Klopp and the city of Liverpool are a perfect union that works by blending a natural harmony and a rock and roll sound that stirs every football fan.
Last season had been tough to the point of failing to qualify for the Champions League and this summer, they were forced to completely restructure the midfield.
The two most important midfielders in Liverpool’s revival under Klopp were leaving for Saudi Arabia: Jordan Henderson, who was also their captain, and Fabinho, who, despite a drop in his level, was still the only pivot in the squad.
But they weren’t the only ones, as there were other players in the midfield, such as Oxlade-Chamberlain, Milner, Keïta, Fábio Carvalho and even Firmino, who was decisive in giving attacking fluidity to a team that found it difficult to generate more against tighter teams.
Merseyside team decided to invest around 170 million euros to reinforce the midfield (Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Endo), and they didn’t manage to bring in two players who would have increased the investment even more, Lavia and Caicedo.
Klopp succeeded. The team are running like a metronome at the moment, even with a number of absentees, including Salah, who could miss several weeks.
Liverpool find themselves in pole position in one of the most competitive Premiers League in recent years and it’s largely down to their defending. The German has made Alisson more protected, although he continues to prove himself as one of the top three goalkeepers in the world as he does every year.
The keeper has prevented more than seven goals conceded, making ‘The Reds’ the lowest-scored team, conceding just 18 goals in 21 games, which explains why Liverpool have only lost one game so far in the league (against Tottenham and in a game in which the refereeing committee had to come out and apologise for letting them down).
Moreover, the team is always going to work offensively if they have a Mohammed Salah who continues, alongside Haaland, as the top scorer in the competition with 14 goals, but is also the top assist man with eight assists.
In this aspect, Darwin Núñez is also being decisive and, despite scoring five goals less than he should in the Premiership, according to Understat, he is the first player in the Premier League to reach double figures in goals and assists in all competitions.
But the main progress is based on the defensive improvement thanks to the Van Dijk-Konaté pairing. The Dutchman has been decisive again and, although his superiority isn’t as exaggerated as before his serious injury, he is at a great level, accompanied by Konaté who is showing all the hype that his signing a few seasons ago aroused.
On top of all this, Joe Gomez is filling in perfectly for the injured Robertson and Tsimikas has also been dropped. Even the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, arguably the most important player in the attack alongside Salah, is being made up for in a positive way.
Football is a state of mind, and that is demonstrated by the fact that ‘The Reds’ don’t even care if they start behind. They are the second team in Europe, only behind Girona, who raise this phrase to the tenth power, that has achieved the most points (19) by coming from behind.
It’s all working again on Merseyside, not thanks to Klopp being their conductor, but the guitarist in one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever heard.
Translated by Marcos Rodríguez.
Main image: @LFC.
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