One of the biggest talking points for Liverpool supporters during this World Cup has not been the transfer rumours.
It has been the performances of Liverpool’s own players.
Week after week, Reds have been among the standout performers for their national teams.
And the more they impress, the more frustrating last season becomes.
Because it raises one unavoidable question.
Were Liverpool’s problems really about the players?
Or were they about how those players were being used?
The Talent Was Always There
Take Florian Wirtz.
For Germany, he has looked every inch the world-class playmaker Liverpool believed they were signing.
He has dictated matches, created chances and played with confidence and freedom.
Then there is Cody Gakpo.
After struggling in the Netherlands’ opening game, he exploded into life against Sweden with two goals and an assist, looking direct, unpredictable and full of belief.
Alexis Mac Allister has controlled games for Argentina from a deeper midfield role, while Ryan Gravenberch and Virgil van Dijk have both been outstanding for the Netherlands.
Alexander Isak has also continued his excellent form for Sweden, reminding everyone why Liverpool invested so heavily in the striker.
The common theme is impossible to ignore.
Liverpool’s players are performing.
Liverpool Looked Nothing Like This
Compare those performances with what supporters witnessed for much of last season.
Too often Liverpool looked slow.
Predictable.
Lacking confidence.
Creative players appeared restricted.
Attackers rarely looked free to express themselves.
The intensity that once defined Liverpool gradually disappeared.
Watching the same players flourish at the World Cup only reinforces the feeling that something was fundamentally wrong at club level.
Were the Tactics Holding Them Back?
No manager deliberately wants talented players to underperform.
But tactical systems can either enhance a player’s strengths or expose their weaknesses.
Last season, several Liverpool players appeared uncomfortable.
Gakpo often drifted into predictable patterns.
Wirtz never seemed to find his natural rhythm.
Mac Allister frequently played in roles that limited his influence.
Looking at the World Cup, many supporters are beginning to wonder whether the issue was not the individuals, but the system surrounding them.
Confidence Matters
Footballers thrive on confidence.
When they feel trusted, they take risks.
They play instinctively.
They express themselves.
That has been evident throughout the tournament.
Liverpool’s players suddenly look relaxed again.
They are making quicker decisions.
Playing with greater freedom.
And producing performances far closer to the standards supporters expected all along.
Iraola Inherits a Better Squad Than Many Think
The encouraging aspect for Liverpool supporters is what this means for Andoni Iraola.
The Spaniard is not inheriting a squad lacking quality.
He is inheriting a squad full of players who are proving on the international stage that they remain among the best in their positions.
His task is not to replace them.
It is to unlock them.
If his aggressive, front-foot philosophy allows players such as Wirtz, Gakpo, Mac Allister and Gravenberch to play with the same confidence they are showing at the World Cup, Liverpool may already possess the foundations of another outstanding team.
A Frustrating Reminder
Perhaps that is what makes the World Cup so bittersweet for Liverpool supporters.
There is pride in seeing so many Reds excel.
But there is also frustration.
Because every impressive display serves as another reminder that this level of performance could perhaps have been seen at Anfield far more often.
The talent never disappeared.
The World Cup is proving that.
The challenge for Andoni Iraola now is to ensure Liverpool supporters see that version of their players every single week.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
Leave a Reply