Liverpool will keen on making it two wins in as many Premier League games when they travel Selhurst Park on Monday to take on Crystal Palace. The Reds were dominant in their 4-0 win over West Ham United last weekend and seem like a team who could challenge Manchester City for the title.
Palace, however, are coming on the back of a 2-0 win over newly promoted Fulham will be confident themselves.
That being said, the Reds have shown immense quality in the past few weeks and anything less than a win would seem surprising. Palace have been a bogey team for Liverpool but we take a look at why the Reds show ease past the Eagles tomorrow.
#3 A world-class attack
What separates Liverpool from other top Premier League clubs, not naming Manchester City, is their world-class attack, which has been the main ingredient of their success in the past 12 months.
The revered trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have torn apart the best of defences in Europe.
Mane and Salah’s pace on the flanks coupled with Firmino’s crafty skills and clever movement could easily bamboozle a Palace defence.
#2 A reinvigorated defence
Liverpool have received a lot of stick for their weak defending over the past few years. But, in recent months, their defence has improved. The arrival of Virgil van Dijk has added someone with experience and authority at the back.
The former Southampton superstar has reinvigorated the Reds backline, thanks to his leadership qualities and intimidating presence. The Liverpool fans will have a few bad memories of Christian Benteke running at their defence in Aston Villa colours. They’ll be far more comfortable knowing that Benteke will be up against van Dijk this time.
Young Joe Gomez looked impressive in pre-season and did well in the opening game against West Ham. He has the pace to keep up with the rest of the attackers, so the defence isn’t as bad as many may think.
#1 The Keita effect
Last season, Liverpool struggled against teams who deployed a low-blocked. That’s where Naby Keita comes in.
The former RB Leipzig star had a brilliant debut for the Reds last weekend. Keita attempted two tackles, made two blocks, one interception and completed three dribbles against West Ham. He also managed one key pass and had a pass accuracy of 84%.
His ability to pick a pass in the attacking half will give Liverpool the edge against teams like Palace who will sit deep against the better sides in the league.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored