The most noticeable results have been in our wins against Chelsea, Manchester City and Rubin Kazan. A 3-1 crusade at Stamford Bridge; a 4-1 thumping of City and a gutsy 1-0 win over Kazan in the Europa League. All three of these results have a common denominator, aside from the splendid performances: all three of these games were away from home.
Perhaps the fact that these results were achieved away from Anfield is merely coincidental, but our best performances this season have definitely materialised when on the road – not just the three aforementioned fixtures but a good win at Stoke and hard fought points at Arsenal, Everton and Spurs also. Liverpool have now played six of last season’s top ten (plus Everton) away from home and have accumulated 12 points, only losing one fixture.
Compare this to our somewhat lacklustre home results, and perhaps it is fair to say that our away form is more than just coincidence. At Anfield this season we have had some pretty poor results and performances. On the second game of the season we won (narrowly) against Bournemouth, with an unconvincing performance. This was followed by a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of West Ham, a shaky draw against Norwich, a draw versus league two outfit Carlisle (thankfully we progressed with the requirement of penalties) and, most recently, a league loss to Crystal Palace – whom seem to becoming a bit of a crux for the reds.
Hence, our two most recent victories against Bordeaux and Swansea were vitally important wins. With a bit of luck, hopefully we have turned a corner in our performances at home and can now go on to match our away consistency at Anfield for the remainder of the season.
Klopp must take major credit for our recent victories. It is his job as manager to change the mentality of the player’s and alter the psychology of the squad when circumstantial issues – such as poor home form – become an issue, and see that the team overcome such setbacks. On all accounts so far, our manager has radically altered Liverpool’s mentality. This is highlighted by our victories at the Etihad and Stamford Bridge, overcoming a long-standing and fundamental issue with our away performances against the top four, and, more recently, with the way he has improved performances at Anfield.
Yesterday’s win against Swansea was a hard-fought victory, with periods of good play by the Reds. We passed the ball well and created good chances in the first half, particularly when one considers how compact and deep Swansea set-up when they were not in possession. Emre Can and James Milner had particularly good games, retaining the ball well and being patient and calculated in their build-up and approach play.
However, it was not just the attractive side to our game which was impressive against the Swans, when the Welsh outfit grew into the game (particularly in the second half) and the momentum began to work in their favour (as can happen when a team is chasing the game), Liverpool were sturdy and closed down the spaces well. The back-four looked well co-ordinated and organised, with Dejan Lovern in particular, performing to a particularly high standard.
It was promising to see Liverpool perform well across different periods of the match, both when we were in the ascendency, and when sturdiness and discipline was needed. Both attributes will be required over the busy Christmas schedule if we are to challenge at the top of the table and progress in the cup competitions. So far, Klopp has turned performances around and galvanised players and supporters alike. His identity is starting to become apparent at Liverpool FC.
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