Sixty percent possession, 28 shots, 17 on target, six goals scored and just the one conceded: These are the incredible statistics from Sunday’s Premier League match at Anfield where Liverpool thumped Watford 6-1.
And if the numbers are not remarkable enough, Liverpool boast of an attack force that is constantly mobile, operates at a blistering pace and is relentless in pressing opposition players to the point of submission. Think wave after wave of attacking movement comprising four, five and in some moments even six players, and you will find a team that sits deservedly atop the Premier League table.
Mind you, Watford are no pushover. They comprehensively beat Manchester United 3-1 earlier in the season, suffered a narrow defeat to Chelsea and kept a string of clean sheets leading up to the game against Liverpool. Despite their stubborn defence, the Hornets (as Watford are known) proved to be no match for Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
What has changed for the Reds?
Last season, the Reds reached two cup finals and secured wins against a number of their traditional rivals. But despite showing heaps of potential, consistency was still a problem. They finished a dismal eighth in the league and managed to win no silverware. One wondered if the absence of players who suited Klopp’s high-energy game, or the lack of conditioning in the Gegenpress – a unique tactic that involves regaining possession immediately after losing the ball – were to blame for the irregular results.
Fans tend to correlate star signings with success and a host of marquee players were linked with the Reds over the summer. But while rival clubs brought in players of the calibre of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Granit Xhaka, Liverpool did not buy a marquee player. Their main signings were winger Sadio Mane from Southampton and midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum from Newcastle United – solid players in their own right, but not names you would consider as world beaters.
Add to this a less than generous fixture list at the start of the 2016-‘17 Premier League season – Liverpool started the season with a trip to Arsenal, then played Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Chelsea in the opening month – and one would not blame Liverpool fans for having that familiar feeling of dread.
To make things worse, work on the renovation of the new Main Stand meant their home ground Anfield would not be ready to host a competitive fixture. The Reds would be without home comforts for the entire first month of the season.
But Herr Klopp has been more than impressive. After an exhaustive pre-season camp, which saw the likes of AC Milan and Barcelona dispatched in friendly games, Liverpool’s promise of creative flair, tireless running, and “heavy metal” football looked closer to realisation. Aiming to take full advantage of the lack of mid-week European distractions, Klopp was ready for the new season.
By the time the league’s first fixture arrived in August, the Reds brought out their A-Game, stunning Arsenal in a seven-goal thriller at the Emirates Stadium. Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana, Mane and others hit the ground running to deliver a stunning blow, taking the tie 3-4.
A small hiccup at Turf Moor followed the week after, where despite a league-high 80% possession and 26 shots, Liverpool struggled to break down a dogged Burnley side and lost 2-0. Doubts about consistency re-emerged and both pundits and fans were quick to criticise the team’s defensive frailties.
The routine thrashing of Championship side Burton Albion apart, the Reds were prepared for a sterner test in Tottenham Hotspur at the end of August. Shaped into a formidable unit by Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs were unlucky to finish third last season. Against a talented side comprising Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Hugo Lloris, a draw was thought to be a good result and Jurgen Klopp’s team ensured they came away from White Hart Lane with a fiercely fought 1-1 draw.
Humbling the champions and then Chelsea
Perhaps the first real statement of intent from Klopp’s red men came against Claudio Ranieri’s brilliant Leicester City in the second week of September. Playing before the Kop in Anfield for the first time this season, Liverpool inaugurated their new £114-million main stand, and presented the fans with a remarkable opening night that will be stored in memory for a while.
Playing scintillating football, moving the ball swiftly and scoring some wonderful goals, Liverpool, led by the brilliance of the effervescent Roberto Firmino, delivered a comprehensive 4-1 pounding that made not just fans and pundits, but even rivals take notice. The fans could sense something special was stirring at Anfield, and this was only the beginning.
Stamford Bridge, the home of the usually resilient Chelsea, has seldom proved to be a happy hunting ground for the Reds and this year may have been the same, but for an unstoppable Jordan Henderson strike from distance that gave Liverpool a 2-0 first half lead. The notable feature of this game was not the defensive fragility that allowed Diego Costa the opportunity to score, but the resilience that the Reds showed to hold on till the end and secure the three points.
Minnows Hull City and Swansea hardly posed a challenge to the Liverpool juggernaut and by the time, old foes Manchester United, led by Jose Mourinho, came calling in October, the Reds’ great form had already moved them to second place and within touching distance of the Premier League summit.
The Red Devils are still a hard nut to crack
Contests between Liverpool and United have traditionally been feisty affairs, characterised by goals, sending offs and even the occasional brawl. But this time, the biggest rivalry in English football failed to live up to its billing.
The 0-0 scoreline suggested that honours were shared, but between the two, it was United who went home happy, having prevented the most attacking side in the league from scoring at home. For Klopp, it was another lesson in understanding his team and what not to do when the opposition proved to be as obdurate as the Red Devils were on that Monday night.
The German manager suggested that the scoreless draw had better prepared him for the challenge that deep-lying organised teams such as West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and others posed. And the following results proved he had indeed learnt his lesson. While West Bromwich was packed off without much ceremony, it was his side’s never-say-die spirit that helped them overcome Crystal Palace. Alan Pardew’s side cancelled Liverpool’s advantage twice, only for the Reds to come back and secure the win with a 4-2 margin.
For major portions of the first three months of the season, Liverpool has flirted with the Premier League’s top four. But it was only after the 6-1 thrashing of Watford did they retake the summit for the first time in two and a half years.
Not the same story as 2013-‘14
The exceptional attacking prowess of this year has prompted many comparisons with the Liverpool side that almost won the title in 2013-‘14. That Liverpool side, managed by Brendan Rodgers, scored an astounding 101 goals over the course of the season, helped mainly by the partnership between forwards Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
In 11 games this season, Liverpool have already scored 30 goals. But what makes for interesting reading this year is that the Reds’ most natural striker – Sturridge – is yet to score a league goal. In fact, he has barely getting a look-in, having been pushed to the bench by the presence of the exceptionally efficient attacking quartet of Firmino, Coutinho, Mane and Lallana.
The fluid movement, constant interplay and rapid pressing by this foursome is a joy to watch and a nightmare to defend against. Firmino playing upfront tends to pull defenders out of position, allowing the likes of Coutinho and Mane to make unmarked runs into the opposition box to score.
By throwing bodies in attack, midfielders Emre Can, Wijnaldum, skipper Henderson and makeshift left-back James Milner have all been among the goals, while centre-backs Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren take up active attacking positions from set plays. It is one well-oiled machine that is ruthless in attack, compact in defence, and scarily efficient both with and without the ball.
The presence of multiple goal-scorers shows how this side is not reliant on a single player to do its billing. While Mane has scored six goals already, Coutinho and Firmino have scored five each. With different players taking up the attacking responsibility, it is the team that benefits the most.
Will they go all the way?
With the exception of Chelsea, who are on a dream run of their own, Liverpool is the form team of the Premier League this season.And while Jürgen Klopp and the players themselves are quick to dismiss any title talk this early into the season, you should not be too quick to bet against Liverpool being contenders for their maiden Premier League title in May