Since Jurgen Klopp arrived as Liverpool manager last season, he’s managed to gain impressive wins against the better sides in the Premier League.

That’s once again been highlighted this term as they’ve beaten both Arsenal and Chelsea away from home. Plus the Reds have also recorded a 4-1 home victory over last seasons league champions Leicester City.

But the loss to Burnley in week two of this current campaign had many speculating that the German coach still had problems in finding winning performances against the perceived weaker sides in the Premier League.

But in their last two games, Liverpool have managed to pick up victories against newly promoted Hull City and a struggling Swansea side.

Yesterday’s fightback in Wales saw Liverpool move up to second in the table and they’re just two points behind Man City (at time of writing). Other than the defeat at Burnley, the only other blemish on their winning run has been a 1-1 draw with Spurs.

Due to stadium improvements at Anfield, Liverpool have played five out of their seven games away from home and impressively they’ve won three of those!

Teams fear playing against Liverpool at the moment because they have a fluid, fast and fierce attack.

Currently no other side has scored more than their eighteen goals.

Big summer signing Saido Mane has settled in brilliantly and already has three league goals this term. Klopp clearly likes pacy, direct forwards and Mane impresses with those attributes.

Philippe Coutinho is definitely becoming Liverpool’s new talismanic maestro. The Brazilian playmaker has a terrific eye for both a goal and an assist. Had a man of the match performance against the Gunners on the opening day and he’s been excellent in his last three outings!

Like Coutinho and Mane, Roberto Firmino also has three league goals so far during this campaign. Seems to be the one that Klopp trusts as the forward to play through the middle. Scored and won the penalty in the win over the Swans. Another player who seems to be able to make something out of nothing.

It must be pretty comforting for Jurgen Klopp to have Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge currently waiting to prove themselves from the bench. Both strikers offer something different and are capable of grabbing big goals.

After an inconsistent start to his Liverpool career, Adam Lallana has gone from strength to strength under Klopp. The English international is full of running and his energy looks infectious to those playing around him. Adding more goals to his game has also added extra confidence to his game this year.

Jordan Henderson and current makeshift left-back James Milner give the side commitment and leadership. While I’d expect newboy Georginio Wijnaldum to become another star performer once he settles in at Anfield and gets used to his new team’s style.

Undoubtedly Liverpool’s biggest issues this season have stemmed from defensive complacency.

New goalie Loris Karius has to prove himself as a commander in his own penalty area. I don’t see the point in a good ball playing keeper if he can’t reassure his defenders with his ariel ability to deal with crosses. It was a problem that Simon Mignolet had and Karius still has to show that he’s better than the Belgian.

Centre-back Joel Matip has looked decent so far and reminds me of a young Rio Ferdinand. Good pace and looks comfortable with the ball at his feet.

But the defensive pairing of Matip and Dejan Lovren often looks shaky. I’m really not sure that there is a natural chemistry between the pair. The Croat Lovren has looked better under Klopp but still doesn’t look like a £20m plus central defender.

That brings me to Mamadou Sakho. The Frenchman might actually be the best centre-back on Liverpool’s books and could be a better partner for Matip. But obviously Sakho needs to lose the attitude problems that have clearly seen him dismissed from first team training at the moment.

Jurgen Klopp isn’t a manager to be messed with and if Sakho doesn’t apply himself in the right way then he’ll continue to be overlooked. Which given his talent is a shame but Klopp has to show that he’s the boss and that his authority can’t be undermined.

So can Liverpool really challenge for the title this season?

Well I don’t see why not if the squad continues to show improvement under Klopp, they continue to outshine the bigger sides and grind out wins against those in the lower half of the table.

They have a strong dynamic attack with a solid midfield too. The biggest problem will be finding consistency at the back!

So a good start for the Reds but Liverpool need to show now that they are capable of maintaining this form for the majority of the campaign.

 

Posted on October 2nd, 2016 by scott
Filed under: Article