Sanjay Nair takes a look at five things that caught his attention during Liverpool’s 4-0 win over West Ham on Sunday.
A great way to start the season. A hammering of a more-than-decent Hammers, 3 points and most importantly a clean sheet has Anfield buzzing on opening day. Here are some talking points from our 500th win in the Premier League.
The Naby Keïta show
Liverpool fans have waited a year to see Naby Keïta in Red and boy-o-boy, was it worth the wait!!! The Guinean was in his absolute element on his Premier League debut and although slight of build in appearance, he was an absolute monster in midfield.
From winning almost every tackle to the decisiveness in finding his mates with the right passes, Keïta delighted Anfield with his fleet-footed touches and left a huge mark on the match.
There were no jitters of playing at home and if anything, Naby Keïta’s debut has raised visions of him emulating the greatest ever at Liverpool to wear the no.8 jersey – Steven Gerrard.
Joe Gomez needs to be developed as a centre-back
Undoubtedly a promising talent that needs a lot of nurturing, Joe Gomez has more often than not been rotated between right back and centre-back. From what we saw on Sunday, his case to be developed into the latter makes more sense.
In Virgil van Dijk, he has one of the league’s best in that position and an extended run alongside VvD will ensure Gomez’s development into a reliable and long-term solution to Liverpool’s CB issues.
With the dynamic duo of Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson completing the set, Liverpool’s defence has all the potential to be world-class, provided they remain consistent throughout.
Fab-3 haven’t missed a beat
Mohamed Salah is a one-season wonder? Think again. While he may not reach the dizzy heights of last year or break the goalscoring record for the 2nd consecutive season, Salah still looks as hungry as ever.
It may only be one game played, but add the pre-season to it and there are early signs that Sadio Mané is going to be playing at a much higher level this season as well. He seems to absolutely love getting that no.10 jersey and a brace to start a season will only serve to boost his confidence sky-high.
No matter what the opposition, Mané, Salah and Firmino are sure to find new ways to break defences down especially with the likes of Keïta driving them from midfield.
Daniel Sturridge looks reborn
One of the nicest things in football, if you are a Liverpool fan, can be Daniel Sturridge’s celebratory dance and it had gone missing for a rather long time. Forever injured, incurring the wrath of everyone around, Sturridge, however, looks to be reborn this season.
For those who would have thought ‘Ah, its only pre-season’ when reminded of his exploits last month, it only took him the time to run from the dugout to the far post to dispel any lingering doubts as to what he is capable of.
The confidence is definitely back and Sturridge looks and feels like the 2013/14 version that set the Premier League alight alongside Suarez. Fingers crossed against an injury of any sort, it is always a strong belief that a fit Sturridge will give the opposition no respite from the Fab-3 and will contribute a great deal into Liverpool going far this season.
Has Klopp finally built game management into this side
There were moments during the match when it looked like West Ham were gaining a foothold and might even create goal-scoring opportunities.
In seasons gone by, there would even be moments when we would leave ourselves vulnerable to counter-attacks despite holding a comfortable lead and then pay for it dearly.
One of the most pleasing aspects about this season-opener was the calmness about the team in such situations.
Slowing down the game when required and then shifting gears was coordinated so seamlessly it never seemed as though we would lose our grip on the game at any point.
So has Klopp finally managed to instil proper game management his team without having to sacrifice style? Games ahead will prove whether we have learnt to do this consistently, which is the true hallmark of championship-winning sides.
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