Liverpool analysis: Fitness key to success; Salah and Szoboszlai shine; Reds chill as title beckons
Back-to-back 2-0 wins over Manchester City and Newcastle have seen Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 13 points.
Unlike last season, the Reds look like they are there to stay, and an improved injury record is a massive reason for this.
Of course, having players like Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai certainly helps too.
Anfield believes number 20 is on the way and Liverpool have started playing like it again too.
Sports News Blitz’s resident Reds writer and Liverpool fan Jack Burgess delves a little deeper into the position Arne Slot’s men find themselves in at the PL summit.
Preventing injuries key to Liverpool success
Let’s take a trip back to February last year.
Emotions were running high a month on from Jurgen Klopp’s bombshell as Liverpool chased a quadruple, but the injury list kept piling up.
Heading into the League Cup final against Chelsea, Liverpool’s absentee list had stretched to 11 players, with even the ever-present Mohamed Salah needing a spell on the touchlines.
Of course, Klopp’s kids helped drag Liverpool to victory at Wembley, but it was a win that inspired hope, more than belief, that the Reds could keep pace on all fronts.
In the end, just like the German himself, the Reds ran out of steam and having 21 individual players injured throughout 2023/24 (the second-highest in the league) played a huge part.
Liverpool have been far more fortunate with injuries this time around.
Joe Gomez and Connor Bradley were the only absentees from Liverpool’s comfortable victory over Newcastle on Wednesday night.
The 2-0 win concluded a gruelling run of five games in 15 days for the Reds which has seen them escape unscathed and 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Keeping everyone fit has been a crucial part of the side’s success, and a huge factor in Arsenal’s faltering title challenge.
But it’s not all down to luck.
As Steve McManaman highlighted on TNT Sports: “Arne Slot brought a sports scientist with him who he trusts implicitly, and he’s done a wonderful job, so it’s not luck.
“He makes five substitutes in every single game. He makes sure he rotates his team, so he knows what he’s doing.
“He’s helping the players out as much as he can, because the schedule is hard and arduous.”
Indeed, in an attempt to improve his side’s physical preparation, Slot has allowed his players to sleep in their own bed ahead of home games, rather than heading to a hotel the night before like they did under his predecessor.
For all of Klopp's genius, he did have a problem with keeping his players fit.
At one stage, I can even remember a limerick doing the rounds to mark this unfortunate feature of his Liverpool sides:
There once was a man called Klopp
Who thought double training was top
The players resisted
But Jurgen insisted
And all of their hamstrings went pop
Whether Slot’s sleeping change has reduced injuries or not, what’s certain is Liverpool’s sports scientists have helped put this title race to bed.
Dominik Szoboszlai makes me feel tired
Speaking of keeping players fit, I have no idea how Dominik Szoboszlai isn’t injured.
I pulled my neck just watching the 24-year-old run around against Newcastle.
When I think of words to describe the Hungarian international, Gazza’s nickname for Bryan Robson springs to mind – “dog sh*t” because the man is everywhere.
But more than legs, the maestro is adding goals to his game, and important ones too.
After being critical of his decision to square it to Nunez at Villa Park last week, the Hungarian found his shooting boots with identical finishes against Manchester City and Newcastle.
Goals are the one thing missing from Szoboszlai’s game, with Slot saying something similar back in September.
However, having already matched his tally from last season (7), if he can keep this up, we might finally have a midfielder who is truly fit to don Steven Gerrard’s number eight shirt.
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Enjoy watching Mo while it lasts
Whilst I’ve found the words to describe Szoboszlai, I and many others are running out of superlatives to describe Salah.
The Egyptian may have failed to find the net for the first time since January 18th, but the Premier League’s top scorer provided the pullbacks for both Liverpool goals.
Commentator Darren Fletcher professed that he wasn’t sure Salah could reach the heights of his 44-goal debut season at Anfield, but the 32-year-old has done so by adding defence-splitting passes to his catalogue.
Of course, his team-mates couldn’t get on the end of his now trademark trivela passes, but the Egyptian sees passes no one else in the Premier League can right now.
For all the criticism that the forward is an efficient goal scorer and nothing more, Salah is just three short of the all-time assist record for an individual Premier League season (20) set by Thierry Henry in 2002/2003.
The Frenchman must be looking over his shoulder.
Incidentally, I’ll be crying into one should the Egyptian depart in the summer.
But let’s not think of that right now, just enjoy it for as long as it lasts.
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Anfield responds
After consecutive dropped points away from home and a nervy win against relegation-threatened Wolves at Anfield, some Reds were getting twitchy.
Scarred by agonising title races of years gone by, I thought Liverpool fans needed to enjoy the ride a bit more.
Performances on the pitch have certainly helped Kopites relax a bit more.
The wins over Manchester City and Newcastle have seen the Reds edge closer to a 20th Premier League title in May, and the manner of those victories had the hallmarks of champions elect.
The Anfield faithful have sensed this too.
You know Liverpool are enjoying themselves when the crowd starts chanting ‘now you’re gonna believe us’.
Kopites have been tentative to sing this in years gone by, with many false dawns before claiming their first title for 30 years under Klopp.
The chant re-emerged after Liverpool dispatched arch-rivals Manchester United to go 16 points clear back in January 2020.
So you know the Reds are having fun when they start declaring their intentions to the rest of the league.
Such was the certainty at Anfield as Liverpool swept Newcastle aside, some even burst into a rendition of the old ‘we’re gonna win the football league again’.
After decades of nostalgia for the eighties, Anfield is re-enacting its confident spirit in the terraces again.
A year ago it was hope. This time it’s expected.
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