Liverpool's first win in over a month has renewed a sense of optimism among supporters as we enter the final eight games of the Premier League season.
Leeds United experienced the full force of the Reds' supreme attacking play, much of which was being orchestrated by Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 24-year-old, starring in his new advanced role for the second game in succession, has looked back to his very best and will look to maintain this form in the coming weeks.
Nottingham Forest are next on the agenda for Liverpool this weekend as Jurgen Klopp's men face yet another side battling for their place in the division.
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Looking ahead to Saturday's showdown at Anfield, four supporters have shared their views as part of the weekly ECHO fan column.
Rhys Buchanan (city centre, @Rhys_Buchanan) - Jones has seized opportunity to shine
Jurgen Klopp clearly wasn’t joking when he said we’d been training well in the run up to Monday night's game. In a week full of noise about which midfielders will and won't be coming in this summer, I was proud to see Curtis Jones shine brightly in a difficult away fixture at Elland Road. For me, he epitomised everything great about our performance: snappy and incisive but with a sense of calm and poise we’ve badly sought recently.
I’d be starting the exact same eleven players as we head into the home fixture against Forest this weekend. There are nearly too many positives to reel off from our last outing: Robertson looked immense and desperate to keep the ball alive, Salah and Jota looked razor-sharp and Trent was at his creative best. It was a formality by the time Diaz made his return but he also looked hungry. Let’s make we can follow it up and make the momentum count.
Andrew Cullen (Widnes, @brothersred5) - Reds rolled back the years against Leeds
The Klopp machine this year has been agonisingly grinding to a halt, but we have seen flickers of a renaissance. Liverpool players swarming like crazed wasps around the ball in the 92th minute was pleasing on the eye.
Fans have been calling for Trent to be played in advanced roles because he has all the hallmarks of a complete midfielder. Are we seeing now Klopp’s ears finally pricking up to this suggestion? Trent’s instruction was to accompany Fabinho against Arsenal, and while the formation at first resulted in some discord, there was eventually concord in the team’s performance.
Trent’s movement into the midfield may not be the panacea to Liverpool’s problems, but if Klopp continues to be bold with his deployment of Trent, we will see more creativity. Nunez’s goal against Leeds underlines Trent’s potency in those midfield areas. A midfield pairing of Trent and Thiago would certainly get fans purring.
If Trent is to be utilised in midfield, Klopp will need to ensure the full-back position is fortified as a lacuna in this area has often been our downfall this year. The Klopp machine has started to slowly move into gear, but momentum and consistency are now key.
David Shams (Washington D.C., @ShamsWriter) - Trent change is what we have been calling out for
Another week brings a new story, a new thread in the ever-growing tapestry that is Liverpool Football Club. But it’s one that we all saw coming, one that many of us in the fan jury have called for at various points throughout the season.
It’s finally happened, it’s finally come and it’s brought us all the gifts we expected. A reinvigorated attack, defences unlocked with creative genius and a fanbase with a morsel to savour through pre-season. It’s Trent in the midfield.
I’m not sure we can call it an inverted full-back. Whatever it is, Trent moving central with a rejigged backline to provide more cover, has taken the Reds from being threats on the wings to threats through the middle too. The creative nous comes from something of a wing-back turned deep-lying midfield playmaker.
In doing so, it may solve three other problems: creating more space for Salah to do his dirty work, the midfield may require fewer new signings and it could answer the question of what the next iteration of Klopp’s Liverpool looks like. The future looks bright again!
James Noble (Worcestershire, @james_noble98) - New system offers long-term hope
Monday night was as encouraging as it was enjoyable. The route to the 6-1 scoreline offered promise aplenty. The shape, the tempo, the mentality: they all felt that bit more in tandem.
There has been plenty of focus on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s tweaked role, and understandably so. Many of the positive elements that we saw against both Arsenal and Leeds seemingly stemmed from it. The adjustment is one that echoes some of Arsenal, Manchester City and Brighton’s finest work, but can offer unique possibilities for Liverpool collectively and individually.
That the Reds have displayed more maximal creativity, alongside greater compactness in transition, since applying it is exciting. It could be a considerable game-changer on several fronts, potentially including recruitment.
Leeds aren’t in a great place at present, which ought to be factored into the equation, but there are now additional reasons to look forward with a smile. Either way, consistency is something to aim for. Saturday’s visit of Nottingham Forest and Wednesday’s trip to West Ham will pose different challenges. The additional flexibility that we now appear to possess in terms of approach and personnel can be something we use to our advantage.
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