Liverpool have spent an incredible amount of money trying to improve their attack.
Alexander Isak arrived for a British-record fee. Florian Wirtz was another huge investment. Hugo Ekitike, Bradley Barcola and the rest of the attacking rebuild have taken Liverpool’s spending on their front four to around £400m.
And yet, after the first part of Andoni Iraola’s reign, it isn’t the attack I’m getting most excited about.
It’s the defence.
That’s probably not what many Liverpool supporters expected when Iraola arrived.
We were promised an attacking-minded coach. Somebody who wants his team to play on the front foot, press aggressively and cause problems for opponents.
Instead, Liverpool have quietly started to become a much harder team to score against.
The 1-0 win at Bournemouth was probably the best example.
Isak got the goal, and obviously that’s what everybody remembers, but the reason Liverpool came away with the three points was the work going on at the other end of the pitch.
Alisson made an important save from Evanilson, while Virgil van Dijk and Jérémy Jacquet dealt with the pressure that Bournemouth put Liverpool under. Ronald Araújo was excellent again at right-back, too.
Liverpool defended their lead.
And I don’t mean that as a criticism.
In fact, I think it’s something we should be encouraged by.
The Guardian made the same observation after the Bournemouth game, pointing out that Liverpool’s £400m front four lacked fluidity and chemistry, while the real stars of the afternoon were in defence. Liverpool had also kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets.
That tells us something.
Liverpool’s attack isn’t finished yet.
But perhaps the defence is getting there quicker.
And I’m starting to think that could actually be a good thing for Iraola.
A new manager doesn’t have to build everything at once.
If you can make your team difficult to beat while you’re still working out exactly how you want to attack, you’ve at least got something to build from.
Iraola himself said after Bournemouth that Liverpool had improved since the opening games and specifically highlighted the three consecutive clean sheets. He also talked about the defensive unit becoming more solid as Jacquet, Van Dijk, Araújo and Kerkez play together more often.
That is important.
Because there were plenty of questions about Liverpool’s defence when the season started.
The opening games weren’t particularly convincing.
There were concerns about transitions.
There were questions about Frimpong and Kerkez.
And there was a lot of discussion about whether Liverpool had enough protection in front of Van Dijk.
But something has changed.
Jacquet has settled.
Van Dijk looks comfortable alongside him.
Araújo has given Liverpool another physically imposing defender who can play at centre-back or right-back.
And Alisson is still capable of producing those moments that can change games.
Suddenly, Liverpool look like a team that can win a match without playing brilliantly.
That’s an important quality.
The Bournemouth game wasn’t a classic.
Neither was the 0-0 draw against Fulham.
But Liverpool got the job done on the south coast, and Iraola was particularly pleased with the way his side handled a difficult environment.
That’s where I think we need to be a little patient.
Of course I want to see the attack clicking.
I want to see Isak getting more chances.
I want to see Wirtz influencing games.
I want to see Barcola running at defenders.
I want to see Gakpo continuing to make things happen.
And I want to see Liverpool create the sort of football that made us excited about Iraola in the first place.
But maybe we’re expecting all of that to happen too quickly.
This is a new manager trying to get a huge squad of players to understand exactly what he wants.
And there are some very expensive new players who are still getting used to each other.
The funny thing is that Isak is actually doing his bit.
His goal at Bournemouth was his fourth Premier League goal in five games, and the winner came after some excellent work from Gakpo down the right.
So it’s not as though Liverpool’s attack has been terrible.
It just hasn’t completely clicked.
There’s a difference.
And that’s why I don’t see the defensive strength as something Liverpool should be worried about.
I’d much rather have a team that is already learning how to defend properly while the attack is still developing than a side scoring plenty but conceding goals every week.
We’ve seen Liverpool teams in recent years where one mistake at the back could undo all the good work going forward.
This feels different.
Liverpool can now grind out a result.
They can protect a lead.
They can survive difficult periods.
And they have players at the back who look increasingly comfortable with what Iraola is asking them to do.
That’s a really good foundation.
The exciting part for me is what happens if the attack eventually catches up.
Imagine this Liverpool team with the defence playing like this and Wirtz finding his best form.
Imagine Isak getting a regular supply of chances.
Imagine Gakpo and Barcola finding another level.
Imagine the midfield finally settling on its best combination.
That’s when I think we could start seeing what Iraola really wants Liverpool to become.
At the moment, I’m seeing a team that is still being built.
And perhaps we’re looking at it from the wrong end.
We’ve spent so much time talking about the £400m attack that it’s easy to forget that a new Liverpool team doesn’t have to become spectacular overnight.
Sometimes you build from the back.
Sometimes you learn how to stop losing before you learn how to win in style.
And I think that’s what we’re seeing.
Liverpool’s defence is giving Iraola something to work with.
It’s giving the attacking players time to find their rhythm.
It’s keeping Liverpool in games when the football isn’t quite right.
And, most importantly, it’s giving this new-look team a bit of an identity.
I still want more from the attack.
There’s no question about that.
But I’m beginning to really like what I’m seeing at the other end.
Liverpool may have spent £400m trying to build an exciting attack.
But right now, it’s their defence that could be laying the foundations for Iraola’s Liverpool.
And if the attack eventually catches up with it, things could get very interesting.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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