After a forgettable 2022/23 campaign, Liverpool have come back stronger and their comprehensive 3-0 win over Brentford at home on Sunday gave more evidence of their form.
The Reds have accumulated 27 points from 12 games and lie second in the table, just a point below league leaders Manchester City. The controversial defeat to Tottenham and the draw at Luton Town were bumps on the road, but Jurgen Klopp’s side have shown character to overcome those and deliver results as a unit.
With the November international break in full swing, here are three things we have learned from Liverpool’s season so far.
#Strong defensive spine
One of Liverpool’s reasons for a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign is their robust defence. The Reds were an utter mess defensively last season, leaking goals at an alarming rate due to a combination of injuries and inconsistency.
Yet, Jurgen Klopp didn’t sign a single defender during the summer transfer window and focused only on revamping the midfield unit. He kept faith in the current crop of defenders and they have delivered as a unit, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold back to their best.
Alisson has impressed in goal and collected four clean sheets, helped massively by the back four ahead of him. In turn, Liverpool have conceded 10 goals in 12 games—the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League.
#Mohamed Salah the only guaranteed starter in attack
Jurgen Klopp has shared out the minutes throughout his squad – with that no different between the five senior forwards at his disposal. Mohamed Salah has been the only attacker to start every game, clocking 1047 across 12 appearances—which suggests, unsurprisingly, he is first choice.
But beyond the Egyptian, there are no guarantees which of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz will take the other two spots in attack. It is far from an issue, though, as all four of those players have delivered the goods this season—with Klopp boasting two world-class, very different options both on the left and up front.
#Vibrancy in midfield
Heading into the summer transfer window, Klopp knew where the club needed to invest to bounce back from a disappointing 2022/23 campaign. Having let go of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson, Liverpool faced a tough task of revamping their midfield unit. And they did very well by bringing in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.
The likes of Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Gravenberch have seamlessly fitted in, giving the Reds the energy, dynamism, work ethic and creativity that they were sorely lacking for the majority of last season. There is a different dynamic and look to the current midfield set up, and the freshness and vibrancy has allowed the forwards to focus on their task of scoring goals rather than constantly track back when the possession is lost.
Besides a strong defensive foundation, the midfielders deserve praise for their contributions in dominating games. The current band of midfielders have clearly made a lot of difference.
