Liverpool are in an awkward but decidedly upward trajectory. Wins over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and a solid win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao cup show that the Reds are more than in the midst of turning the page on last season; the wins against this level of team show that they’re at least ready to turn up and put in a shift.
The patterns in play, the types of chances and where on the pitch they’re coming from, even the way in which the team don’t seem to wilt when things don’t go their way; Liverpool look a different side in the Andoni Iraola Era. And given just how dire the club looked through last season, fans will likely take some relief in knowing that improvements are real.
Of course, the caveats exist: while the club are unbeaten, they’ve only notched one win in the Premier League. And, in perhaps the real low-point in terms of results thus far, Liverpool only managed a point off of bottom-of-the-table Fulham.
But if the overall performances in other matches might yield us some clues as to how the Reds might figure things out moving forward, I think the straightforward dispatching of a strong Spurs side should buoy the hopes of Reds fans. Especially given that the bulk of the best work in that match was done with youth players putting in an admirable shift, allowing for more established first-teamers to receive a break.
Namely, Florian Wirtz, Victor Muñoz, and Alisson Becker played no minutes in the match at all and each of Bradley Barcola, Alexander Isak, and Dominik Szoboszlai logged less than a half hour’s worth of work in the match. More, Liverpool were able to recall Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha after approximately an hour, meaning Iraola has left himself a wide berth of players from which to select on Sunday.
The hope exists, then, that the side will be rested and raring to go on Sunday. Which is important because we know on evidence of the matches that have happened so far this week that this iteration of the Premier League – much like last season – looks to be quite competitive. Already, we’ve seen a vaunted Chelsea – some folks’ pick to win the League – taken down by Brentford and title-holders Arsenal be brought back to Earth by Brighton. We also know that the mid-table feels quite fluid in that very little seems to separate the teams in that bunch. Which is to say: all matches are competitive and every point matters.
Liverpool will head to Bournemouth feeling like they’ve been improving but undoubtedly with a point to prove. With an advantage in terms of rotation and managing minutes, but knowing they’ll need every inch of that advantage against an opponent who has historically made the work very hard for the Reds. And with a desire to do everything they can to head into an elongated international break – three weeks in between league matches – with as much positive feeling as possible.
That means the only goal is all three points. A decisive win. And, maybe, strong performances from Isak, Wirtz, and Barcola. Something to help ease some of the questions and show that the team have notched another waypoint in their transition from last year’s plodding displays and towards something that looks attractive and shows the kind of intent to control the match that fans might find more appealing.
Progress isn’t linear and the season is still young. I’m trying to remind myself of that to moderate any expectations I may have. Mostly because Bournemouth aren’t Fulham – or even this current, hobbled version of Tottenham – and we’ll need to put in very real work in order to find our way through them.
But there’s a lot inside of me that cannot pretend that I’m anything but desperate for a performance from this specific squad that blows the fandom away. Something that points towards the fact that what we’ve been calling mostly potential for some of these big-money players is actually more real. I want to see us beginning to not just impress upon the opponent our style of play, but to outright put them to the sword.
What I want, then, is more than three points – I want something decisive and solid and firm. Because those three weeks without play do worry me a bit. They worry me in what narratives might be pulled upon and end up dominating the discourse over such a long period of time. Thinking of it makes me preemptively tired.
So, let’s hope that the boys come through with an absolute classic of a win. Leave us with no doubt that the signs of life we’re seeing are real. Three points. Committed and impassioned play. And then a three week break leaving the fandom wishing we could get to the next match asap.