Building momentum

After the disappointing way we collapsed against City last week, our midweek fixture against a poor Lask team, was the perfect tonic and a good confidence builder, for Barcola and Wirtz in particular, ahead of yesterday’s game against a very decent Brentford side, who are difficult to beat at home.

We started well and were creating chances, with Barcola guilty of missing a gilt edged chance when clean through on goal and it was to become a theme through the game, as he spurned a number of good opportunities, failing to hit the target repeatedly when in good positions.

We’d limited Brentford to very little attacking threat from them, so it was a bit of a shock when they scored out the blue. Credit where it’s due, it was an absolute bullet of a header that gave Alisson no chance.

We had one penalty claim from Wirtz ignored and then Macca thought he’d won a penalty, only for the decision to be overturned by VAR. The real pivotal moment of the half was the red card though. Jacquet making a nuisance of himself and the Brentford defender naively took the bait and directed a petulant headbutt towards Jacquet, who subsequently went down like there was a sniper in the stand. VAR had a look and while there was minimal contact, the rules of the game are clear and he was rightly shown a straight red card.

We didn’t have to wait too long after the break for the equaliser. A through ball from Wirtz, sent the increasingly influential Munoz racing in on goal and the Spaniard took full advantage, as he left the defender for dead with a brilliant turn and then slotted the ball past Kelleher with his left foot. It was an excellent goal from a player who impresses me more every week. It’s funny, as he’s the archetypal type of signing the brought us such success in the Klopp era and looks a real bargain. He’s a terrier of a player, who works his socks off but has no shortage of quality either.

As for Wirtz, he continues to polarise the fan base and is under the microscope more than anyone else in the team but personally I thought he had a decent game. I read the stat about the 9 chances created being the most by a single player in something like 6 years and the most by a player on an away ground in something like 15 years. Now I didn’t see his performance as being THAT impressive in real time but he got his assist and I did think during the game that he could’ve had a couple more, if not for some poor finishing and that has been something of a recurring theme for him, in his time at the club. We have to be realistic as well, his confidence looked absolutely shattered a couple of weeks ago, that’s not going to completely change overnight but assists in successive games now and improved performances are all you can ask for now. This past week will have helped his confidence and we can only hope he’s starting to turn a corner. I agree with Ata though, that he’d benefit from a proper DM behind him.

The win came at a cost though, as we lost Szoboszlai to injury and then Frimpong who’d only been on the pitch a few minutes when he went off injured. I’m sure few fans will be losing any sleep over his injury and I’d be surprised if the club aren’t open to offers for him next summer but the RB curse continues.

It was the introduction of Rio though, that I felt turned the tide in our favour. He was a live-wire when he came on, his quick feet and willingness to take players on is exactly what you need when trying to break down a team that were playing for a draw at that point and he immediately started causing Brentford problems.

The winner eventually came from our record signing Isak, who despite the fact I’d forgotten he was playing as he’d been completely anonymous all game, showed why we paid the big bucks for him. The ball bounced in front of him, you couldn’t even really have called it a chance but in a flash he nicked it off the defenders toe and his first time finish was truly elite. He was more involved in the build up for Newcastle and I think fans are waiting to see that Isak emerge but it may be that he plays a different role for us. I’m thinking Haaland, where he might only get 9 touches all game but he’s scored two goals. I don’t necessarily have a problem with that and despite his performances not setting the heather alight this season, his scoring record so far this season is very good, so long may it last.

For McMOTM I’m going for big Jezza Jacket. He’s been an inspired signing and despite his tender years for a CB, he’s hit the ground running and looks like he’s been playing in the PL for years. An excellent partner for Van Dijk, as well as looking like an obvious successor for the great man.

So we’re far from the finished article yet, everyone can see that but I see signs that make me optimistic. Struggling players I’m starting to improve, new signings making an impact and young players coming into the team and doing well. The football has much improved from last season, in terms of the entertainment factor. We’re building momentum and with every passing week, the players are getting more used to each other and more used to the system. In terms of predicting how the season will go, I have absolutely no idea but if we can maintain and improve our current performance levels, we’ll win more games than we don’t. We’re not ready for a genuine PL or CL push yet I don’t think but top 4 and a domestic cup should definitely be considered achievable. Injuries as always will play a big part though, for us as well as other teams and so far, it’s not looking great on that front. Another 3 points on the board though, from a tough away fixture so we can only be happy with that. No respite though, as we go again on Tuesday. Walk on!