The hype around Anfield is palpable and rightly so. Liverpool have won their first three games of a league season only for the fourth time in the Premier League era (previously it was done in 1993/94, 1994/95 and 2013/14). However, none of them led the Reds to a league title.
There is a feeling of secured optimism at Merseyside, where people are thinking about taking this season as a whole, and magnifying expectations every game to the highest.
The win against West Ham United on the opening day elevated the growing buoyancy, while the grinding results against Crystal Palace and Brighton are seen as potential “title-challenging wins.”
Jurgen Klopp’s men have so far proved why they spent big in the summer on a goalkeeper, and on Virgil van Dijk in January. Both Alisson and van Dijk were vital for the team in their latest two wins, as the attacking trio is still looking to find the fine-tuning.
Many claimed that Liverpool would have easily dropped points against Palace and Brighton. It is right in a sense, as they have had the tendency to do that. But in contrast to the past, the Reds held a one-goal lead at Selhurst Park until the last minute, before Sadio Mane scored the second. Similarly, they held a thin lead at Anfield five days later with control at the back.
Alisson has made three key saves thus far (two v Palace and one v Brighton), so there comes the four points. The defence is functioning properly and the midfield trio of Georginio Wijnaldum, Naby Keita and James Milner seem adamant to keep hold of their places.
The only area where Liverpool need more oiling is the front-line. It would be an overstatement to say that they haven’t clicked because Mane and Mohamed Salah have netted three and two goals respectively, however, the collectivism is somewhat lacking. Maybe because Roberto Firmino arrived very late in the pre-season, and the Brazilian does most of the knitting together work of the other two.
Therefore, the main barb of this article is that the Reds aren’t playing well as a whole team. However, the individual brilliance is taking them over the line. This is a good thing for Klopp as he can work on many areas to improve, and further oil this machine with great effect.
Moreover, the fact that they boast a 100% record without playing perfectly speaks volumes about their character. It only spells danger for future opponents as Liverpool will get better, the front three will gel more as the season progresses.
As per the title aspirations are concerned, it is way too early to talk about it. Even Manchester City had to grind out results early into the title-winning season against Brighton, Everton and Bournemouth, before firing on all cylinders after the first international break.
Hence, the main thing for Klopp and the Anfield faithful is that they have nine points from the possible nine. The terrifying thing is they can improve more as the tougher tests await in the coming month or two.
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