A 2:15 kickoff against a very disciplined side is never fun for your Sunday. Liverpool traveled south to Brighton to face a young squad on a jam packed Sunday afternoon. After falling behind early, Liverpool leveled and took the lead thanks to the great, Mohamed Salah. A few crucial mistakes allowed Brighton to equalize and after 95 minutes, Liverpool and Brighton drew. Here’s a few key takeaways from the Match.
1.) Liverpool STILL need a defensive midfielder
For many years we saw Fabinho patrol the midfield and stay deep with the center backs and keepers. Today, Liverpool were playing out of the back way too much and needed a safety net.
Yet, Alexis Mac Allister is a natural center midfielder and drops a little bit more central as the game moves on. His mistake not going to the ball, led Adingra to place a lovely finish in the back of the net for Brighton to lead early.
Without speed to recover, a mistake for Mac Allister is crucial. It’s been 3 months since Fabinho left for Saudi Arabia and Liverpool are still in need of a natural number 6.
Klopp loves the offensive game of Gravenberch, his long legs and quick feet make for a beautiful midfielder. Andre from Fluminese has been targeted multiple times in the summer transfer market, can Klopp pull him to Anfield in January is the question.
2.) Dominik Szoboszlai
What a player the Reds have for years to come. He grew into the game greatly after a semi sluggish start for Liverpool. The Hungarian being impactful is becoming a common takeaways point.
As the game wore on, Liverpool played through Szoboszlai utilizing his attacking prowess. At 6’2, he is so dominant with his work rate and his passion for the club.
He created a game high, 4 chances and won the penalty for Salah to convert to make it 2-1. He had a beautiful pass to Gravenberch for an easy tap in but the Dutchman hit the woodwork. As Salah patrols the wide areas, Szoboszlai is dominant in the central.
3.) Klopp vs. De Zerbi
Jurgen Klopp is widely known as one of the best coaches in the Premier League, Roberto De Zerbi is on his way to becoming a great coach. He is linked to Real Madrid as their next Gaffer, because he displays a disciplined side every match day.
Both of these managers are seamlessly playing their young players all over, as 9 players on the pitch today were under 22 years old. Youth is here to help will be one of the takeaways here.
The high press for Liverpool was so dominant early and often, that transition was under the spotlight. Both bosses have a lot of takeaways from this enthralling match.
The more young and energetic players that are on the pitch, the work rate and press will be more electric. Elliot and Adingra were zooming around the pitch today, it’s tremendous to watch 2 terrific managers implement their systems throughout a squad.
4.) MISTAKES MISTAKES MISTAKES
What seems like every week, Liverpool starts sluggishly and quickly falls behind. They need to start faster and more complete.
As in 2019, we always saw Liverpool 1-0 in the first 30 minutes. It sets the tone and becomes a motivator for when they’re going to find the next goal.
Both goals today were mistakes by Mac Allister and Virgil, then Andy Robertson let’s the ball go by on the set piece and Dunk slots it in. It should’ve easily been 2-0 today to Liverpool but these mistakes mounted quickly.
With 2 starting players ( Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones) out, they couldn’t afford any red cards or injuries today. Being up 2-1 through 80 minutes, Liverpool shouldn’t be happy with their draw in South England.