1. Liverpool still very much a work in progress
AT A GLANCE, the outlook seems relatively rosy for Liverpool supporters.
The club are now third in the league, after beating Bournemouth 1-0, and are one of just four Premier League sides to still have a 100% record.
Nevertheless, while the results have been positive, there is a nagging sense that the Reds, with their coterie of new signings, haven’t fully gelled yet.
There have been some promising signs — James Milner provided his usual energy in midfield, while Christian Benteke took his goal well and showed some nice touches. Moreover, both Joe Gomez and Nathaniel Clyne looked solid in defence.
Overall however, while tonight’s performance was an improvement on last week’s uninspired 1-0 win over Stoke, Brendan Rodgers’ men will surely have to up their game ahead of the trip to Arsenal next week.
2. Solid full debut for O’Kane
Ireland manager Martin O’Neill will surely have been impressed by the maturity of Eunan O’Kane’s display tonight.
The 25-year-old Derry native, who has been capped by Ireland at U21 level, produced a solid performance, rarely giving possession away and helping his side out-pass their opponents for large sections of the match.
Regular Premier League performers are rare enough for the Boys in Green these days, and with uncertainty over club colleague Harry Arter’s fitness, O’Kane could just sneak into Martin O’Neill’s Ireland squad tomorrow.
Bournemouth’s fairy-tale rise from near-extinction to the Premier League has, of course, been well documented, and O’Kane, who joined the club when they were a League One side in July 2012, has played an integral role in this success story.
3. Coutinho becoming increasingly vital for Liverpool
One of the main talking points ahead of the new season in relation to Liverpool was the need for other players to step up in the absence of the departed Steven Gerrard.
So far, 23-year-old Philippe Coutinho has been the main man to take on this responsibility in their opening matches.
Last week, in a difficult fixture away to Stoke, the Brazilian international won his side the game with a stunning 86th-minute long-distance strike.
Similarly, tonight, he was the best player on the field, posing a constant threat, with his intelligent passing and penetrating dribbles, even providing an assist (albeit an illegal one) for the goal.
With Milner and Henderson serving as the engine room, Liverpool will be hugely reliant on Coutinho (along with Adam Lallana) to provide them with a creative spark and complement their defensive work horses.
And on the evidence of the past two games, the youngster looks more than capable of rising to the formidable challenge of helping the club maintain a genuine top-four challenge over the course of the season.
