Well, Liverpool are back on track. It’s been a brilliant start to the Arne Slot era on Merseyside, with the Reds top of the Premier League – for now – and still buzzing from their midweek win at the San Siro against AC Milan in the Champions League.
Bournemouth employ an aggressive and exciting strategy under Andoni Iraola, and though they scared Liverpool with an early goal that was ruled out by VAR for offside, their efforts to hurt the Anfield hosts were paid for dearly, squashed like cherries.
Long regarded as a player of immense quality, Luis Diaz has frustrated some due to his lack of end product, but he bagged another brace this weekend to extend his fine run of goalscoring form to five goals and an assist from as many top-flight fixtures under Slot’s guidance.
21/09/24
Bournemouth (H)
Premier League
3-0 win
17/09/24
AC Milan (A)
Champions League
3-1 win
14/09/2024
Nott’m Forest (H)
Premier League
1-0 loss
01/09/24
Man United (A)
Premier League
3-0 win
25/08/24
Brentford (H)
Premier League
2-0 win
17/08/24
Ipswich Town (A)
Premier League
2-0 win
The Colombian, aged 27, is making significant strides under his new gaffer, having complemented his clinical strike rate with an average of two dribbles, 1.6 key passes and 4.8 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.
He stepped into the limelight for his quickfire double against Bournemouth, but this certainly should not detract from the effort of Ryan Gravenberch in the middle of the park,
Ryan Gravenberch is thriving for Liverpool
Gravenberch operates with a kind of string-pulling way about him in Slot’s Liverpool. The 22-year-old reads the game so well, moves with balletic grace and knows exactly when – and where – to stroke passes forward.
Matches (starts)
26 (12)
5 (5)
Goals
1
0
Assists
0
0
Touches*
28.8
81.2
Pass completion
83%
88%
Key passes*
0.6
0.4
Ball recoveries*
2.8
6.8
Dribbles (completed)*
0.9 (51%)
1.2 (60%)
Tackles + interceptions
1.5
4.2
Total Duels won*
2.8 (47%)
6.0 (59%)
He is now the Anfield side’s nailed-in number six, with Wataru Endo scarcely getting a look this term, and the table above highlights exactly why Slot has put so much faith in his robust compatriot.
Gravenberch signed for Liverpool in a £34m deal from Bayern Munich last summer after failing to break into the German giants’ starting side. He was Klopp’s final signing.
But the English side didn’t quite get bang for their buck. He ebbed and flowed and failed to spark the consistency required. Now, he’s reborn and looking like one of the finest players in the Premier League.
Ibrahima Konate is becoming undroppable for Slot
When Jarell Quansah received the nod over Konate on the opening day of the term, it felt like a significant show of faith in the homegrown talent’s qualities.
The 21-year-old had started ten of the final 15 Premier League matches under Jurgen Klopp, who clearly favoured him over his French positional peer, who had fallen from form like a rock off a cliff.
Make no mistake, Quansah is shaping into an elite young defender, hailed as an “absolute monster” by talent scout Jacek Kulig for one redoubtable display against Arsenal last season, but Konate is the real deal and will not be permanently displaced. At his titanic best, he is one of the finest in the business.
Since Quansah was withdrawn at halftime on the opening day, with Liverpool struggling against Ipswich Town’s intense press and, as Slot put it, failing to win enough duels, Konate has been moored at the rear beside skipper Virgil van Dijk.
He scored Liverpool’s opening goal at the San Siro in midweek to restore parity in the first half and has carried that attacking quality into domestic action after lashing a ranged pass into space, behind the high Bournemouth line, which Diaz collected calmly, rounded Kepa, slotted home.
The 26-year-old’s ball-playing faculty sets him apart from the lion’s share of top defenders in the Premier League. Indeed, as per FBref, Konate ranks among the top 7% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 4% for progressive passes, the top 9% for progressive carries and the top 22% for shot-creating actions per 90.
Against Bournemouth on Saturday, Konate was an impressive attacking outlet from the back, claiming an assist, succeeding with eight attempted long balls and ludicrously taking 125 touches, more than any other player on the field. For reference, Van Dijk remarkably took 55 touches.
He wasn’t just an offensive dimension from deep though. Konate thrived in his defensive application, winning all four of his aerial battles, making five clearances, blocking two shots and making just one foul, highlighting his cool and composed approach.
The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle was certainly impressed with his display, awarding the Frenchman with an 8/10 match rating and writing: ‘Caused Kelleher concern with one overhit pass before better long ball sent Diaz away for opener. Defended stoutly second half. Booked.’
With West Ham United travelling to Anfield on Wednesday evening to clash in the third round of the Carabao Cup, Konate may well find that he is pulled back to the bench to usher in Quansah, who deserves another chance to shine.
But Slot knows who his star man is alongside Van Dijk. Konate was every bit as good as the likes of Diaz and Gravenberch in the Premier League this weekend, and he is now undroppable in the Premier League.
With more performances like that one, Liverpool might just be more than an outlier in this slowly brewing title race.
95 touches, 100% dribbles: Liverpool's 8/10 star was as unplayable as Diaz
The Reds returning to winning ways in the Premier League…
ByAngus Sinclair Sep 21, 2024
