Jurgen Klopp was asked about Virgil van Dijk during his pre-Arsenal press conference on Friday, but the focus was not on his defending.
The Dutchman is renowned for his contributions on the defensive side of the game and he's regarded by many as the world's best centre-back, but he offers notably on-ball qualities that are often overlooked.
"It's important to mix it up," Klopp said when speaking about Van Dijk's distribution from deep. "Virgil can play long balls. Our centre-backs have improved in build-up situations. They don't play the final pass, but they can play it. The main thing is, if you mix it up, it makes it difficult for other teams to adapt."
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The German's closing remark offer an insight into why Liverpool are so difficult to defend against, with the Reds scoring at least two goals in 16 of their 17 matches in all competitions this season.
Only Bayern Munich have scored more goals than Liverpool once assessing Europe's top five leagues, with Paris Saint-Germain scoring two goals fewer than the Reds despite playing two games more in Ligue 1.
Van Dijk's passing was touched upon by Mikel Arteta last year, who is due to bring his Arsenal team to Anfield this weekend. The Gunners boss will have to manage the threat of the 30-year-old as well as those held by his Anfield teammates.
Liverpool's ability to present a variety of questions to opposing teams by mixing things up is largely unrivalled. Pep Guardiola has labelled Klopp's men as the strongest team he's faced in his managerial career.
"They are very strong strategically," said the Spaniard. "If you let yourself be dominated, they lock you in. When you dominate them, they run into space like no one else."
The Manchester City head coach is not the only opponent to elaborate on the versatile dangers of Klopp's outfit. "They hit you from every angle. They are fantastic at crossing, counter-attacking, through the middle, set-pieces," said Brentford's Thomas Frank in September.
Even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United has been forced to admit to Liverpool's dangerous and flexible nature on the field.
"They put teams under pressure, play long balls, second balls, corners. They put everything at you," said the Norwegian.
The widespread offensive strength of the Reds bodes well for the rest of the campaign, with Premier League sides generally picking up roughly as many points as their number of goals scored.
Last season, City scored 83 goals and ended with 86 points, for example. United scored 73 goals and finished with 74 points, Liverpool scored 68 goals and ended with 69 points.
Klopp has some ground to make up to Chelsea at the top of the table over the Christmas period but ultimately, his team have a Swiss Army knife element attached to their attacking game, and few can cope with it.
