For any team, a midfield revamp would prove disastrous as they seek to build upon a fairly solid campaign. Liverpool may have underperformed last season by their high standards, ultimately finishing fifth, but a number of Premier League teams would bite your hand off for a Europa League spot.
What was clear was that the Reds needed to invest in the middle of the park. It was very much out with the old and in with the new at Anfield over the summer as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita and James Milner all departed for pastures in. In came Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch in a new-look Liverpool midfield and many felt it would take some time for Jurgen Klopp's side to get up to speed.
After 10 games, though, Liverpool find themselves in fourth place, just three points behind league leaders Tottenham. They would have been closer to first were it not for a very incorrect VAR call in the eventual 2-1 loss to the latter. Nevertheless, Liverpool deserve immense credit for their solid start to the campaign. A title push may have been viewed as beyond Klopp's men but they are keeping on the coattails of the league leaders.
That's not to say Liverpool have been perfect in their quest to return to the Premier League's summit. Granted they have conceded just nine goals - only Manchester City (7) and Arsenal (8) have shipped fewer - in the opening 10 games, but much of that has been down to the superb performances of Alisson between the sticks, the Brazilian having returned the best save success rate (84.6%) in the Premier League this season.
Liverpool are also conceded 13 shots per game in England's top tier this term, that ranking above the likes of Everton (12.9), Crystal Palace (12.7) and Chelsea (11.1) in 10th. That said it's not just Alisson that has shone in the Liverpool defence this season. Following Henderson's departure, Virgil van Dijk was appointed club captain and the centre-back looks to be thriving following the increase in responsibilities.
The 32-year-old has come under criticism in recent years following a dip in form owing to a serious knee injury sustained back in 2020. A little over three years ago, Van Dijk underwent surgery having sustained anterior cruciate ligament damage in a challenge with Everton shotstopper Jordan Pickford in the 2-2 Merseyside Derby draw at Goodison Park. Since then, Van Dijk has struggled to replicate his pre-injury form with the Netherlands international failing to strike fear into the hearts of opposition attackers.
Yet this season, fans are witnessing Van Dijk put in his best performances following his return to action in a Liverpool shirt. Yes, the red card against Newcastle may have been a blip on the record books but once again Van Dijk has that aura about him that means forwards doubt themselves when they come face-to-face with the towering Dutchman.
:busts_in_silhouette: Most aerial duels won by centre-backs in the Premier League this season:
— WhoScored.com (@whoscored-alerts) November 3, 2023
:first_place_medal: Ethan Pinnock - 44
:second_place_medal: Virgil van Dijk - 39
:third_place_medal: James Tarkowski - 32 pic.twitter.com/9yXrcUd9iI
This is proof in that after eight games, Van Dijk is still yet to be dribbled past. Granted, he has only attempted nine tackles but when you're mere presence is enough to deter strikers, then you don't need to get stuck in to ease pressure on your goal. It's a stat reminiscent of his full debut campaign in a Liverpool shirt, where Van Dijk was not dribbled past once across his 38 starts.
Van Dijk earned a WhoScored rating of 7.44 in the 2018/19 campaign, his best in a Liverpool shirt, and to date; he has returned a WhoScored rating of 7.32, that ranking third for the Merseyside powerhouse. A reason behind that has been that Van Dijk has been more proactive in his efforts to protect the Liverpool. The Reds' possession average of 57.3% is the sixth highest in the Premier League this season, however is also their lowest in a full Klopp season at the Anfield helm.
The German is willing to sacrifice control in order to boost Liverpool's chances of hitting teams on the counter attack. Indeed, they rank fourth for attempted counter attacks (9) and first for goals (4) from these fast breaks. As such, Van Dijk's return of six clearances per 90 is his highest for Liverpool in a Premier League season. With the team now inviting more pressure on the defence in order to break forward at speed, it's vital Van Dijk be in the right place at the right time to clear the decks. If these clearances land in a positive spot for Liverpool, then they can break forward at speed to really hurt opponents.
Now we're not seeing Van Dijk at his absolute best as fans bore witness to prior to his 2020 knee injury, but rather witnessing a Liverpool side that has changed tact to ensure opponents can't capitalise upon that drop in yard of pace from their star centre-back. In turn this may invite more pressure on the Liverpool goal yet with Van Dijk and his teammates holding firm, this isn't negatively impacting Klopp's side.
While it may not be sustainable over the course of the season, once the Liverpool midfield really settles, they'll naturally tighten up at the back. And even if that doesn't come to fruition this season, with Van Dijk putting in a series of solid shifts in the Reds backline, supporters can rest assured that Liverpool have what it takes to keep frontlines at bay with considerable ease.
