The Kopite View

Andy Robertson knows exactly what Liverpool supporters want to see from Florian Wirtz.

They want the £100m-plus signing to start deciding matches.

They want goals.

They want assists.

They want those moments of magic that made him one of the most exciting young players in European football.

And after watching Wirtz’s difficult start to this season, it would be easy to forget just how highly Liverpool’s players rate him.

Robertson certainly hasn’t.

The former Liverpool defender has offered a fascinating insight into Wirtz, describing him as “a really special footballer” while also acknowledging that the German still has to prove he can consistently produce his best football in the Premier League.

And perhaps most importantly, Robertson believes Wirtz could already have had significantly better numbers at Liverpool.

“He Could Easily Have Ended Up With 10–12 Assists”

This is the part of Robertson’s comments that really caught my attention.

He pointed out that there were occasions last season when Wirtz would put the ball “on a plate” for teammates and they simply didn’t finish the chances.

Robertson believes Wirtz could easily have ended last season with 10–12 assists.

That doesn’t mean Wirtz should be completely excused for his numbers.

He still has to create more.

He still has to score more.

And he still has to prove that he can consistently dominate Premier League matches.

But there is an important distinction between creating nothing and creating chances that aren’t being converted.

Those are two very different problems.

And Robertson has watched Wirtz close enough to understand the difference.

Wirtz Has Not Suddenly Forgotten How to Play Football

This is what I find slightly frustrating about some of the criticism surrounding Wirtz.

Yes, he has struggled.

Yes, his performances have not consistently matched the enormous expectations that came with his transfer.

And yes, he needs to improve.

But we are talking about a player who was outstanding for Bayer Leverkusen before moving to Liverpool.

The talent hasn’t disappeared.

The technique hasn’t disappeared.

The vision hasn’t disappeared.

The ability to see passes that other players don’t see hasn’t disappeared.

Liverpool’s problem is getting all of those qualities to consistently appear in the Premier League.

And that’s not necessarily something that happens overnight.

Wirtz himself admitted before the Bournemouth game that Liverpool wanted more points from their opening matches, but described the team as having “a good base to build on.”

That applies to him too.

He Still Has Something to Prove

I actually like that Robertson didn’t simply come out and defend Wirtz unconditionally.

He said:

“I see a really special footballer, but I know he’s got to prove he can do it in the Premier League.”

That’s fair.

That’s exactly what Wirtz has to do.

It doesn’t matter what he achieved in Germany.

It doesn’t matter how much Liverpool paid for him.

It doesn’t matter how highly other players rate him.

The Premier League is where he has to produce.

And this season has been another reminder of that.

Wirtz is yet to score in the Premier League this campaign and has only one assist so far, while his latest performance at Bournemouth again attracted criticism.

But that doesn’t mean the answer is to give up on him.

Far from it.

The Mentality Is What Encourages Me

The most important part of Robertson’s comments might actually have nothing to do with assists.

It is what he said about Wirtz’s mentality.

“He’s really hungry as a player and he wants to be the best.”

That matters.

A player struggling to adapt to a new league can go one of two ways.

They can hide.

Or they can demand more from themselves.

According to Robertson, Wirtz is firmly in the second category.

And that’s exactly what Liverpool need.

Because there is no shortcut here.

Wirtz needs to adapt.

He needs to become more comfortable with the physicality and intensity of English football.

He needs to understand his teammates.

He needs to understand Iraola’s demands.

And his teammates need to understand him.

That last part is particularly important.

Liverpool Need to Give Wirtz Something to Work With

Robertson’s comments about those missed chances are worth remembering.

A creative player can only do so much.

If you create a brilliant chance and your teammate misses it, you don’t receive an assist.

The statistics simply record that the chance wasn’t converted.

Nobody looks at the assist column afterwards and says:

“Actually, Wirtz created a fantastic opportunity there.”

They see zero.

That’s football.

But over a long enough period, those chances can become goals and assists.

And that’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if Wirtz’s numbers eventually start to accelerate.

We’ve already seen flashes.

We’ve seen the technique.

We’ve seen the movement.

We’ve seen the passing.

We’ve seen him score important goals for Liverpool.

The challenge is making it happen every week.

Iraola Has a Big Role to Play

This is where Andoni Iraola comes into the equation.

Liverpool didn’t spend huge money on Wirtz simply to put him into the same system that existed before.

Iraola has his own ideas.

He wants aggressive football.

He wants movement.

He wants players to rotate.

He wants his attacking players to find spaces between the lines.

Wirtz should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of that.

But the manager also has to find the right balance.

We’ve already discussed Liverpool’s midfield problem and Iraola’s desire for a No.6, No.8 and No.10.

Wirtz is naturally suited to that final role.

He needs freedom.

He needs runners around him.

He needs players making movements beyond him.

And, crucially, he needs the team to get him on the ball in dangerous areas.

If Liverpool can create that environment, we could see a very different Wirtz.

Imagine If Robertson Is Right

This is the exciting part.

Imagine Wirtz starts converting the chances he creates into assists.

Imagine Isak continues scoring.

Imagine Gakpo continues making those aggressive runs.

Imagine Barcola becomes more comfortable in the Premier League.

Suddenly Wirtz’s numbers could look very different.

And that’s before considering his own goals.

He doesn’t need to become a 20-goal midfielder.

He needs to become the player who consistently makes things happen.

The player teammates look for when Liverpool need something.

The player who can unlock a defence with one pass.

The player who can decide a game.

That’s why Liverpool signed him.

I’m Not Giving Up on Florian Wirtz

There is plenty of legitimate criticism to make of Wirtz.

He needs to improve.

He needs to become more influential.

He needs to score.

He needs to create more.

And he needs to show Liverpool supporters that he can perform at this level consistently.

But I don’t see a player who has suddenly lost his ability.

I see a hugely talented footballer who is still trying to find his place in a new league and a new team.

And Andy Robertson’s comments should remind Liverpool supporters that the players around Wirtz see something different to the numbers alone.

Robertson has watched him train.

He has played alongside him.

He has seen the passes.

He has seen the chances.

He has seen the mentality.

And he believes Wirtz has what it takes to become one of the best.

That’s good enough for me for now.

Because the most important thing Robertson said wasn’t that Wirtz could have had 10–12 assists.

It was this:

“He wants to be the best. He’s got the attitude and mentality to go and do it.”

Now we need to see it.

The international break gives Wirtz another opportunity to reset.

When Liverpool return, I want to see the German take the next step.

Not one brilliant game.

Not one moment of magic.

Consistency.

That’s what will turn Florian Wirtz from an incredibly talented Liverpool player into the superstar everyone expected him to become.

Jamie (The Kopite View)

Alexis Mac Allister is playing the best football we have seen from him in a Liverpool shirt for well over a year.

And yet, somehow, I don’t think Liverpool’s midfield problem has been completely solved.

That might sound strange after watching Mac Allister’s recent performances.

But this is less about one individual player and more about how the three midfielders fit together.

According to Lewis Steele, Andoni Iraola does not believe Liverpool’s midfield conundrum is necessarily a personnel problem.

Instead, he wants his midfield to have a clear structure:

One No.6.
One No.8.
One No.10.

On paper, that sounds straightforward.

In reality, it hasn’t always looked that way.

Because Liverpool have too often ended up with three players wanting to operate in the same areas.

And that is where Trey Nyoni becomes extremely interesting.

Mac Allister Has Rediscovered Himself

Let’s start with the obvious positive.

Alexis Mac Allister looks like Alexis Mac Allister again.

There was a period last season when the Argentine didn’t look anything like the player Liverpool supporters had become accustomed to seeing.

His influence wasn’t the same.

His sharpness wasn’t the same.

And there were games when it felt like Liverpool were missing his ability to control the tempo from midfield.

That has changed.

Iraola clearly appreciates what Mac Allister brings.

He described him as a “smart player” after his performance against Ipswich, specifically praising his understanding of positioning.

And Mac Allister was back in the starting XI for Liverpool’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth.

That was significant.

Because Iraola could have gone with other combinations.

Instead, Macca was trusted again.

And right now, he looks like one of the first names on the teamsheet.

But What Exactly Is Iraola Looking For?

This is where the midfield discussion gets fascinating.

Iraola wants a No.6.

Someone who can sit.

Someone who understands positioning.

Someone who protects the defence.

Then he wants a No.8.

Someone capable of covering ground, progressing the ball and contributing at both ends.

And then there is the No.10.

That player gets freedom.

They find pockets.

They connect midfield with the attack.

They create.

They take risks.

The problem is that Liverpool have several players who naturally want to be that third player.

They want to be the No.10.

And when that happens, the midfield can become crowded.

Players get in each other’s way.

The distances become wrong.

The No.6 gets dragged forward.

The No.8 wants to attack.

The No.10 drops deeper to find the ball.

Suddenly Liverpool have three midfielders occupying the same zones.

That’s not necessarily a lack of quality.

It is a lack of balance.

And This Is Why Trey Nyoni Has Become So Interesting

Trey Nyoni might offer Iraola something different.

The 19-year-old has already impressed in cameos and cup football this season, and his performance against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup only strengthened the argument that he deserves more opportunities.

What I particularly like is that Nyoni doesn’t appear desperate to prove himself by constantly trying to do everything with the ball.

He is willing to work.

He is willing to press.

He is willing to tackle.

He is willing to cover ground.

And that could be exactly what Iraola needs.

Lewis Steele’s reporting has highlighted Nyoni’s willingness to do the defensive work that Liverpool’s midfield has sometimes lacked.

That is hugely important.

Because perhaps the answer isn’t finding another player who can operate as a No.10.

Perhaps the answer is finding somebody who doesn’t need to.

Imagine Mac Allister and Nyoni Together

This is the combination I would really like to see tested.

Mac Allister alongside Nyoni.

One player who can control the game.

One player who can provide energy and defensive discipline.

Then put your attacking midfielder in front of them.

Suddenly the roles become much clearer.

Mac Allister can dictate.

Nyoni can cover.

The No.10 can attack.

And Liverpool have a midfield with different characteristics rather than three players trying to influence the same areas.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Nyoni should immediately replace a senior player every week.

He’s still only 19.

He has a huge amount to learn.

And there will inevitably be games where the physical and tactical demands are too much.

But that’s precisely why I think he should be given the opportunity.

We need to find out.

The Tottenham Game Was Another Big Step

Nyoni started Liverpool’s 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham, alongside Mac Allister and James McConnell.

And Iraola was delighted with the youngsters’ intensity and willingness to compete.

Nyoni eventually had to come off after cramping, which perhaps told its own story.

He had given everything.

Iraola specifically praised the young players for their energy and their willingness to win duels and make their presence felt.

That is exactly the sort of footballer I want in Liverpool’s midfield.

Not because every midfielder needs to be a destroyer.

But because somebody has to do the dirty work.

You cannot have everybody wanting to be the creative player.

Somebody needs to run.

Somebody needs to cover.

Somebody needs to make the tackle that allows the more creative players to stay higher.

And Nyoni looks increasingly comfortable doing that.

What Happens to Gravenberch and Szoboszlai?

This is where things become uncomfortable.

Because there is no question that Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai are excellent footballers.

But Iraola’s comments suggest that simply putting your three most talented midfielders on the pitch isn’t necessarily the answer.

They need to complement each other.

Gravenberch has tremendous athletic ability.

Szoboszlai can cover enormous distances and possesses a terrific strike.

Mac Allister has the intelligence and technical ability to control games.

But if all three are constantly trying to influence the attacking phase, Liverpool can lose their structure.

And we’ve seen that already.

The midfield has sometimes looked like a collection of talented individuals rather than a perfectly functioning unit.

That is something Iraola has to solve.

Nyoni Doesn’t Need to Be the Finished Article

I’m not suggesting Trey Nyoni is suddenly the answer to everything.

That would be ridiculous.

He is 19.

There will be mistakes.

There will be games where he struggles.

There will be moments when Premier League football exposes his lack of experience.

That’s part of developing young players.

But Liverpool don’t need Nyoni to be perfect.

They need him to offer something different.

And that’s what makes his emergence so exciting.

Iraola isn’t afraid to give young players opportunities.

We’ve already seen that.

Nyoni has been trusted in cup football, has impressed in cameos and has now started a major domestic cup tie.

The next logical step is surely to give him a proper Premier League opportunity.

Not necessarily against Manchester City.

Not necessarily for 90 minutes.

But give him 20 or 30 minutes.

Then perhaps another half-hour.

Let him experience the pace.

Let him learn.

And if he keeps impressing, eventually the question becomes much harder for Iraola to ignore.

Maybe Liverpool’s Midfield Conundrum Isn’t About Finding Better Players

This is the point I keep coming back to.

Perhaps Liverpool don’t actually need to buy another midfielder to solve this problem.

Perhaps they need to use the midfielders they already have differently.

Mac Allister’s resurgence is a huge positive.

Wirtz gives Liverpool a natural creative presence further forward.

Szoboszlai provides energy and goals.

Gravenberch provides athleticism and ball-carrying.

And now Nyoni is pushing his way into the conversation.

The pieces are there.

The question is how Iraola puts them together.

And if his midfield really is built around a No.6, No.8 and No.10, then the player who can accept his role rather than constantly looking for the No.10 position could become incredibly valuable.

That might be Trey Nyoni.

It’s Time to Find Out What He Can Do

I don’t want Liverpool to throw Nyoni into the deep end simply because he’s young and exciting.

But I also don’t want us to reach May and wonder why we never gave him a genuine opportunity.

He is knocking on the door now.

Mac Allister is playing some of his best football in years.

Iraola is still searching for the right midfield balance.

And Nyoni might just possess one of the qualities Liverpool need most:

discipline.

Give Mac Allister the ball.

Give the No.10 freedom.

And let Nyoni do the work that allows them both to flourish.

Maybe that’s the midfield combination Liverpool have been looking for.

We won’t know until Iraola gives it a proper chance.

But after everything we’ve seen from Nyoni so far, I think he’s earned that chance.

Jamie (The Kopite View)

Liverpool supporters have been waiting almost an entire year to see Giovanni Leoni play football again.

The temptation will naturally be there to get him back onto the pitch as quickly as possible.

But Liverpool aren’t going to take that approach.

According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, the Reds will not rush Leoni back from his ACL injury or take any unnecessary risks with the young defender after he has spent a whole year on the sidelines.

And honestly?

That is exactly what I want to hear.

Leoni has already been through enough.

One Year After That Horrible Night

It is almost impossible to believe that Leoni has been a Liverpool player for more than a year and has played just 81 competitive minutes for the club.

His Liverpool career started with so much promise.

He arrived from Parma as one of Italy’s most exciting young defenders and was handed his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup last September.

For 80 minutes, he looked like a player who belonged.

Then came the moment nobody wanted to see.

Leoni landed awkwardly following a challenge and immediately knew something was seriously wrong.

The scans confirmed the worst.

ACL injury.

Arne Slot subsequently revealed that Leoni would be out for around a year.

Just imagine being 18 years old, moving to a new country, making your Liverpool debut and playing brilliantly — only for your season to be effectively ended in the final minutes.

It was brutal.

But Now There Is Finally Light at the End of the Tunnel

The good news is that Leoni is finally getting closer.

Liverpool’s latest official injury update said the plan was for him to return to team training during the September/October international break.

That is a huge milestone.

Not a return to Premier League football.

Not a return to the starting XI.

Just training with his teammates.

But after everything Leoni has been through, even that will be a brilliant moment.

The defender himself spoke about his recovery in August and said he could finally see “the light at the end of the tunnel”.

He had returned to individual running and ball work and admitted that the thought of playing in front of Liverpool supporters again was something he had been dreaming about since the injury.

I can’t imagine what that first appearance back at Anfield is going to feel like for him.

Or for the supporters.

Liverpool Have No Reason to Take Risks

This is where the current Liverpool squad actually gives Iraola an advantage.

There is no need to throw Leoni straight back into Premier League football.

Virgil van Dijk is still here.

Jeremy Jacquet has emerged as one of Liverpool’s most encouraging young defenders.

Ronald Araujo can also provide defensive options.

And Joe Gomez is back available after his own injury problems.

That means Liverpool can afford to be patient with Leoni.

Football Insider’s report says precisely that Liverpool don’t want to take unnecessary risks with him after such a lengthy absence.

Good.

Let him train.

Let him build up his fitness.

Let him regain confidence in his knee.

Let him get used to the speed and physicality of competitive football again.

There is absolutely no prize for getting him back two weeks earlier if it means putting his recovery at risk.

And Iraola Could Have the Perfect Plan

I actually think Iraola could handle Leoni’s comeback really well.

There is no expectation that he needs to immediately become a first-choice defender.

Instead, Liverpool can gradually introduce him.

Perhaps a few minutes from the bench.

Then 20 or 30 minutes.

Then longer appearances.

Domestic cup football could provide an ideal route back into competitive action.

And if Liverpool are comfortably ahead in a Premier League match, there could eventually be opportunities for Leoni to get some minutes there too.

The important thing is that his return doesn’t have to be rushed.

He’s only 19.

His Liverpool career is about what happens over the next decade, not whether he plays 90 minutes in September or October 2026.

There Is Another Reason I’m Excited

Liverpool supporters barely saw Leoni before the injury.

That’s the frustrating thing.

We saw enough in those 81 minutes to understand why Liverpool were so excited about him, but we never got the opportunity to see him develop.

Now he is returning to a completely different Liverpool team.

Andoni Iraola is the manager.

Jacquet has emerged.

Araujo is playing at right-back.

The defensive structure looks much more secure.

And Leoni has spent an entire year learning, recovering and watching from the sidelines.

He has also spoken about working with Iraola on how he wants Liverpool to play.

Leoni revealed in his official Liverpool interview that the pair have already discussed his injury, rehabilitation and the tactical demands of Iraola’s system.

That is exciting.

Because when Leoni finally returns, he won’t simply be coming back to the Liverpool team he left behind.

He will be joining Iraola’s Liverpool.

Don’t Expect Miracles Immediately

We should also remember that an ACL comeback isn’t simply about being medically cleared.

Leoni may be fit enough to play before he feels completely like himself again.

The pace of Premier League football is different.

The physical battles are different.

The psychological side of returning after a serious knee injury is different.

Leoni himself admitted that he expects to feel nervous when he eventually plays again after such a long absence.

That’s completely understandable.

So I don’t want supporters judging him after his first game back.

If he misjudges a challenge, looks rusty or needs time to regain his sharpness, that’s fine.

Let the kid breathe.

He’s been waiting a year for this.

Liverpool Have a Special Player Waiting to Come Back

There is no guarantee of what Leoni will eventually become.

That’s football.

But Liverpool clearly saw enormous potential when they signed him from Parma, and his debut suggested there was plenty of reason for excitement.

Now the club has to protect that investment.

Don’t rush him.

Don’t take unnecessary risks.

Don’t throw him into three games in seven days simply because supporters are desperate to see him.

Build him back gradually.

Give him the time he needs.

And then, when he is genuinely ready, let him show us what he can do.

Liverpool supporters have already waited almost a year.

We can wait a little longer.

Because when Giovanni Leoni finally walks back onto that pitch, I don’t want Liverpool to be celebrating simply because he’s available again.

I want him to be ready.

And if Liverpool get that part right, we could finally discover what we were supposed to see all those months ago.

Giovanni Leoni’s Liverpool story is only just beginning.

Jamie (The Kopite View)

Six months? For doing 36mph in a 30? Come on. Was the judge an Evertonian?

That was my first reaction when I saw the news that Mohamed Salah had been banned from driving for six months and ordered to pay £1,044 following an incident involving his Rolls-Royce in Wilmslow.

The incident took place on March 27, just three days after Salah announced that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season following nine remarkable years at the club.

His Rolls-Royce had been recorded by a speed camera travelling at 36mph in a 30mph zone.

Now, speeding is speeding. Speed limits exist for a reason, and nobody should receive special treatment simply because they are a world-famous footballer.

But six months?

For 36mph?

Liverpool supporters could be forgiven for wondering whether someone had been sitting in the courtroom wearing a blue scarf beneath their robes.

But There Is More to the Story

Before we accuse every magistrate in Cheshire of secretly supporting Everton, there is an important distinction to make.

Salah was not actually convicted of the original speeding offence.

That charge was withdrawn.

Instead, he was convicted of failing to provide information about who was driving the vehicle after police sent him a notice of intended prosecution.

According to court records, Salah did not respond to the notice or enter a plea. The case was subsequently dealt with under the Single Justice Procedure at Warrington Combined Court.

That failure to provide driver details is what led to the six-month driving ban.

Cheshire Constabulary treats it as a separate offence, and a conviction carries six penalty points.

So the situation is not simply:

> “Mohamed Salah drove at 36mph, therefore he was banned for six months.”

The court was dealing with his failure to identify the driver, not merely the speed recorded by the camera.

That is an important distinction.

Still… Six Months?

Even with that clarification, the punishment is difficult to ignore.

The vehicle was recorded travelling at 36mph in a 30mph zone — just six miles per hour above the limit.

Cheshire Police state that motorists recorded at speeds up to 42mph in a 30mph zone may potentially be considered for a driver awareness course, although there is no automatic entitlement to one.

That is not what happened in this case because the matter became one of failing to provide driver information.

Nevertheless, when the headline reads “Mohamed Salah banned from driving for six months”, it sounds remarkably severe when compared with the original speed involved.

The £1,044 payment also was not simply a £1,044 speeding fine. The reported figure includes the financial penalties and costs associated with the court proceedings.

The headline, therefore, makes the punishment sound even more dramatic than the initial incident.

The Timing Is Remarkable

There is another curious detail.

Salah was caught on March 27.

Just three days earlier, on March 24, he had publicly confirmed that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season.

After nine years at Anfield, one of the greatest players in the club’s modern history was preparing to say goodbye.

Liverpool described him as having “firmly established himself as one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history”.

That was hardly an exaggeration.

Salah left Liverpool having scored 257 goals in 442 appearances, while winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, two League Cups and an FA Cup.

Imagine telling Liverpool supporters at the time that, within a few months, one of the stories surrounding Salah would involve a six-month driving ban after his Rolls-Royce was recorded travelling at 36mph.

Football really does take you in unexpected directions.

Surely the Judge Wasn’t an Evertonian?

Of course, I’m joking.

Probably.

Hopefully.

There is no evidence whatsoever that the magistrate involved in the case supports Everton.

But as a Liverpool supporter, I reserve the right to ask questions.

Six months, though?

For a player who gave Liverpool nine years of extraordinary football, unforgettable goals, trophies and European nights, seeing Salah’s name alongside a six-month driving ban feels strangely surreal.

And before anyone accuses me of defending speeding because he is Mohamed Salah, I am not.

If you break the law, you have to accept the consequences.

However, there is a difference between accepting that an offence deserves punishment and questioning whether the punishment appears disproportionate when compared with the original incident.

The key point is that the six-month ban resulted from the failure to provide driver details, not simply from travelling at 36mph.

That is what Liverpool supporters should bear in mind when reading the story.

One Final Salah Story We Didn’t Expect

Salah has now moved on from Liverpool and is playing his football in Turkey with Trabzonspor.

He has reportedly made an excellent start, scoring seven league goals in his first six matches.

Liverpool supporters will continue to follow his goals from afar, but this is certainly an unexpected chapter in the Mohamed Salah story.

The man who spent nine years terrorising Premier League defenders in a Liverpool shirt is now making headlines for an entirely different reason.

And perhaps the strangest part is how minor the original incident sounds when stated plainly:

36mph.

In a 30.

Six-month driving ban.

£1,044.

I’m sorry, but there is only one question left.

Was the judge an Evertonian?

Jamie (The Kopite View)

Liverpool go into the international break with four wins from their last five games, three consecutive Premier League clean sheets and, perhaps most importantly, the beginnings of a pattern.

That matters to me more than simply looking at the results.

Because results can come and go.

Patterns are different.

When Andoni Iraola arrived at Liverpool, so much of the conversation naturally centred around what his team might become going forward.

Bradley Barcola and Victor Muñoz had arrived. Alexander Isak was fit again. Florian Wirtz had been brought in for enormous money.

And Iraola had built his reputation on aggressive, attractive and front-foot football.

Five Premier League games into the season, though, the most striking development has actually been happening at the other end of the pitch.

Liverpool conceded twice against Newcastle and twice against Nottingham Forest in their opening two league matches.

Since then, Ipswich, Fulham and Bournemouth have all failed to score.

Liverpool’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth was particularly significant.

This is a difficult place to go, and Iraola’s team had to withstand pressure before eventually finding a way to win. Bournemouth had plenty of territory and delivered a huge number of crosses, but Liverpool’s defence consistently dealt with the danger.

It was also Liverpool’s third consecutive Premier League clean sheet — their longest such run since September 2024.

And that feels important because this was a type of Liverpool performance we rarely saw last season.

The Defensive Numbers Are Starting to Tell a Story

I always think statistics become most interesting when they identify a trend rather than simply describe a result.

Expected goals is a good example.

xG is not perfect. A player can run clean through, fail to get a shot away and register no xG at all. An air shot produces the same problem.

It should never be treated as an infallible measurement of what happened.

But it can be extremely useful for identifying patterns.

Liverpool allowed around 0.7 xG against both Ipswich and Fulham, before restricting Bournemouth to around 0.8 xG depending on the data provider. Three matches is obviously a small sample, but the consistency is encouraging.

More importantly, watching those games has produced the same feeling.

Liverpool are becoming much harder to break down.

How many genuinely dangerous Bournemouth moments were there?

Alisson made one particularly good save from Evanilson in the first half, but I never felt Liverpool were constantly on the verge of conceding.

Fulham barely threatened unless Liverpool presented them with an opportunity.

Ipswich struggled to create anything substantial.

That is what interests me.

Liverpool aren’t simply keeping clean sheets because the opposition are missing chances.

There appears to be a growing ability to control where the danger comes from.

Bournemouth got into Liverpool territory and put cross after cross into the penalty area.

Yet Liverpool’s defenders kept winning the important battles.

Territory only matters if you can turn it into danger.

Jacquet, Van Dijk and Araujo Are Giving Liverpool a Foundation

Jeremy Jacquet is becoming one of the most encouraging developments of Iraola’s early Liverpool reign.

The young centre-back was voted Liverpool’s Player of the Match by supporters at Bournemouth after another impressive performance.

And alongside Virgil van Dijk, he is beginning to look extremely comfortable.

Then you add Ronald Araujo.

The Uruguayan’s presence at right-back gives Liverpool something slightly different.

He is enormous, aggressive and physically capable of dealing with the sort of situations that can cause problems for a full-back.

At Bournemouth, Van Dijk made 12 clearances alone, while Jacquet contributed tackles, interceptions, a block and clearances as Liverpool repeatedly dealt with the hosts’ attacks.

This is beginning to look like a proper defensive foundation.

And Alisson deserves to be right in the middle of this conversation.

His save from Evanilson was one of those moments that can completely change a match, and the goalkeeper himself admitted after the game that sometimes you have very little to do before suddenly needing to produce one big save.

Alisson, Van Dijk, Jacquet and Araujo.

That is an awful lot of defensive quality.

Iraola may have arrived at Liverpool with attacking football attached to his name, but he is quickly discovering that building a team capable of defending properly is just as important.

Cody Gakpo Is Giving Iraola Exactly What He Needs

The attacking football isn’t completely clicking yet.

But Cody Gakpo deserves enormous credit for the way he has responded.

At Bournemouth, Gakpo created three chances and won nine of his 16 duels.

That final statistic really stood out to me.

Because it shows the physical side of his game.

Gakpo has never been a player who simply wants the ball at his feet and waits for something to happen.

He is working.

He is competing.

And he is producing.

His involvement in the winning goal at Bournemouth summed it up perfectly.

There appeared to be very little available down the right, but Gakpo took on his opponent, drove forward and delivered the ball into the penalty area.

Wirtz challenged for it.

The ball fell loose.

And Isak finished.

Gakpo doesn’t get the goal or the assist, but without his run and delivery, Liverpool probably don’t score.

There is another interesting pattern here.

Gakpo has provided the assist for all four of Isak’s Premier League goals this season.

That is quite some partnership considering Liverpool’s attack is supposedly still trying to find its rhythm.

And for all the criticism Gakpo received last season, he has responded in exactly the right way.

Right now, if Liverpool had to play a Champions League final tomorrow, Gakpo would be in my strongest XI.

That tells you how well he has responded.

Isak Is Getting the Chances Liverpool Need Him to Get

Then there is Alexander Isak.

Four Premier League goals already.

That is more than he managed throughout the entirety of last season’s Premier League campaign, when he scored three times in 14 appearances.

And the underlying numbers help explain why.

Isak has taken 15 shots and accumulated 3.54 xG in just 415 Premier League minutes this season.

The important part isn’t simply that he is scoring.

It is that Liverpool are getting him into dangerous positions.

The Bournemouth goal was exactly the sort of opportunity I want to see more often.

Gakpo creates the situation.

Wirtz is involved.

The ball drops inside the penalty area.

Isak is there.

Finish.

Sometimes analysing a striker can become unnecessarily complicated.

If your centre-forward is repeatedly finding himself inside the penalty area and getting shots away, you’re already doing something right.

Isak is capable of much more than simply finishing chances.

We saw at Newcastle that he can bully defenders, carry the ball, link play and contribute to the pressing game.

But right now?

Get him into the box.

Let the goals do the talking.

The Next Four Games Will Tell Us a Lot

This is where things get particularly interesting.

Liverpool’s next Premier League run will provide a much stronger examination of everything Iraola has been building.

Manchester City are next at Anfield, followed by a demanding sequence of fixtures.

And City and Brighton are currently among the division’s highest-scoring teams.

So Liverpool are about to discover whether these defensive improvements are genuinely becoming a repeatable feature of the team.

That is the test.

Can Jacquet and Van Dijk continue to dominate?

Can Araujo provide that physical security from right-back?

Can Alisson continue producing the big saves when Liverpool need them?

Can the midfield protect the defence?

And, at the other end, can Gakpo, Wirtz, Barcola and Isak finally start producing the attacking football we expected when Iraola arrived?

Because that is the exciting part.

Liverpool don’t need to be perfect yet.

They just need to keep developing.

Four wins from five is encouraging.

Three consecutive clean sheets is encouraging.

Isak scoring four times in five league appearances is encouraging.

Gakpo creating chances and repeatedly setting up Isak is encouraging.

But the biggest encouragement for me is that Liverpool are beginning to look like a team with an identity.

Not necessarily the finished Iraola team.

Not yet.

But the foundations are becoming visible.

There is a defensive wall developing around Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet and Van Dijk.

Gakpo looks revitalised, productive and willing to do the physical work Iraola demands.

Isak is getting more opportunities in the areas where elite strikers make their money.

And the attack still has another level to find.

That is why I’m going into this international break feeling more optimistic than I was a few weeks ago.

Liverpool aren’t playing their best football yet.

But they are starting to become difficult to beat.

And if Iraola can combine that defensive solidity with the attacking football we know he wants to produce, Liverpool could eventually become a very different proposition.

For now, keep the xG conceded low.

Keep winning those defensive battles.

Keep getting the ball to Alexander Isak inside the box.

The results are good.

The pattern developing underneath them could be even more important.

Jamie (The Kopite View)

The international break may have taken most of Liverpool’s first-team squad away from Kirkby, but Andoni Iraola has still got plenty of work to do.

And Tuesday night’s EFL Trophy trip to Rochdale could provide the perfect opportunity.

Liverpool’s U21s travel to the Crown Oil Arena for a 7pm kick-off, and a number of senior players who have remained at the club could potentially get some valuable minutes.

According to Jack Lusby, Freddie Woodman, Joe Gomez, Luke Chambers, Wataru Endo, James McConnell and Jayden Danns are among those who could feature.

And if Iraola decides to use the game in that way, it could be hugely beneficial.

A different kind of international break

Iraola explained before the break that Liverpool would continue training with the players who remained at the club after giving them some time off.

That’s important because Liverpool have a huge run of fixtures coming up after the internationals return.

The manager therefore needs his fringe players to be ready.

A game against Rochdale gives some of those players the opportunity to get competitive football rather than simply training for a couple of weeks.

And for a player like Gomez, who has had his own injury problems, getting minutes could be particularly useful.

The same applies to Endo and Woodman, while youngsters such as McConnell and Danns can benefit enormously from playing alongside more experienced senior players.

The EFL Trophy is perfect for this

There can sometimes be a tendency to look down on the EFL Trophy when Premier League academy sides are involved.

I don’t.

For Liverpool, this competition can be incredibly useful.

The rules allow academy sides to field over-age players, meaning Liverpool can mix their youngsters with senior professionals.

That’s exactly what you want from a competition like this.

The young players get experience of playing against senior opposition.

The senior players who aren’t getting regular Premier League football get competitive minutes.

And Iraola gets another opportunity to look at players who may become important later in the season.

Everybody gets something out of it.

Liverpool’s youngsters are already flying

There is another reason to be interested in this game.

Liverpool U21s come into the match after an emphatic 5-1 victory over Brighton U21s.

Will Wright scored twice, while Josh Sonni-Lambie, Joe Bradshaw and an own goal completed the scoring. Jayden Danns also came off the bench for the final 35 minutes and impressed.

So this isn’t simply a case of throwing a few senior players into an inexperienced side.

There are some exciting young players already performing well.

Adding experienced first-team players to that group could make the team even stronger.

And it gives Iraola the chance to see how some of the academy players cope when playing alongside senior professionals.

Don’t forget Doncaster

Rochdale isn’t the only opportunity.

Liverpool U21s will travel to Doncaster Rovers on October 6, with that match also scheduled for 7pm.

That could prove particularly useful for players who aren’t involved against Rochdale.

It could also be ideal for those returning from injury.

If a senior player gets 45 or 60 minutes against Rochdale, perhaps he can build that towards a longer appearance against Doncaster.

Liverpool have another EFL Trophy group game against Huddersfield Town in November too, although by then the first-team squad should be back into its normal rhythm.

This is what squad management is all about

Liverpool’s schedule after the international break is going to be demanding.

Manchester City.

Champions League football.

Premier League fixtures.

The Carabao Cup.

More Champions League football.

And Arsenal.

Iraola is going to need far more than his strongest XI.

He’s going to need players coming off the bench and contributing.

He’s going to need fringe players to be ready when injuries and fatigue inevitably arrive.

And he’s going to need young players to show that they’re capable of stepping up when required.

That’s why these EFL Trophy games matter.

They aren’t meaningless fixtures for Liverpool.

They’re opportunities.

Gomez and Endo could be particularly important

Two of the names that immediately stand out are Gomez and Endo.

Neither has been a regular starter this season, but both have plenty of experience.

Gomez’s ability to play across the defence makes him particularly valuable, especially during a season where Liverpool will be competing on several fronts.

Endo brings something different in midfield.

If Iraola needs more defensive security in certain matches, having an experienced holding midfielder available could prove useful.

Getting them both minutes during the international break could therefore be a smart move.

And then there is McConnell.

The young midfielder has already shown that he can contribute, and another strong performance could give Iraola something else to think about when the first-team squad returns.

This could be a very useful fortnight

The international break is frustrating because Liverpool’s momentum has been interrupted.

But Iraola can still make it productive.

Most of his first-team players are away representing their countries, so he can’t work with his full squad.

But the players who remain can train.

They can recover.

They can work on individual areas.

And some of them can play competitive football.

Rochdale provides the first opportunity. Doncaster provides another.

For the academy players, these are chances to impress.

For the senior fringe players, they’re chances to get minutes.

And for Iraola, they’re opportunities to learn more about the depth of his squad.

Liverpool are going to need that depth.

Because when the fixtures start piling up again, there won’t be time to discover who is ready.

The players need to be ready before the opportunity arrives.

Jamie (The Kopite View)

When Andoni Iraola was appointed Liverpool manager, I think most supporters had a pretty clear idea of what we were going to get.

Fast. Aggressive. Front-footed. Attacking football.

After watching his Bournemouth sides, there was an expectation that Liverpool would become a completely different proposition going forward.

But five Premier League games into Iraola’s reign, that isn’t really what we’re seeing yet.

In fact, Liverpool’s attack has probably been the biggest disappointment of the opening weeks.

The good news?

The other end of the pitch is looking considerably better.

Liverpool aren’t firing going forward

Let’s be honest about it.

Liverpool have some frightening attacking talent.

Alexander Isak.

Cody Gakpo.

Florian Wirtz.

Bradley Barcola.

And there are other options waiting in the squad.

Yet the attacking football hasn’t consistently matched the quality of the players available.

The 0-0 draw with Fulham was the obvious example, while the 1-0 victory at Bournemouth was another game where Liverpool struggled to create consistently.

Against Bournemouth, Liverpool managed only six shots on goal, with Reuters describing the attacking performance as lacklustre.

That’s not what we expected when Iraola arrived.

We expected Liverpool to be tearing teams apart.

We expected relentless pressure.

We expected the front players to overwhelm opponents.

We’re not there yet.

But look at what Iraola has done defensively

This is where I think we need to give the manager considerable credit.

Liverpool have now kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets.

That’s their longest run without conceding in the league since September 2024.

And it isn’t just about the goalkeeper.

Alisson has been outstanding and produced another huge save at Bournemouth, but the defensive unit in front of him is beginning to look increasingly settled.

Jeremy Jacquet has emerged as a hugely encouraging presence.

Virgil van Dijk remains the leader.

Ronald Araújo is becoming more comfortable.

Milos Kerkez is settling in.

And suddenly Liverpool are starting to look much harder to break down.

Iraola himself said after the Bournemouth victory that the defenders are becoming more solid as a unit as they spend more time playing together.

That is significant.

Perhaps Iraola is building from the back

This wasn’t necessarily what we expected.

But perhaps it’s exactly what Liverpool need.

Iraola inherited a team that finished fifth last season and conceded too many avoidable goals.

So perhaps his first priority isn’t actually to turn Liverpool into an attacking machine.

Perhaps it is to make sure they stop giving games away.

And there are signs that he is doing that.

Liverpool have now won 1-0 at Bournemouth after drawing 0-0 with Fulham.

Those aren’t spectacular results.

But they’re results built around defensive resilience.

When the attack isn’t functioning perfectly, Liverpool are finding ways to stay in games.

That’s something we didn’t always see last season.

And Isak gives us hope

The other reason I’m not overly worried about the attack is Alexander Isak.

The Swedish striker has scored four goals in five Premier League appearances.

That’s an outstanding start considering Liverpool’s attacking play has been far from fluid.

And that’s the exciting part.

What happens when the attack finally clicks?

Isak is already scoring.

Gakpo is producing dangerous moments.

Barcola is showing flashes.

And Wirtz is still searching for his best form.

If those players eventually start operating on the same wavelength, Liverpool should become a completely different attacking proposition.

The Bournemouth match was a perfect example.

Liverpool weren’t brilliant, but Gakpo’s work helped create the winning goal and Isak was in the right place to finish it.

Wirtz is the obvious missing piece

This is probably the biggest concern.

Liverpool signed Wirtz to be one of the players who makes everything happen.

At the moment, he isn’t doing that consistently enough.

His adaptation to English football and Iraola’s system is still ongoing, and his struggles have naturally attracted plenty of attention.

But I’m not ready to write him off.

If Wirtz finds his confidence and starts receiving the ball in the dangerous areas where he can influence games, Liverpool’s attack could suddenly look completely different.

And that’s before we consider what happens when the likes of Barcola, Gakpo and Isak develop greater understanding.

Iraola deserves time

This is the bit I think Liverpool supporters need to remember.

Iraola hasn’t been at Liverpool for years.

He’s trying to implement a completely new way of playing.

He’s learning his players.

The players are learning him.

New signings are adapting.

Young players are trying to establish themselves.

And already, there are signs that one part of his football is taking shape.

Liverpool are becoming difficult to beat.

The attack can come.

In fact, I’m confident it will.

But I’d rather see Iraola build a strong foundation and then add the attacking football on top of it than have Liverpool playing spectacular football while conceding goals every week.

Maybe this isn’t the Liverpool we were expecting – yet

That’s probably the fairest way of looking at it.

Iraola hasn’t given us the swashbuckling attacking Liverpool many of us imagined.

Not yet.

Instead, he’s quietly made them more resilient.

More organised.

More difficult to break down.

And that could ultimately be the foundation on which the attacking Liverpool is built.

The next challenge is obvious.

Keep the defensive solidity while making the attack much more dangerous.

Because if Iraola can get Liverpool defending like this and eventually unlock the attacking talent at his disposal, then we might finally see the Liverpool we were expecting when he walked through the door.

For now, though, perhaps we should appreciate something we weren’t necessarily expecting from Iraola.

He’s making Liverpool hard to beat before he’s made them exciting to watch.

And if he can get both sides of the game working together, Liverpool could become a very different animal indeed.

Jamie (The Kopite View)

Liverpool appear to be keeping a very close eye on the right-back market, with Feyenoord youngster Givairo Read the latest name to be linked with a possible move to Anfield.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are continuing to monitor the Dutch starlet after his impressive start to the new season.

However, the Reds aren’t the only Premier League club interested.

Arsenal and Manchester City are also understood to be monitoring Read, meaning Liverpool could face some serious competition if they eventually decide to make their interest concrete.

Read has started the season brilliantly

The 20-year-old has been one of the standout young defenders in the Eredivisie this season.

Read has contributed five assists in seven league appearances, which immediately tells you something about the attacking side of his game.

He’s clearly not the type of right-back who simply wants to sit deep and defend.

His attacking output is one of the reasons why Liverpool are believed to be interested, with the club continuing to assess potential solutions at right-back.

And it isn’t completely new interest.

Liverpool were already keeping an eye on Read during the summer, while Arsenal and Manchester City have also continued to monitor his progress.

There is currently no suggestion that Liverpool have made an offer or opened negotiations with Feyenoord. The current situation appears to be one of monitoring rather than anything concrete.

I can understand Liverpool’s interest

This is one of those rumours that makes sense to me.

Liverpool have plenty of options at right-back on paper, but the position hasn’t been completely straightforward this season.

Jeremie Frimpong is still adapting and hasn’t consistently nailed down the position, while Ronald Araújo has recently been used at right-back and has performed very well there.

Conor Bradley is also working his way back from a long-term injury.

So I can understand why Liverpool would continue looking at the position rather than simply assuming everything is sorted.

And Read is exactly the sort of player I would expect Liverpool to monitor.

He’s young, already playing regularly at a good level and producing attacking numbers that stand out.

Could he be a January option?

That’s where things get interesting.

TEAMtalk reports that Read could potentially be an option for Liverpool in the winter transfer window, although much will depend on whether any of the interested clubs turn their current monitoring into a formal approach.

I’m not saying Liverpool need to rush out and sign another right-back.

Far from it.

But I do like the idea of the club identifying potential targets early.

If Liverpool believe Read has the ability to develop into a top-level Premier League right-back, then they should absolutely be keeping tabs on him now.

The competition won’t make it easy either.

Arsenal and Manchester City are both reportedly watching him, so Liverpool can’t afford to ignore a player they genuinely believe could improve the squad.

Another name for Liverpool fans to watch

For me, that’s probably the biggest takeaway from this story.

Nothing is imminent.

There is no bid, no agreement and no indication that Liverpool are about to sign Givairo Read.

But the interest is there.

And with five assists already this season, it’s easy to see why a number of Premier League clubs are paying attention.

Liverpool have invested heavily in young talent under their current recruitment strategy, and Read certainly fits the profile.

I’d be very interested to see where this one goes.

If he keeps producing at Feyenoord, I wouldn’t be surprised if his name becomes much more prominent in Liverpool transfer discussions over the next few months.

Jamie (The Kopite View)

There is something I really like about Andoni Iraola.

While most Liverpool supporters are understandably frustrated that the season has been interrupted just as the team has started finding some momentum, Iraola is already thinking about how to use the time properly.

Liverpool’s players have headed off on international duty, but the Liverpool manager isn’t simply switching off.

Instead, he has already explained his plan for the international break — and it tells us a lot about the way Iraola wants to work.

“We will still train,” Iraola said after Sunday’s victory at Bournemouth.

The reality is that he will only have a small group of senior players available because most of the squad are away with their national teams. But after giving the remaining players some days off, Iraola intends to continue working with those who stay behind.

And then comes the really important part.

He wants to use the break to prepare the squad for what comes next.

Iraola knows what is coming

Liverpool return from the international break with Manchester City at Anfield.

And Iraola knows he may have only around three days with the returning international players before that enormous fixture.

That makes this period particularly important.

“We will prepare well for when the others come and you have no more than three days probably to prepare for the City game,” Iraola explained.

But he isn’t looking at the Manchester City game in isolation.

He immediately talked about the demanding run of fixtures that follows.

That’s something I think is important.

Iraola isn’t just preparing for one game. He’s preparing Liverpool for a period that could define the next stage of the season.

This is where the manager earns his money

There will be people who look at an international break and think there isn’t much a club manager can actually do.

Most of the players aren’t there.

Training numbers are reduced.

You can’t properly work on everything you want to work on.

But there are still things a manager can do.

Iraola can work with the players who remain.

He can analyse Liverpool’s opening matches.

He can study opponents.

He can work with his coaching staff on tactical adjustments.

He can look at the players returning from injury.

Giovanni Leoni and Federico Chiesa were expected to return to squad training around this international break, while Joe Gomez has already returned to training.

And perhaps most importantly, Iraola can think.

He can step back from the relentless cycle of preparing for the next match and look at the bigger picture.

Where is Liverpool’s structure working?

Where isn’t it?

How can Wirtz become more influential?

How can Liverpool get more from Isak?

Which midfield combination gives the team the right balance?

How can the defence continue to improve?

These are the questions that can be worked on away from matchday pressure.

And this is different from what we saw under Slot

This is where I think Liverpool supporters are entitled to notice a difference.

Arne Slot was not a manager who simply stopped working whenever there was an international break. There was clearly work happening behind the scenes, and Slot himself spoke about analysis, planning and maintaining contact with staff during periods away from the training ground.

But he also openly enjoyed taking holidays.

When he was first appointed by Liverpool, Slot spoke about being “energised” by a holiday and acknowledged that he had gone away before beginning his new job properly.

And during his Liverpool tenure, there was also considerable attention around his decision to spend part of an international break in Dubai while many of his players were away with their countries.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a manager taking a break.

Managers are human beings and, just like players, need rest.

But there is something refreshing about hearing Iraola immediately talk about work.

He’s talking about training.

He’s talking about the players who remain.

He’s talking about preparing for the players’ return.

He’s talking about Manchester City.

And he’s talking about the demanding run that follows.

For a new manager still learning his squad, that feels encouraging.

Iraola has plenty to work on

Let’s be honest — Liverpool aren’t the finished article.

Far from it.

There have been impressive moments.

The Champions League win over Atlético Madrid.

The 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham.

The 1-0 victory at Bournemouth.

Three consecutive Premier League clean sheets.

But there have also been draws and performances where Liverpool’s attacking football hasn’t quite clicked.

Wirtz is still searching for consistency.

The midfield balance is still being worked out.

Liverpool’s attack has not yet reached the level many supporters expect.

And Iraola is still learning exactly what his players can give him.

That makes this break potentially very valuable.

It isn’t about working harder than everyone else

This isn’t about saying Iraola is a better manager simply because he isn’t going on holiday.

That’s too simplistic.

Managers need rest.

Slot won the Premier League in his first season at Liverpool, so nobody can seriously claim that taking breaks meant he wasn’t capable of doing his job.

But there is a difference in perception and approach.

Iraola has arrived at Liverpool with an enormous amount to learn.

He has inherited a hugely expensive squad.

He has new players to integrate.

He has young players pushing for opportunities.

He has injuries to manage.

And he has a style of football he wants to establish.

So hearing him immediately talk about using every available opportunity to work with the players is something I find encouraging.

And the timing could be perfect

Liverpool have just beaten Bournemouth 1-0.

It wasn’t their most spectacular performance, but it was another clean sheet and another example of Iraola’s team finding a way to win.

Now he gets time.

Not with the full squad, unfortunately.

But enough time to analyse.

Enough time to work.

Enough time to plan.

And then the internationals return.

Manchester City arrive at Anfield.

And after that, the fixtures come thick and fast.

Iraola knows exactly what is waiting for him.

He’s not pretending Liverpool are finished. He’s already preparing for the next challenge.

That’s what I want to see from this Liverpool manager.

Not simply reacting to what happened last weekend.

Not simply thinking about Manchester City.

But constantly thinking about how to make Liverpool better.

And if Iraola can use this international break to make even a few small improvements, Liverpool could return with something every manager wants but rarely gets in the middle of a season:

time to work.

Jamie (The Kopite View)

Alexander Isak deservedly received the headlines for scoring the goal that gave Liverpool three points at Bournemouth.

The defence deserved plenty of credit for another clean sheet.

But there is one moment from Liverpool’s 1-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium that I don’t think has been talked about nearly enough.

Alisson Becker’s save from Evanilson.

Because without that save, Liverpool could quite easily have found themselves chasing the game.

That was a huge save

Liverpool were sluggish during the opening stages.

Bournemouth were energetic, aggressive and looked the more threatening side for periods of the first half.

Then came the moment when Alisson was called upon.

James Tavernier sent a dangerous ball across the Liverpool penalty area and Evanilson got the faintest of touches on it, redirecting the ball towards the near post.

It looked destined to sneak inside the post.

Then Alisson reacted.

And what a reaction it was.

He somehow got down quickly enough to turn the ball away and prevent Bournemouth from taking the lead. Sky Sports described it as a “big save”, while Alisson himself later explained that goalkeepers at big clubs sometimes have very little to do before suddenly being required to produce one decisive intervention.

That is Alisson.

The timing makes it even more important

This wasn’t a comfortable 3-0 Liverpool victory where Alisson could make a couple of routine saves and watch his team dominate.

Liverpool were struggling.

They weren’t creating enough.

They weren’t controlling the game particularly well.

And Bournemouth had found the best chance of the first half.

If Evanilson’s flick had gone in, Liverpool would have been chasing the game at a ground where they had already experienced difficult moments.

Instead, Alisson kept the score at 0-0.

And eventually Liverpool found their moment.

Cody Gakpo worked brilliantly down the right before the ball eventually fell to Isak, who made no mistake from close range.

Suddenly Liverpool were ahead.

And because Alisson had kept them in the game earlier, that one goal was enough.

This is what world-class goalkeepers do

We sometimes judge goalkeepers by how many saves they make.

That’s not always the best way to look at it.

A goalkeeper can have 10 relatively comfortable saves in a game and not necessarily make the difference.

Or he can make one extraordinary save at exactly the right moment.

That is what Alisson did at Bournemouth.

He didn’t have to make save after save.

He just had to be ready.

And when Bournemouth produced their best opportunity of the first half, he produced a world-class reaction.

Alisson himself summed it up perfectly after the game, saying that at big clubs you aren’t always going to have much to do, but you have to be ready to make the one save that can help the team.

That’s the job.

And he did it brilliantly.

Alisson is quietly having a massive influence

There has been plenty of discussion about Liverpool’s new-look defence.

Jeremy Jacquet has been excellent.

Virgil van Dijk continues to provide leadership.

Ronald Araújo is looking increasingly comfortable at right-back.

Milos Kerkez is settling in.

And Liverpool have now kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets. (Opta Analyst)

But behind all of them is Alisson.

He’s the safety net.

The player Liverpool can rely on when something goes wrong.

And that is incredibly valuable when you’re still trying to develop a new system under Iraola.

The scary thing is that Liverpool weren’t even at their best

This is perhaps the most encouraging part.

Liverpool weren’t brilliant at Bournemouth.

They didn’t dominate possession.

They didn’t create chance after chance.

They didn’t blow Bournemouth away.

They simply found a way to win.

And Alisson was a huge reason they were still in the game when Liverpool needed to find that winning moment.

That’s something supporters should appreciate.

Great teams don’t win every game by playing brilliantly.

Sometimes they have to grind.

Sometimes they have to defend.

Sometimes the goalkeeper has to make a huge save.

Sometimes the striker gets one chance and takes it.

That is exactly what happened on Sunday.

And let’s not forget how important Alisson is

Liverpool have Giorgi Mamardashvili waiting in the wings and the Georgian has already shown that he can be an excellent goalkeeper.

But there is still nobody quite like Alisson.

At 33, he remains capable of producing moments like the one we saw against Bournemouth.

And with Liverpool trying to build something new under Iraola, having a goalkeeper who can potentially turn a goal into a save when everything else goes wrong is an enormous advantage.

There will be games this season where Liverpool dominate.

There will be games where Isak scores two or three.

There will be games where Wirtz runs the show and the attack finally clicks.

But there will also be afternoons like Bournemouth.

Difficult.

Scrappy.

Unconvincing.

And ultimately won by the smallest of margins.

That’s when you need Alisson Becker.

The headlines quite rightly belonged to Isak.

But that victory might never have been possible without the brilliant Brazilian making that save first.

Liverpool didn’t just have a match-winner at one end on Sunday. They had one at the other end too.

Jamie (The Kopite View)