For the second successive weekend, Bradley Barcola teed up Alexander Isak for what proved to be a decisive goal in a Liverpool win.
The Reds beat an in-form Brighton & Hove Albion side 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, with Isak scoring the second. Andoni Iraola’s men struck twice in the space of four minutes to all but settle the game inside 21 minutes. Florian Wirtz’s effort deflected off Pascal Gross and past Bart Verbruggen for the opener, before Barcola got the better of Olivier Boscagli and raced into the penalty area to pick out Isak. The No.9, who until then had been let down by a few rogue touches in and around the box, steered a left-footed finish into the far corner before peeling away to celebrate with the French attacker.
Just like that, the two £100m forwards had combined once again to secure a Liverpool win. A win that lifted them into fourth. A win that made it two in a row since the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The duo also combined last weekend in Liverpool’s come-from-behind victory over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. In the space of eight days, the pair have silenced the doubters, and the Reds are now being talked about as dark horses for a title push.
Since the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in the second game of the season, Iraola’s side have conceded just once with 11 men on the pitch – Keane Lewis-Potter’s strike at Brentford. All three of City’s goals came after Ryan Gravenberch had been sent off. Only Brighton and Arsenal (both on five) have kept more clean sheets than the Merseysiders (four).
This climb up the table comes down to two things. Perhaps surprisingly, Liverpool are defensively robust and resilient. And while they might not be free-flowing in the final third, they have match-winners and game-changers. Because the Reds aren’t giving up many chances, they can afford to make the few they create count – and that second part matters most.
If those in attack are doing their job, racking up wins becomes a lot easier.
Goals change games
As simple as it sounds, goals really do change games. Liverpool haven’t been free-scoring this term. They have 11 goals from their eight outings, which ranks ninth in the Premier League, and yet they have four wins and three draws to show for it.
They’re in a position where one goal can win them a game. When your attack is a work in progress, that’s exactly what you want. You don’t want to need three goals for three points.
And like it or not, Liverpool’s attack is a work in progress.
Iraola is having to bed in Barcola and Victor Munoz while developing Rio Ngumoha and making a wantaway Cody Gakpo feel valued. He’s had to rely on Lewis Koumas as Isak’s understudy, with Hugo Ekitike out injured until the new year.
To complicate matters, Gakpo, Isak and Munoz have all spent time in the treatment room. This isn’t a settled or consistent attack. Iraola has eased the burden on his forwards, and it means the odd goal has been enough for victory. But it also means carving out the right moment for the right player is more important than ever.
Penalty box poacher
This is where Isak comes into his own.
He leads the way for Liverpool with six league goals already. He’s scored in all four of Iraola’s wins this term, and while he’s not a high-volume attacker – he’s taken just 20 shots this season – he’s proving to be a pivotal player.
Liverpool have shaped their attack around their No.9. His job is to put the ball in the back of the net, and his best chance of doing that is shooting from inside the penalty area. As a result, 19 of his 20 efforts have come from inside the box.
In fact, six of his shots have come from on or inside the six-yard box, and three of his goals have come from those situations. Barcola has assisted two of those three.
Both players seem to understand their job. Isak needs to be in the box. Barcola needs to put the ball in the box.
At the minute, both are excelling in their roles. Isak is scoring. Barcola is assisting. Liverpool are winning.
Another deadly duo for Liverpool
The Reds have a history of attacking duos who just click.
They had Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish. Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman. Michael Owen and Emile Heskey. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. Roberto Firmino combined brilliantly with both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
The hope had been that Wirtz and Isak might be the next dynamic duo in red. But perhaps it’s going to be Barcola and Isak.
The biggest sign that things are clicking between the two was the goal against Brighton. Barcola did fantastically down the right before picking out Isak with a perfectly weighted cross. It made life so much easier for the No.9 – he just had to guide it into the corner.
Barcola looked up to find the striker before playing the ball. On countless occasions on Sunday, passes were played into areas where team-mates expected Isak to be when he wasn’t. You can debate who was to blame. Should Isak have made a different run? Should the player delivering the ball have looked for him, rather than playing it into an area they thought he should have occupied?
Whoever was at fault, Barcola found Isak again, and Liverpool scored again. All the signs point to this being a key partnership for the Reds.
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