Nunez absence underlines Gakpo truth
Strange how it has taken the absence of Darwin Nunez for some to appreciate what the striker offers Liverpool.
Nunez was missing here after failing to shake off the minor injury that saw him sit out training earlier in the week. And with Roberto Firmino not close to a recall and both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota recovering from long-term injuries, Klopp had to rely on the versatility of Cody Gakpo just two games into the new signing’s Anfield career.
For the second successive weekend, it was impossible not to feel sorry for the Dutchman. Having been employed on the left against Wolverhampton Wanderers, here he was ostensibly down the middle alongside Mohamed Salah.
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Gakpo barely had a touch in the first half, feeding off scraps given the scant service from his underperforming team-mates. There were signs of life in the final quarter with one effort saved by Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and a clipped cross into an inviting area, but that was about it.
The presence of Nunez wouldn’t have changed the outcome but his brand of chaos and confusion would have at least given Brighton’s defenders a different problem and Liverpool a willing outlet.
Early days, of course. But Gakpo, similar to Nunez before him, is discovering this isn’t the ideal campaign to be adapting to Klopp’s Reds.
Konate frustrated as Matip suffers
Virgil van Dijk could barely have been more effusive with his praise of Ibrahima Konate.
"Everyone in Liverpool should appreciate what we got, the future is bright,” said the Dutchman when talking about his club-mate last year. “To be that good already at such an age, it’s crazy, in my opinion.”
With Van Dijk sidelined with a hamstring problem, such a claim is now being put to the test. This, though, wasn’t the ideal situation for Konate to underline he can be the long-term replacement for his absent colleague.
In truth, the Frenchman was key in helping Liverpool somehow negotiate the first half without conceding, kept busy by the failings of too many of those around him.
Ultimately, though, Konate was dragged down by the general malaise, playing Brighton onside for their opener and then losing substitute Danny Welbeck for the game-clinching third late on.
By then, Joel Matip had long departed the scene, hooked after one of the worst performances of his Liverpool career, encapsulated by his wayward pass into midfield that gifted Brighton possession for Solly March’s decisive first strike.
And to his right, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was given a hugely difficult time by Kaoru Mitoma, the full-back deserves credit for refusing to buckle. Liverpool are going to need a lot more of that attitude if they are to dig themselves out of this mess.
Caicedo reality for Reds
Even before the final whistle was blown, the #FSGOUT movement was out in force.
But the reality, should Jurgen Klopp be taken at his word, is that putting pressure on Liverpool’s owners to buy a midfielder will make little difference during this month's transfer window.
The cavalry is not arriving. The Reds are going to have to make do and mend with what they have, Klopp and his coaching staff having to somehow conjure the right combination of available personnel and a plan to maximise their abilities. Their corn must now be earned.
Much will be made of the performance of Liverpool-linked Moises Caicedo in helping Brighton dominate midfield, but he will need to be assessed against more testing opposition than the Reds’ flimsy offering. This was simply too easy for him.
And the facts are alarming, this the first time Liverpool have lost their first two league games in a calendar year since 1993 with Klopp’s side now taken just eight points from nine away top-flight outings this campaign. Not good enough at all.
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