the two bottom teams with Watford sitting bottom with just one point, and Norwich with three points thanks to a win over Newcastle. Watford are a disappointment with their slow start when considering they were a solid mid-table side last season. Norwich, meanwhile, have impressed with their attacking desire and Teemu Pukki's five early goals in the season. The Canaries, however, need to shore up their defensive ability as they currently lead the league in goals conceded with ten over the first four matches.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
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