Daniel’s Debrief: Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth

That’s a game that felt like it could’ve come under any of Liverpool’s last three managers.

There’s some of Brendan Rodgers’ 13/14 team in there: pizzazz and vigour up front, a constant urge to attack but a vulnerability at the back.

There’s plenty of Jurgen Klopp: countering the opposition, pressing them into submission, scoring quick-fire goals.

And then there’s Arne Slot, and for him, it’s actually the second half that looks most like 45 minutes of Slot-ball.

Liverpool aren’t perfect today and in my eyes, 3-0 flatters them.

But, it’s a game where both teams have a lot of low-quality chances, but Liverpool take their better ones. 

Luis Diaz has four chances in the first half and converts two of them. The first one sees him use his laces and try to recreate his famous Crystal Palace goal, for the second he should cut it back to Darwin Nunez rather than going for the near post.

The next two chances he gets, though, he makes no mistake from. There’s certainly been an upping in his end product and his calmness and decision-making in front of goal.

It would be easy to associate the first goal with one of a tall, physical centre-forward but it actually reminded me more of something that Sadio Mane would do.

It’s a long ball from Ibrahima Konate - more on that later - and he peels away from Julian Araujo and moves from out to in. Diaz controls it really well, takes a brilliant touch to take it around Kepa, and slots it home for the lead.

People remember Mane for his blistering pace and his electric skills but his physicality and ability to compete in the air were two of his biggest strengths too.

Diaz wouldn’t have scored this goal last season. In fact; I don’t think he’d have even made that run.

It’s pretty baffling goalkeeping from Kepa, I’m not really sure what he’s thinking, but that doesn’t take away from the precision and the quality of what Diaz does.

Again, Kepa will feel he is beaten too easily at the near post by Diaz for the second goal but again, it’s great work from the winger.

Initially, it looks like his touch with his right foot has taken him too close to Kepa, but he does really well to find enough room to slide it under the goalkeeper’s body.

Of course, Diaz is supplying the finish to a stunning team move. It starts with rapid interplay between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah and suddenly the right-back has acres of space to drive into.

The delay he puts on the pass and the late change of foot takes Iliya Zabarnyi slightly away from Diaz and towards Nunez, giving the goalscorer more room to work with.

A Rodgers goal in its quality of forward play, a Klopp goal in its fast movement through the phases and a Slot goal in its intricacy and calmness.

Then, a goal straight out of the Rafael Benitez playbook. A long pump from Konate is again accurately delivered into the channel, and Nunez makes a great run and leap to direct the ball into path of Mohamed Salah. 

Salah returns it to Nunez and he cuts in from Zabarnyi and curls it deliciously into the goal. In off the post, it’s an extremely accurate strike and a technically exceptional one too.

This is an exquisite goal from Nunez, it’s a bit of a similar goal to the one he scores against the same opponents in the League Cup last season, just on the other foot this time.

It’s a big day for Nunez and he does really well in his first start of the season. He’s everywhere physically, he’s really present and involved in the game and he’s intelligent with his decisions too.

He connects, he’s fluid, he runs the channels well and he’s an active threat all day.

There’s still some of last season’s niggles in there: he aims a pretty simple chance straight at Kepa just minutes before scoring a beauty.

The three goals come in quick succession and put the result in Liverpool’s grip, despite a pretty messy first half an hour. 

The thing that Slot won’t be happy about, especially up until 1-0, is the lack of control that Liverpool exert on the game. 

Antoine Semenyo is denied by VAR but Bournemouth are causing Liverpool plenty of problems early on.

Even at 2-0, they have several chances before the third comes and Liverpool look shaky.

As well as Nunez, it’s a big day for Caoimhin Kelleher and he delivers, as he usually does. There’s a few really good stops from the goalkeeper and keeping a clean sheet, despite Bournemouth getting an xG of 1.24, is good.

Alexis Mac Allister is majestic in the middle of the park once again. Some of his passing is an exhibition of art today. There’s nothing he’s not good at and the fact that he’s Liverpool’s most successful passer and tackler today - two polarising skills - show what an all-rounder he is. No weakness.

Ryan Gravenberch and Konate are tremendous again. 

There’s some of Juventus-era Paul Pogba in there today from Gravenberch, there’s some of Patrick Vieira and there’s even a bit of our own Georginio Wijnaldum. 

This is probably the thing that Slot has impressed me most with. We knew the likes of Konate, Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Mac Allister  were brilliant, but turning around the career of Gravenberch so early in the season and in such a short space of time, in a new position, is great work.

Not a typical 3-0 win and not the most impressive 3-0 win. There could be more control and calmness to it but the goals are of a very high standard and what Liverpool do well today, they do very well.

Daniel