Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was full of praise for Arne Slot’s engine room after the 3-0 victory over Bournemouth
It was on Monday, August 12th when Martin Zubimendi informed Liverpool that he would be staying at Real Sociedad. It appeared a significant blow for new head coach Arne Slot and new sporting director Richard Hughes.
But fast-forward six weeks and that is no longer the case. Liverpool sit second in the Premier League and have made an excellent start to the Champions League with their only blip being a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Defensive solidity – there have been four clean sheets and just two goals conceded in the opening six games of the campaign – has been key while the competition in the forward line following the arrival of Federico Chiesa is fiercer than ever and clearly having the desired effect.
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But perhaps the most impressive performer for the Reds so far this season is Ryan Gravenberch, who has taken on the No.6 role that appeared destined for Zubimendi and made it his own.
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However, while Gravenberch has been quite rightly hailed for his displays, the form of Alexis Mac Allister has also gone under the radar, and Dominik Szoboszlai is rising to the challenges set down by Slot.
When Zubimendi did what Steven Gerrard did two decades previously and opted to stay loyal to his hometown club, there was worry among some supporters about whether Slot had the midfield to challenge Manchester City and Arsenal, who played out an incident-packed 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, little over 24 hours after Liverpool cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Bournemouth.
But to the Dutchman’s credit, those worries have certainly subsided and while there is plenty of talent in reserve, with the likes of Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo potentially being handed a chance to impress in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at home to West Ham United, the Gravenberch-Mac Allister-Szoboszlai triumvirate looks like it will take some shifting.
Danny Murphy, when analysing the victory over Bournemouth on Match of the Day, was impressed by the build-up play of his former club and the “balance” Slot has constructed in the centre of the park, something which his predecessor Jurgen Klopp was not always able to achieve in the latter days of his legendary Anfield reign.
“Here, spare man, Bournemouth a little bit off, don’t quite have the numbers in, don’t quite get there in time,” said Murphy, who scored 44 goals in 249 games for the Reds during his playing career.
“Look at this little look from Mac Allister, and again. Waits for him to get in there, there he is, brilliant pass, intelligent footballer.
“The midfield three have got lovely balance at the moment, they all know what each other are doing.”
For Liverpool fans who just six weeks ago were concerned by Zubimendi’s shock U-turn, long may it continue.
