Jürgen Klopp Lauds A Balanced Liverpool Performance

The threes have it. Three straight wins in the league for Liverpool, each by a three goal margin, along with three clean sheets to make it now four wins on the bounce in all competitions. This time it was Virgil van Dijk and bogeymen, Southampton who were handily dispatched 3-0 at Anfield (with, as an aside, the wanted Dutchman acquitting himself predictably well while looking encouragingly frustrated with his woeful teammates ahead of a certain January transfer).

Sure, the Reds’ welcome form has hardly come against sides capable of offering much resistance in Huddersfield Town, Maribor, West Ham and the Saints. However, in a mirror image of the unbeaten run in August in which Liverpool’s poor play was masked by solid results, the easy November fixtures ought not take away from the balance Jürgen Klopp has now brought to the side.

“I was really happy,” the German manager effused in his post-match interview, “[Because] we have had so many different experiences so far this season.

“We played outstandingly well, for example, against Arsenal. We had one really bad game against Tottenham. All of the rest were more than OK, most of the time really good. We didn’t get the results but we’ve built on this.

“[But now], we know we can rely on our quality when we defend well.”

The lack of balance between attack and defense in addition to untimely injuries has left Klopp at times this season with a side both belabored going forward and undermanned at the back. With Dejan Lovren and young Trent Alexander-Arnold both back in the side with key center half, Joël Matip a scratch for the day and league full back starter, Joe Gomez rested after his exertions while on international duty, the defense still managed to put in a confident and front-footed showing.

“Really mature performance,” the 50-year-old said of his defense. “The two center halves played outstandingly well…it was a really good performance.”

“We could have scored more often but it was a perfect day for us."