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After months of underperforming and a fair degree of hand-wringing, finally, there is a sense of optimism around Anfield that Liverpool’s season is taking shape.
Detractors may sneer at that assessment. There have been a few false dawns in recent months, of course, and only two weeks ago the champions suffered disappointing draws against newly promoted Sunderland and Leeds United.
However, a run of five games without defeat suggests that this team is gradually improving, and the fog that has enveloped the club is beginning to lift. There’s certainly less talk about Arne Slot potentially losing his job, for instance, and last week’s wins over Inter Milan and Brighton & Hove Albion were among the most encouraging matches this season.
There are several reasons for this upturn. Ironically, Mohamed Salah’s bombshell interview, which could have divided the group and weakened Slot’s position, has had the opposite effect. A few tactical tweaks from the Dutchman have helped, along with a back-to-basics approach that has yielded three clean sheets in the last five games.
Another undeniable theme from recent weeks is the improved individual performances from several key men. The summer signings are also finally beginning to find their groove.
Hugo Ekitike is the most obvious example, having scored braces in consecutive Premier League weekends and demonstrated the levels that caused such excitement among fans in the early weeks of the season.
Florian Wirtz is also looking more at home in a functioning Liverpool side. The goals and assists are still lacking, but his impact on build-up play — a less easily quantifiable aspect of matches - is undeniable. As is the improvement in Milos Kerkez’s defensive and attacking output.
Even Slot has acknowledged that, and the Liverpool head coach’s adaptations against Brighton certainly suited the ex-Bournemouth man’s penchant for rampaging runs from deep.
Jamie Carragher’s excellent Monday Night Football analysis highlighted how the Reds' midfield flooded the center of the pitch, making the team more compact. The full-backs - Kerkez and Joe Gomez - were expected to provide width, with one lone striker supported by an attacking midfielder.
It’s a system that brings the best out of Liverpool’s somewhat unbalanced squad. But it does raise one burning question — where does Alexander Isak fit?
Admittedly, the 26-year-old did start alongside Ekitike at the San Siro last Tuesday in an alternative formation, but if Slot, as he nominally does, deploys just one striker, the choice is clear at present.
Ekitike’s ebullient, dynamic and clinical display against Brighton contrasts with Isak’s sluggish start to life at Liverpool.
The defense that he has lacked a pre-season is beginning to wear thin. Excluding a three-week absence across late October and early November, Isak has been involved with the squad for three and a half months.
While Liverpool’s summer signings begin to play a greater role, it only further emphasizes Isak’s alarming inability to affect games. Physically, he seems to be lacking, while an inability to affect build-up play was highlighted by the Swede managing just 13 touches in the recent draw against Sunderland.
That starting the Premier League’s most expensive ever signing feels increasingly unjustifiable is a major problem for Slot.
Then again, Isak is in dire need of minutes to gain some semblance of rhythm to his play, something the No. 9 will find impossible if he spends the majority of his time on the bench.
After such an exorbitant transfer fee, Slot has to find a place for Isak. That inevitably will lead to sacrifices elsewhere, though, and underlines the issues Liverpool is still navigating.
The fog may be beginning to lift, but Liverpool is not yet navigating clear skies. Performances are improving and belief is returning to Anfield, yet the Isak conundrum remains unresolved - and expensive.
However real Liverpool’s upturn feels, until Isak is firing on all cylinders, scrutiny on the club will not subside.
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