Liverpool must carry Champions League momentum into Bournemouth tilt

Liverpool had a near perfect midweek fixture in the newly revamped Champions League as they rolled by their hosts AC Milan comfortably in the 3-1 win on Tuesday.

There were several stars that stepped up in the win and now the focus turns back to the Premier League where the Reds will look to get back on track as they play host to Bournemouth on Saturday.

Having the first day of Champions League fixtures this week should allow plenty of time for everyone to get rested and it should be a full squad on hand for Arne Slot. There are some lessons that can be carried over from Milan into Saturday as well.

Liverpool must come out focused from the first kick

Liverpool conceded in the 3rd minute to AC Milan on Tuesday from a moment of poor positioning and while it did not hurt them in the end, it's not a habit they want to get into again.

That was a nasty habit that creeped into their game during the final days of the Jurgen Klopp reign as well and it made life needlessly difficult on themselves.

Against Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League outing, there was a few glimpses but overall it was a sluggish start that carried over throughout the match. They must bring the firepower early on Saturday against the Cherries to restore the free-flowing confidence we saw early in the season.

The Reds will be the heavy favorites and a few early goals would go a long way to firing up the Anfield crowd and more rotation can be used with the West Ham League Cup clash in mind as well.

The best teams in the world put away inferior opposition sooner than later. I want to see this killer instinct early on from Liverpool.

Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez must start against Bournemouth

Gakpo put in a thrilling performance in the win on Tuesday as he was a menace down the left flank causing havoc all night long before getting a well-earned assist to polish the game off.

The Dutch attacker was a standout performer at the Euros this summer and despite seeing Luis Diaz get the start in the first three league games of the season, Gakpo stepped up in the most important match thus far.

There's no way he can be left out of the XI on Saturday, and much like we are seeing the next level of Ryan Gravenberch, his countryman is seemingly leveling up.

The next step will be stringing multiple outings together like the one we saw on Tuesday against all opposition on any given day. If he can do that, lookout.

Gakpo has shown himself to be a crucial piece to the Liverpool attacking puzzle and if the Milan game is his new standard, things are abou to pick up at rapid pace. Diaz has played well but Gakpo showed he has an extra attacking gear he can tap into.

We need to see it again against Bournemouth.