After four wins from four before the international break, it’s been a perfect start to the season for Liverpool in terms of results.
Performances, however, have not been of the same level. This was evident more than ever in last Saturday’s 2-1 win at the King Power over Leicester. Despite the victory, the Reds struggled during the second half, not helped by an absolute howler from new goalkeeper Alisson.
Previous to this game was yet another scrappy encounter, with Liverpool squeaking past Brighton 1-0 at Anfield. While the performances haven’t quite been at the level of champions so far, the results have still been there. It’s often a cliche that, to be champions, you have to ‘win ugly’. Liverpool’s last three Premier League games certainly fit that bill.
While the Reds have started the season facing four mid table sides, that changes straight after the international break. The gruesome run starts with a trip to Wembley to take on Tottenham, followed by a huge Champions League tie at Anfield vs PSG.
After a home tie against Southampton, Liverpool play Chelsea home and away in a league and cup double tie in the space of a few days. A trip to Napoli will be followed by a home game against fellow title contenders Manchester City, which finishes off a very tricky run of fixtures for the Reds.
The international break allows them to get rested and be fully prepared for the task that lays ahead for Jurgen Klopp’s players. Preparation will be vital for these fixtures, including tactical battles against managers such as Maurizio Sarri, Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel all in the space of a month.
A noticeable feature of Klopp’s approach to new signings is the adaptation period that he gives them to get used to his methods, understand what he requires of them, and understand why they are needed in the team.
This was seen last season with Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who were both given a few months to become accustomed with the playing style, rather than being thrown in the deep end as some managers would do.
It paid dividends with those two, who both went on to have stellar seasons for the Reds. This season’s recruit who is being given this adaptation period is defensive midfielder Fabinho. A £43.7 million signing from Monaco, Fabinho has had to adapt from playing in a midfield two in a less physical, arguably slower league to coming to England and playing in Liverpool’s midfield three.
With options aplenty in midfield for Klopp, he hasn’t seen any reason to rush the Brazilian into the team. However, recent quotes would suggest we are almost at the point where he is introduced. The Metro reported that Klopp said: “And now we have games every three days, and he has made big steps in the last few weeks. He could even play at the moment.”
These are promising words for Liverpool fans all around the world who may finally see their big money signing in action after the international break.
Barring any injuries to first team players, the international break will provide a refreshing period for Klopp and his staff who, coming off of four wins from four, know keeping everyone fit and sharp is vital to success in the Premier League season.
Expect to see more use of summer signings, namely Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabinho, when they return from international duty to face Tottenham on 15 September.
For now though, Klopp will be planning for what lies ahead in an incredibly tough run of fixtures for his team. If they get through it, however, this season could turn out to be a fantastic one for the Anfield faithful.