SMALL WONDERS STAND TALL
Reds can inch their way to title
IF THERE seems to have been a Liverpool title bandwagon rolling all summer, then it gathered pace on Monday night.
For once it was not their attacking threat that caught the eye, but a big defensive performance from a side who are among the smallest in the Premier League.
The team that started at Crystal Palace had just two outfield players over 6ft, and six who are 5ft 8in or smaller.
Only Manchester City will come close to laying claim to having a smaller team this season.
And yet Palace, like West Ham the week before, did not trouble Liverpool keeper Alisson despite their height advantage.
It is a new breed of football, with City and Liverpool – the current top two – overcoming a lack of height by keeping possession and being well drilled at defending set-pieces.
Since Christmas, Liverpool have the best record in the league for goals and shots conceded, along with clean sheets.
Since he has arrived at Anfield, Virgil van Dijk has more clean sheets than any other Premier League defender.
Dwarfed
At Palace, the Reds may have been dwarfed at times, but Van Dijk, along with the other two players over 6ft, Joe Gomez and Alisson, were vital
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says the key is getting the right people on the end of every long ball.
“There is not just one player responsible for something – we have to have the right formation around set-pieces,” said Klopp.
“Set-pieces are quite different here in England. You look, and the games so far we were not taller than West Ham or Palace, but the opposite.
“That is where we have to be organised to defend set-pieces. It is not solely about Alisson, but the whole team.”
Brazilian shot-stopper Alisson makes a huge difference, though. He caught corners at Selhurst Park, something no Reds keeper has done in a long time.
And when he didn’t come, Van Dijk headed away as he did in the final minute, which led to Sadio Mane’s goal.
The presence of Alisson and Van Dijk could be huge to Liverpool this season, prompting Klopp to quip: “Quality costs a specific price, that’s why we paid it.”
If Alisson and Van Dijk can help convert title hype into a genuine challenge, the £140m Liverpool spent on the pair will be money well spent.