Neil Atkinson’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Liverpool 2 Brentford 0 in the 2024-2025 Premier League season…
A PAIR of 2-0s to set the season up nicely for us.
But something else, something more – a blueprint as to how a season could prove to be set up.
Liverpool are not playing football from the gods and nor are they playing football like all of our lives depend on it. Your heart isn’t thudding. Your blood isn’t pumping.
That’s good. That’s natural. That’s August. It feels like three things are in full effect:
1. For now, Arsenal have the mantle of having their brains broken by Manchester City.
2. He is always here, will always be here, but he isn’t there, evoking and channelling need, clawing need.
3. We’re doing it all a little bit differently.
This will – hopefully – change in the fullness of time. Hopefully, because that would mean we were at the business end. At some point, the need will come when we call it. At some point, we’ll look City in the eye again. And at some point, there will be the sort of adversity which means you need to play differently.
That adversity, though, feels like it could be a distance away precisely because of what is being offered not being at all open to it. Liverpool played today on their own terms and me, you and Brentford could like it or lump it.
The obvious joke here is “and of course Brentford lumped it,” but they actually played quite well in patches and will be more than fine this season. The issue they had was Liverpool were so good and so controlled.
The so good part can start with Mo Salah, who now has two goals in two games and looks the business. He’s a little scruffy at times in this game, but nothing can keep him out of the action. He may well run home tonight carrying Kristoffer Ajer in a piggy back the whole way. He was tremendous and could overtake Gordon Hodgson – Billy Liddell will soon be none of his business.
Ryan Gravenberch had everything I wanted – commitment, touch and a little bit of pessimism and panic. The last is almost the most important. There is a lot to be said for endless poise, but we need a player who is at least thinking that the worst could happen and he was our man. He was great.
I loved Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performance. He’s constantly on the ball and looks capable of whatever the game needs in every moment.
The opening goal comes from their corner. I do wonder about diminishing returns for their set-piece plan – Liverpool knew what they’d do and almost treated it as an affront. They were determined to punish its hubris. The excellent Ibou Konate wins his header, Salah his battle, and then Diogo Jota was the smartest man on the pitch and timed his ball to perfection. Luis Diaz did the rest.
That isn’t fair, though – Diaz did what you worry he won’t and played brilliantly beyond that. He’s a man very much enthralled with the new regime and looks integral to it.
They all look integral to it. And in pre-season others looked integral to it too. There isn’t an outlier beyond Wataru Endo and it was good to see him get a cameo. Conor Bradley comes on and contributes. Cody Gakpo hits the woodwork with a deflected effort. Harvey Elliott looks bright.
It’s August and feels as August should, appalling weather aside, but part of what August should feel like is full of promise. There is a season just here for us and, you never know, our first bit of adversity may come at Old Trafford and then we will see a little more.
But it may not and I like the serenity so far. I like the extra touch and the reassessment and I like suddenly quick moves and exceptional 70-yard shifts surprising the life out of everyone. Brentford at home is a test, but it isn’t meant to be *the* test. Liverpool passed with flying colours but they should.
This is it, at least for now. Get on board, sit back, relax and enjoy. Conserve yourself.
Keep this up and we will need everything we have come spring.
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