Ian Doyle examines Liverpool’s excellent start to the season after eight Premier League games.
Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez during a training session in Liverpool Thus far, so good. Liverpool FC Reloaded may not be fully operational yet, but their ammunition is already causing fear among Premier League rivals.
Only the controversial, VAR-infected setback at Tottenham Hotspur has stopped Jurgen Klopp’s team from opening their top-flight campaign without defeat after going unbeaten in the previous 11 games.
With five of their first eight games this season away from home and having already faced four of last season’s top eight – three on the road – as well as traditional giants Chelsea, it hasn’t been the simplest of starts. Nonetheless, with 17 points, the Reds are only three points from the top spot.
Sure, there are reasons to be optimistic. However, a closer examination of the numbers reveals areas where Liverpool certainly has room for improvement, as well as others where their performance may come as a surprise.
Liverpool is in a good position in terms of physical values. Only Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Brighton have scored more than the Reds’ 18 goals this season, while only five teams have conceded more than Liverpool’s nine.
Using the expected goals metric, Liverpool has scored more goals than would have been expected – their xG of 16.8 is only surpassed by Newcastle – while conceding fewer goals than their xGA, expected goals against, of 11.5 would suggest. That figure, however, is the eleventh highest.
Indeed, despite their xGD (expected goal difference) is the fifth greatest in the league, it is negative away from home, trailing only Everton. Manchester City and Arsenal, the two teams projected to compete for the Premier League title the most this season, are clearly at the top of that measure.
In terms of distribution, Liverpool is sixth in terms of passes attempted and pass completion rate. However, there has been one notable tactical adjustment, which has been exacerbated in part by a personnel change. The Reds have finished in the top three for the number of long passes attempted in each of the last five seasons, but they are only ninth this season.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are strong in the air. Only Chelsea has a higher percentage.
In terms of attacking dribbles, Liverpool’s success rate is in the bottom half, with only Luton Town and Sheffield United players being tackled more frequently.
Surprisingly, for a team that ranks among the top scorers, Liverpool has been unusually quiet when it comes to shooting. They aren’t in the top five for shots on goal or shots on target, and are woefully underperforming when it comes to the percentage of shots on target – their figure of 28.6% is higher only than Burnley, Brentford, and Luton Town, reinforcing the suspicion that opposing goalkeepers haven’t had many saves to make this season.
Of course, the fact that Klopp’s team has played three of its eight games without a full complement of players has hampered their progress.
However, Klopp’s side is surrendering more fouls per game than everyone but Brighton, Bournemouth, and Wolves. Teams are also winning more tackles against the Reds than anybody else save Bournemouth, highlighting the issue of not having a designated defensive midfielder, with Alexis Mac Allister among the top five players for fouls committed this season, albeit just one offence ahead of Luis Diaz. Only six teams have received fewer bookings than a team that has received four red cards.
In terms of individual performances, Mohamed Salah is tied with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in terms of goal involvements (both have nine), while the leader in terms of average per 90 minutes is actually Darwin Nunez, who is ahead of Newcastle’s Callum Wilson.
However, Klopp’s side is surrendering more fouls per game than everyone but Brighton, Bournemouth, and Wolves. Teams are also winning more tackles against the Reds than anybody else save Bournemouth, highlighting the issue of not having a designated defensive midfielder, with Alexis Mac Allister among the top five players for fouls committed this season, albeit just one offence ahead of Luis Diaz. Only six teams have received fewer bookings than a team that has received four red cards.
In terms of individual performances, Mohamed Salah is tied with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in terms of goal involvements (both have nine), while the leader in terms of average per 90 minutes is actually Darwin Nunez, who is ahead of Newcastle’s Callum Wilson.
