Liverpool maintain unbeaten start to the season: 5 talking points from the Leicester game
Leicester succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at home against league leaders Liverpool in the early kick-off of Matchday 4. Here are 5 talking points from the game -
Gomez thriving alongside Van Dijk
Joe Gomez has been a pillar at the back for Liverpool so far, to the extent that today he even outshun his partner Virgil Van Dijk. He made several crucial blocks and yet again showcased how comfortable he is in possession. Although he's yet to face one of the so-called top six sides this season, he appears to have made the centre back position his own. The young lad has also earned himself a call-up to the national squad, with Southgate making sure that his string of fine performances do not go by unnoticed, especially given that he was unlucky to not feature for England at the world cup due to injury.
Evans omission not justified
Jonny Evans found himself on the bench yet again, which means he has started just 1 of 4 league games for Leicester so far. He made way for club captain Wes Morgan, who partnered the seemingly irreplaceable Maguire in City's back four. Morgan had a few nervy moments at the back, with one loose past almost leading to a goal. The former United man must surely feel hard done by and deserves a chance to forge a partnership with Maguire, even if that means sacrificing club captain Morgan to make way for him. Evans was wanted by the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City and possesses undeniable talent and experience. Puel needs to ensure that the decision to overlook Evans must be a justifiable one, and unfortunately, in this case, it wasn't.
Keeper woes almost come back to haunt Liverpool
It's tough being a keeper at Liverpool. Alisson knew that when he made the decision to switch to Merseyside, and all eyes have been on him since. Already arguably one of the best keepers in the world, Alisson came with a reputation and showed everyone precisely what he's capable of against Brighton when he calmly scooped the ball over an on-rushing Brighton attacker. However, what many people conveniently overlooked was that moments later in the same game, Andy Murray got the better of Alisson when the Brazilian was trying to be too clever for his own good, much like the game against Leicester. The only difference was that Murray failed to punish Liverpool while Iheanacho made no mistake. Alisson should have realised last week itself that he must not underestimate the opposition and that he was lucky enough to escape without anyone pointing fingers at him. Although this time his complacency did not go by unpunished, Liverpool did ultimately get a positive result on the night. Alisson has to make sure that his mistakes don't lead to unfavourable results. The last thing he wants is to be compared to Karius.
Vardy missed
Jamie Vardy was serving the last of his three-game ban, and Leicester certainly missed the menacing striker in the final third. Having scored 7 times in his last 5 appearances against Liverpool, Vardy must surely have been disappointed to watch his side succumb to defeat from the stands. Aside from his personal record against Liverpool, it was his direct style of play that Leicester missed in the final third, despite Gray's best efforts. The introduction of Iheanacho made a visible difference, but by Liverpool by then already had a comfortable 2-0 lead. Now that Vardy has retired from international football, he has a couple of weeks ahead of him to prepare for Leicester's next set of fixtures after the international break.
Liverpool show signs of weaknesses
We saw it against Brighton at home and we saw it against Leicester again, Liverpool are far from the finished article. While they can take solace from the fact that performances like these usually resulted in draws or losses last season, they are yet to come up against any major side. The level of performances have dipped since the opening game, and although they do have 4 wins from 4, the real test lies right after the international break when they play away to Spurs. A win there would be a real statement of intent, and to get that they will have to be at nothing short of their absolute best.