Liverpool scored their customary last-minute objective on Wednesday night, with Virgil van Dijk smashing a header from Dominik Szoboszlai’s nook previous Jan Oblak to make it 3-2.
And so Liverpool’s Champions League marketing campaign is up and operating. Atletico Madrid did effectively to scrape again from two targets down, with Marcos Llorente but once more a scourge on Anfield’s vociferous followers.
However this time, Diego Simeone’s strategems didn’t come up trumps, with Arne Slot’s Reds mastering the artwork of late strain, making use of vicious depth on their opponents to reel away the victors when simply moments earlier than it appeared just like the spoils can be shared.
Liverpool’s Profitable Objectives in 25/26 | ||
|---|---|---|
Opponent | Goalscorer | Purpose Time |
Bournemouth | Federico Chiesa | 88′ |
Newcastle | Rio Ngumoha | 90’+10 |
Arsenal | Dominik Szoboszlai | 83′ |
Burnley | Mohamed Salah | 90’+5 |
Atletico Madrid | Virgil van Dijk | 90’+2 |
3 times already this season, the Merseysiders have squandered a two-goal lead, and that is an enormous concern. Nonetheless, there’s a lot to love about this squad, who appear able to problem throughout a number of fronts whereas defending their Premier League title too.
A bunch of latest signings have been made, however in latest days, it has been the veteran superstars, skipper Van Dijk and talisman Mohamed Salah, who’ve stepped as much as hold the Slot machine pushing ahead.
Liverpool’s veterans carry on going
It was essential that Liverpool tied Salah and Van Dijk right down to contract extensions on the backend of the 2024/25 marketing campaign. With a busy summer season of spending anticipated, calming forces can be wanted to welcome and combine the newbies.
And they’re main by instance. The 34-year-old Van Dijk has been indomitable all through the opening weeks of the time period, whereas Salah retains his efficiency, even when his all-round performances have left one thing to be desired to this point.
However not in opposition to Los Colchoneros. The Egyptian King, 33, turned again the clock with a bouncing show, helping and scoring inside six minutes. Alexander Isak was making his debut for the Reds after his record-breaking transfer from Newcastle United, but it surely was Salah, so typically Salah, who took the plaudits, reminding everybody that he’s nonetheless the Reds’ go-to man within the remaining third.
These long-serving heroes have entered the ultimate years of their joint Liverpool journey, and they’re going to quickly cross the torch.
Liverpool nonetheless plan to put money into an elite centre-back within the coming markets, however the frontline is all however safe, with two gamers particularly suggesting they’ll turn into talismanic figures themselves, enjoying with an air of Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard’s one-time connection in opposition to Atletico within the Champions League.
Slot’s personal Suarez & Gerrard
We have already talked about him, however Isak arrives at Liverpool with the chance to cement himself as a contemporary nice. Anfield’s bosses forked out fairly the beautiful penny for his signature, they usually count on to be repaid in a sea of targets.
Described as an “absolute nightmare” for defenders by Premier League file goalscorer Alan Shearer, Isak established himself as probably the greatest centre-forwards in Europe throughout his three years with Newcastle, and a brand new chapter on Merseyside guarantees the chance to take that one step additional and rival Erling Haaland and Harry Kane as the perfect within the enterprise.
Isak is not only a lethal goalscorer however a dynamic and clever participant. As per FBref, he ranks among the many prime 8% of positional friends throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues over the previous yr for progressive passes, the highest 7% for each progressive carries and profitable take-ons, and the highest 16% for shot-creating actions per 90.
Shot-creating actions are items of play that result in a shot. These embrace moments comparable to a cross, take-on or foul being drawn.
Indicators of this have been seen underneath the intense Anfield lights on Wednesday, with Florian Wirtz placing in his finest efficiency in a Liverpool shirt and exhibiting off some pleasant link-up play with the brand new quantity 9. The Athletic’s James Pearce famous he “performed with a swagger” and that “his hyperlink up with Isak definitely bodes effectively”.
Towards Atletico, Wirtz had seven touches within the penalty space, created 5 probabilities and two huge probabilities, probably the most for every metric of any participant on the sphere (information courtesy of Squawka).
There is a budding connection there with Isak, for certain, and it very a lot may lead the pair towards one thing much like that of Gerrard and Suarez previously.
Earlier than Suarez, there was Fernando Torres. Gerrard performed with some incredible forwards throughout his illustrious Liverpool profession, however the Urugayan may simply have been the choose of the bunch, remarking in 2012 that Suarez was one of the best participant he had lined up with.
Eight occasions did Stevie G serve Suarez a objective, however that quantity might be dwarfed by Wirtz in offering Isak, so mighty is Liverpool’s undertaking. They’re anticipated to play many video games collectively, Isak and Wirtz, and in a group that’s comfortably among the many finest, probably the most harmful in Europe.
Suarez was probably the greatest strikers on the planet throughout his time at Liverpool. In 2013/14, he scored 31 targets and supplied 13 assists within the Premier League, backed by Liverpool’s legendary No. 8, who commanded the midfield and fought tirelessly to open clear lanes towards the hazard space, pinging aerial passes and threading by means of balls by means of to the maverick within the field.
Xabi Alonso formed Wirtz into the participant he’s in the present day at Bayer Leverkusen, and he famous that the attacking midfielder “is a genius”.
Despite the fact that the German has endured one thing of a gradual begin to life in England, but to attain or help throughout 5 matches within the Premier League and one in Europe, the indicators of a world-class participant are there to see, and the 22-year-old has the total backing of his supervisor, having two key passes per sport within the Premier League and appeared probably and tenacious within the build-up.
With Isak, confirmed and lethal within the Premier League, now a part of the group, Wirtz will count on to hit fluent type sooner quite than later, and followers will eagerly await Sunday’s Merseyside derby, Everton coming to Anfield at midday. One analyst has already remarked that the file signings’ “link-up appears terrifying”.
Simply as with Gerrard and Suarez as soon as upon a time, Liverpool now have two new sensations within the attacking third, they usually might need what it takes to create a partnership for the ages, one akin to that of earlier than, however this time giving rise to a trophy-laden interval in Liverpool’s wealthy historical past.
