With City and Chelsea picking up wins earlier today, I certainly hoped we would do too. Wasn’t as easy though…

It’s good to have Alisson back between the sticks, as I wouldn’t fancy our chances with Adrian playing against his old club. He didn’t have much to work with, and the only conceded goal was not his fault.

Match number 100 in LFC for Trent Alexander-Arnold. I remember when he was shaking like crazy in a derby against United a couple of years ago, and he has come a long way from there. This season isn’t Trent’s best work, at least so far. I’m staying loyal to TAA even in Fantasy, where he’s still the most expensive defensive asset that doesn’t return shit. HODLing him may not have been my best idea.

Nat Philips had to be called upon as a centre back, since we have an epidemic of injuries lately. He’s not a spring chicken by any means, and I honestly don’t remeber much from him in the EFL cup, but he has gained some fans today. I think he never lost a battle in the air, which is nice when you have Joe as your partner. He didn’t make any mistakes, and all in all, he had a solid enough game. To be more specific, he had 82% passing accuracy on 96 touches, 6 recoveries, 2 interceptions, and 3 duels won. Not bad for a start, but it’s also a case of expectations set low.

Gomez however disappointed once more. You know, it’s scary to admit that he is the only healthy first team centre back, because his level of play is bad. While I can’t blame only him for the first goal, his poor clearance was something to shake your head to. He’s ball watching a lot, he’s bad in the air, and there’s not enough defensive players around him to hide his weaknesses. You know why I am so hard on Joe? 

No team in the league has conceded more goals since the restart than Liverpool.

I wish I was kidding. While it sucks to lose Virgil for a season, this stat clearly shows that our problems have been around for a long time, and we need to buy a new CB this winter, of premium quality too, to make Joe less complacent. Speaking of Virg, he had a successful surgery and is in good spirits. Rest easy, big lad. I miss his long switches of the ball from deep to catch opponents off guard with. Now we don’t have that move in our playbook, and such deliveries are not as effective, since teams have time to cover their ground now.

Robbo was great for my liking, making some huge blocks and interceptions. He had a good chance to score on the volley, and ran back and forth like he usually does. From the first 11 players he perhaps had the best start of the season, certainly true if we limit it only to defenders.

Hendo played all 90 minutes, and his long passes were largely ineffective. He can launch a sweet counterattack, but for that you need an opponent high up the pitch, not parked deep like West Ham tonight. He worked hard and made that dirty work nobody cares about, yet the midfield overall was slow to regroup when losing possession.

Gini Wijnaldum is… frustrating. Take a sip of water every time he passes the ball forward and you will die of dehydration. Little creativity in the build up and not enough energy when tracking back, just sideways passes to guarantee that 80%+ possession. Ok, it’s also harsh, he had that cool looking flick in the build up for the decisive goal, but he still needs to be more aggressive with the ball.

Curtis Jones did ok in my book, and I think I won’t be far off when I will say that he was the most creative player in midfield from deep before Shaq. That’s kinda sad too, since he’s just a youngster, although with a bright future. Not a lot of credit was given to him for finding Mo with a pass that led to a penalty, people concentrated more on his defensive lapse when we conceded. To cut him some slack, he’s not the type of player to expect some mature positioning, he’s more comfortable with the ball at his feet driving forward. He roamed around a lot, and I liked him the best going forward.

Onto the holy trinity… Firmino, I like him, but man, he needs to sit out a couple of matches. Bobby has peaked two seasons ago, and I hate to say it, but his place in the starting 11 is not warranted now. Surely he’s still a very talented man, but he has been out of form for a good year now, and needs to do more. He’s like Gomez, you can cherry pick stats and make it seem like he’s either atrocious or amazing, but the truth is somewhere in the middle…

Mane didn’t have the best game, his touches were a bit heavy, but still, when we attacked down the left flank, he was sharp as always. He was taken down in the first half to no penalty, and tried until the very end. That disallowed goal where Sadio allegedly fouled someone is pure BS IMO.

Mo is his typical self. He will always have his one or two chances to score, and tonight he had more thanks to a penalty. To be frank, execution was iffy, but a goal is a goal. I captained him in my fantasy, so I am happy he didn’t blank at home once more. He has also been a bit egotistical, but that comes with his role.

Now onto the dessert. Jota is on fire, and he needs to start against City, certainly against Atalanta. He’s so direct, smart and hard-working that you really shouldn’t be surprised he has started so well. 40 million? What a bargain. He saved our bacon once more, and I hope he’s not viewed only as a supersub, as he has a lot more to offer. He has breathed some fresh air into our offence. With a trio of Jota-Mane-Salah you don’t have a clear cut facilitator, and if you think about it, it’s not such a bad thing, since it makes the attacks more unpredictable.

Also big props to Powercube Shaq for his secksy through ball to Diogo. He has been very useful this season, and it’s a good thing that he didn’t leave in the summer. He still has something to offer when our efforts are stifled.

To summarize, let’s make a list.

• Firmino has to sit out a couple of matches in favor of Diogo.
• Under impression that Nat Phillips will get a MOTM award.
• Could have been more comfortable if Mo shared the ball near the end.
• Keita-type player needed in midfield for those cut through passes. Shaq has been good lately, maybe he needs to change his position?

• Visiting City would be tough, but it’a not like they are on fire or anything. Today they beat Sheffield United through a Walker banger only.
• Another three points on the board is the most important thing.
• Rest a bit and go on again, it’s going to be a long season. YNWA.