Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League was emphatic, but it’s crucial that we don’t forget that it was preceded by a disappointing 3-2 defeat on the south coast against Bournemouth.
Last year’s champions are this year’s laughing stock, or the Reds were, at least, until the rot was stopped in December. Still, Liverpool have holes in defence and injuries spread across the park.
Liverpool have agreed a £60m deal with Rennes to sign 20-year-old centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, but he will not arrive until the end of the season.
The decision to carry on with the defensive options available is concerning, to say the least.
Moreover, Arne Slot will know that a setback to either Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate could spell the end of his tenure, since he already walks a tightrope in the Anfield dugout.
The latest on Slot’s Liverpool future
The bottom line is that FSG are not going to be hasty. Indeed, they have stuck by the Liverpool head coach despite desperate results and a blinding spotlight on a wretched Premier League title defence.
When Liverpool lost to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield in November, their ninth defeat from 12 matches, many called for the Dutchman’s head.
There weren’t exactly an abundance of managerial options back then, but Xabi Alonso has since parted with Real Madrid after a short-lived stint, and rumours have naturally linked him with a romantic return to Merseyside.
Slot needs to paint a purple patch across the business months of the season; with so much quality at his disposal, he has the tools to get the job done.
However, one of Liverpool’s biggest stars could end up becoming a talisman for Alonso, perhaps even the Spanish coach’s new version of Kylian Mbappe.
Liverpool star could be Alonso’s next Mbappe
Mbappe might just be the best player in the world. Real Madrid are not enjoying their finest hour, but the Les Bleus superstar has kept them competitive with so many goals this season.
In the race for the European Golden Boot, Mbappe is neck-and-neck with Harry Kane, either of whom could stake a compelling case to being the cream of football’s offensive crop.
|
European Golden Boot Race |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals |
Points |
|
Harry Kane |
22 |
44 |
|
Kylian Mbappe |
22 |
44 |
|
Erling Haaland |
20 |
40 |
|
Igor Thiago |
16 |
32 |
|
Vedat Muriqi |
15 |
30 |
|
Data via Transfermarkt |
||
43rd in the race for the Golden Boot is Hugo Ekitike, but that’s certainly not a smear against his world-class potential.
A £79m summer signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, Ekitike has proved instrumental for Liverpool this season, especially with Alexander Isak having a tough time since his own big-money move.
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The 23-year-old has scored 15 goals and provided four assists across 32 matches since moving to England, but that hardly tells the full story for a forward whose grace and elegance and ability all meld together and promise something special.
Given that the France international is blessed with such speed and endowed with such dynamic athleticism, he may come to be Liverpool’s own version of Mbappe, a deadly goalscorer who offers a whole lot more. After all, journalist Graeme Bailey even remarked back in 2022 that many in France thought he could be “the next Mbappe.” He’s not quite lived up to that yet but there’s certainly more to come from the striker.
Slot has already singled the rangy forward out for his speed. It was known that Ekitike would add pace and dynamism to Liverpool’s attack, but the depth of his pace was perhaps not quite clear until he actually started playing in a Liverpool shirt.
Described as a man with “insane talent” by sports commentator Maximilianos Bretos, Ekitike is the real deal, and given his stylistic similarities with compatriot Mbappe, he might just be Alonso’s new offensive leader, should Slot fail to bring Liverpool back to the ascendancy.
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