While Virgil van Dijk may have solidified Liverpool's defence, FC's Stevie Nicol feels he brings far more intangibles to Jurgen Klopp's side. While Virgil van Dijk may have solidified Liverpool's defense, FC's Stevie Nicol feels he brings far more intangibles to Jurgen Klopp's side. The ESPN FC crew answer your tweets on Barcelona's biggest weakness, Luis Suarez's future and if Liverpool have any vulnerabilities this season.
Liverpool have made a bright start to the season. Two wins, six goals scored and even more promisingly no goals conceded.
Their next game is at home to Brighton, and ordinarily few would anticipate any problems for a side being tipped for a serious title challenge this year. The Reds did after all beat Chris Hughton's team 5-1 and 4-0 in last season's encounters.
Such assumptions can be where your problems begin, however. Brighton have just beaten Manchester United 3-2, which will hopefully serve as a reminder that nothing can be taken for granted in this league.
That's a stock quote from any manager's preparation; to keep players alert and focussed while everyone else is claiming you've already got the three points in the bag.
Statistically, such stumbles are becoming rarer as the major clubs cement their places at the top of the table. Liverpool -- via a larger than usual spend in the transfer window -- have moved on to a whole new level now, where presumption of victory will be made more frequently.
The days of riding through the occasional snafu like United's last Sunday are over. If you want to be at the top, those off-days can only amount to a handful of games throughout the season. Any more and it's a crisis, or so it seems.
The need for a big squad and to fully utilise it wouldn't normally matter so early in the season, but in a hard-fought 2-0 win against Crystal Palace it was obvious the likes of Roberto Firmino still haven't shaken the World Cup out of their weary bones just yet.
A team like Brighton might usually stir Jurgen Klopp into risking one or two changes in order to help big stars recover properly, yet that's exactly the kind of gamble that can blow up in your face.
With Saturday's visitors doing so well in their previous match, the chance of lightning striking twice is remote but not impossible.
The reaction to United's defeat has been melodramatic to say the least, sparking widespread talk of whether they already need to change their manager.
It's hard to imagine a similar defeat for Klopp provoking such a reaction, perhaps emphasising the differences between the managers of both giants.
Klopp's career has centred on slow building and gradual growth at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund. Liverpool may be one of the game's giants but it was in name only and little to do with quality or recent achievement when Klopp arrived.
Jose Mourinho on the other hand has always gone where trophies are expected, demanded even, but he's also been dogged by a "third year syndrome" which sees outside antagonism and pressure build beyond his control, and whatever he's won before doesn't seem to matter.
His complaints about an inability to sign another expensive centre-half also contrasted sharply with Klopp's almost saintly patience in a similar position regarding new players.
Liverpool supporters for the most part have patiently bought into Klopp's programme, acknowledging the progress made but now seeing a chance to get among the trophies after a comparatively lean spell.
After the excellent performances of their two centre-backs, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, during the Palace victory there'll be more confidence in Liverpool dealing with Brighton's forwards than there was in United even before their game began.
Having been given four opening fixtures that they won last season, Liverpool would have expected to at least stay on the heels of the champions and current leaders Manchester City.
It's hard to deny City are creating an almost intolerable pressure on everybody else in the division right now. They've dropped 14 points out of their last 44 Premier League games. It's an astonishing record, one that everybody else must simply cross their fingers and hope ends soon.
There were numerous attempts to lumber Klopp and his team with the role of City's main threat before the season began. If they'd subsequently dropped points to either West Ham or Crystal Palace it might have been greeted with the sort of borderline panic that's gripping OId Trafford.
It can only be seen however as delayed hysteria. If City maintain a relentless pace, Liverpool's inevitable stumble -- on Saturday or whenever -- will still make waves and headlines.
It's vital the supporters try to keep the main aim of this season in sight, that of progress. Klopp has played a straight bat to any talk of City's so-called disadvantage in losing Kevin De Bruyne through injury, and results have proved him right thus far.
There may be problems when the Champions League resumes and the games come thick and fast, but that's something Liverpool need to contend with too.
These are good times for Liverpool right now but there's still an urgent need to recognise the difference between being excited and becoming excitable.
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Source: espn.co.uk