Liverpool have had a sluggish start to the season but that shouldn’t worry the fans.
We’re three games in, counting the Community Shield, and while Liverpool can boast a trophy and three points, they haven’t looked perfect.
And that will be the standard for this season, after all. 97 points and a European Cup will naturally lead to astronomically high standards.
The team aren’t hitting them immediately, though, particularly in defence. Liverpool have looked suspect in all three games, allowing chances that wouldn’t have occurred last season.
Perhaps the midfield have played a part in that. They look a little slow, too, but then Jurgen Klopp chose to start with two of them – Fabinho and Jordan Henderson – in all three games.
There’s little to complain about in attack, though. Sadio Mane’s late return and Roberto Firmino & Mohamed Salah’s short pre-season should have caused more problems. Instead, Liverpool look very threatening and capable of scoring against anyone.
But it’s worth remembering the start Liverpool had last season. They were fantastic in the league but the Champions League was a slog. A great start against Paris Saint-Germain was nearly undone by sloppy defending.
They then lost in Naples, Paris, and Belgrade – the team simply didn’t look right. It took time for Klopp to find the right way of playing in Europe.
By the time he’d figured it all out, of course, Liverpool were almost flawless, capable of winning away in Porto and Munich.
There’s little doubt Liverpool will look more like themselves before long.
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