Ian Doyle with the talking points after Liverpool were beaten miserably at Brentford 3-2 in the Premier League on Saturday evening
Ian Doyle has covered Liverpool for more than 20 years, following them across Europe in multiple Champions League and Europa League finals and as far afield as Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Hong Kong and Qatar, and has reported on the Reds winning every major honour. He previously also covered Everton for 18 years and followed England, reporting on the European Championships and World Cup final. Once had to tell Jude Law he does not drive a Mini.
Dominik Szoboszlai speaks with team-mate Mohamed Salah during the Premier League match between Brentford and Liverpool at Gtech Community Stadium(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The Premier League title was already in the bag the only other time Arne Slot’s side started a top-flight game without either Ryan Gravenberch or Alexis Mac Allister helping anchor the midfield. But if there wasn’t much riding on the trip to Chelsea in May, this latest visit to London was an altogether different matter.
It says much about Mac Allister’s struggles this season there were few eyebrows raised when, with Ryan Gravenberch out injured, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones lined up as the central duo in the engine room at Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek.
The emphatic victory and impressive showing by both players meant Slot was happy to stick with the duo here at Brentford for a more physical, intense examination of their respective defensive nous.
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Ian Doyle
And they were perhaps the only two Liverpool players who regularly stood up to the hosts, Szoboszlai in particular impressing even before his assist for Mohamed Salah late on.
Curious, then, that he once again had a spell at right-back during the second half before Joe Gomez was brought on to fill that breach.
Szoboszlai has been the Reds’ best player this season. He more than anyone deserves to be operating where he can be most effective.
Salah hope remains
It took the travelling Kop positioned in the corner of the Gtech Community Shield just three minutes to show where their allegiance lies.
And the loud chants saluting Salah indicated while some of the online fanbase want the Egyptian jettisoned after an underwhelming run of form, those who pay their hard-earned believe in the value of support.
The truth is, though, Salah is suffering the most prominent dip in form and, more pertinently, shortfall in confidence in his illustrious Anfield career.
That was evident in the first half when, found by Cody Gakpo inside the area, a slightly loose touch wasn’t helped by Salah slightly losing his balance and the opening was gone.
While there was no questioning his appetite during an at times painful second-half attacking effort from the Reds, too often he floundered up against his marker or shifted inside into a gaggle of Brentford defenders.
There was some solace at a six-game run without a goal being ended with a brilliant touch and finish from Szoboszlai’s pass to give Liverpool a glimmer of an unlikely late revival.
And the hope will be that strike, while in vain in the context of this game, can reignite the season for Salah, who was among the first Reds players to thank the away supporters after the game.
Slot hits wrong records
If Slot made a habit of racking up the records during his impressive debut season in charge, this time around his team are achieving landmarks for all the wrong reasons.
So continues Liverpool’s capital pain, this a fifth successive league loss in London having last had such a run way back in 1970.
And when Dango Ouattara hooked home from a long throw with only Brentford’s second meaningful attack, it meant the Reds had conceded in the opening 15 minutes of four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since January 1996.
Tellingly, Liverpool’s five Premier League wins this season have all come from having scored the first goal.
Unlike against Crystal Palace, Chelsea or Manchester United, this time Slot’s side were never able to get back on to level terms during the game.
That leakiness is now hurting Liverpool, who have kept only two clean sheets in their last 13 Premier League fixtures and none in their last nine in all competitions.
Only five top-flight teams have conceded more this season than the 14 the Reds have allowed in nine games. It wasn’t until 16 games in that they reached that mark last term.
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