Have Liverpool mastered the dark arts?

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Sanjay Nair ponders whether or not Liverpool have finally mastered the dark arts necessary to winning silverware.

Three games, three wins, three clean sheets. Perfect start for the Reds it may seem, but this was hardly the case. On the positive side we have found ways to win these tricky assignments, but by no stretch of the imagination were they the trademark goal-fests.

Despite all the attacking prowess, it took a tremendous amount of rearguard action to keep Crystal Palace and Brighton away. So does this mean we have now mastered the art of winning dirty against mid and lower table opposition?

Breaking down teams

Over the past seasons, our inability to break down teams defending deep has cost us a considerable number of points and frustration.

With pace on both wings, primarily through the wing-backs as well as through the middle, chances aplenty have been created in the games against Crystal Palace and Brighton.

Credit must be given where its due and both teams performed extremely well under relentless pressure to keep the game in the balance throughout the contest.

It’s still early days and the likes of Firmino, Mané and Salah have not yet hit that consistently breathtaking form despite their contributions so far.  So contrary to all assumptions looking at the final scoreline, if we continue in the same vein, this is an area in which we should not be found wanting.

Midfield hustle & defensive solidity

Many times when the ball has been lost, Wijnaldum and Milner, in particular, have been instrumental in winning back possession almost immediately. This has meant that we are not on the back foot for too long or prone to rapid counter-attacks.

Their energy, along with Keïta, has kept the opposing midfield and defence honest for the most part of the matches. On the few occasions that we have been under siege, the defence marshalled by the outstanding van Dijk and Gomez has defused every threat so far.

A word of mention for this confidence must go to the brilliant Alisson Becker who has dazzled everyone not only with his fancy footwork but also with crucial & tremendous saves very late into the game.

Bench strength

Perhaps the most telling factor in the ability to get these wins has been the quality of players available off the bench. Although we would ideally be bringing in one or two more additions during the January window, Klopp finally has the bench strength to sustain the pressure created by Salah & co.

Defensively as well, it has made a world of difference for the fans’ to know that we can rely on the likes of Matip & Lovren to come and do their job in the last quarter of the game if required. Back-track to a year ago and these two were our only options.

Winning dirty is definitely a much tougher task and seldom pleasant when compared to the free-flowing football that Klopp teams are known for, but as far as Liverpool Football Club are concerned we need to do more of the same if we are to be in the title run come May.

For now, it seems the team is on the right track.