Footy365's
16 conclusions:
[article]Imagine conceding first but establishing a 4-1 half-time lead. Imagine beating the side in fifth by four clear goals, and feeling as if it could have been more. Imagine boasting a nine-point lead and a 21-game unbeaten Premier League run. Imagine being quite so brilliant without ever being quite so brilliant.[/article]
[article]It was the first time Liverpool had been behind in a Premier League game at Anfield in 2018; they were level within 112 seconds. Firmino’s no-look finish afforded him the opportunity to see whether Arsenal really had defended as badly as he thought they had as he tapped into an empty goal.[/article]
[article]Arsenal were 2-1 down, but most certainly not out. A team that invariably improves in the second half always has a chance of getting a result if they are within touching distance by half-time.
Then came Liverpool’s piece de resistance: a move that spanned Arsenal’s entire half, yet comprised of just three touches before it nestled into the goal. Robertson picked up the ball on the halfway line, played a delicious raking pass to find Salah in space on the left-hand side, his ball into the box was measured beautifully, and Mane’s finish topped it all off. Liverpool even make route one football look sexy.
Of course, it all came from an Arsenal mistake, with Sead Kolasinac’s needless pass back to Leno putting the keeper under immense pressure; he could only clear it out for a corner which was only cleared as far as Robertson. It was Liverpool at their best, and Arsenal at their absolute worst.[/article]
[article]Liverpool eased off considerably in the second half, as if to underline their new-found maturity and game management. Had they found themselves 4-1 up at home to anyone last season, they would have kept that same tempo and pushed for more goals, playing up to their role of the great entertainers.
Instead, they simply held Arsenal at arm’s length and conserved their energy. They had 57.8% possession in the first half, compared to 39.9% in the second.[/article]
[article]As for Liverpool, they will not allow themselves to get carried away just yet. These supporters have had not only their fingers but their entire hands burned by the embers of belief before. For now, they will take each excellent result as it comes.
The calming influence of Klopp is much of what separates this side from their predecessors in 2014 and 2009. Brendan Rodgers embraced his role as the savior, the man who could finally deliver Liverpool’s title. Rafael Benitez did everything but, falling over himself in his attempts to suggest the Reds were up against it. Klopp has struck the perfect balance: he knows where Liverpool are, but also where they have been, how far they have come and how much further they need to go.
Take his first season for example, when Liverpool won two, drew one and lost two of their five Premier League games in December. In 2016/17 that became four wins, one draw and one defeat, before four wins and three draws in 2017/18. This season, it is seven wins from seven.
He has embraced the challenges of coaching in England, accepted the need to change so he can overcome them, and is all the better for it.
His management of this squad has been impeccable, with Liverpool looking so comfortable yet having so much more to give. The only element of this side performing to its absolute maximum is the defence; the midfield and attack can still improve.
Imagine that.[/article]
