Liverpool have made a wonderful start to their Premier League season and sit atop the standings, tied with Manchester City on points. It looked as if they would be able to replicate their domestic form in the Champions League when Roberto Firmino’s late strike against PSG sealed the tie for the Reds on matchday one.
However, the Reds suffered a dip in form and were completely outplayed by Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli. The Italians won the midfield battle as the Reds went down 1-0 courtesy of Lorenzo Insigne’s late strike on matchday two.
As things stand, Liverpool will have their work cut out in the double-header against Red Star Belgrade and the Reds should not make the mistake of underestimating the Champions League newcomers as they are more than capable of springing a surprise.
Well, Liverpool can’t afford any more slip-ups if they are to progress smoothly to the knockout stages. Group C was always expected to be the group of death and it has exactly shaped up that way.
To be honest, Liverpool didn’t quite hit top gear in the 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town. Granted, they were without the services of Naby Keita and Klopp rested some of his regular players but they didn’t quite play with the same intensity. Nevertheless, the win should bring some solace to Jurgen Klopp after going winless for the last four games across all competitions.
Similar to last season, Liverpool’s front three has done most of the scoring this season as well. The trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah has been involved in as many as 13 goals in the Premier League. Hence, it is quite obvious that the Reds rely heavily on their front three to propel them to victory.
Mohamed Salah hasn’t quite found his feet this term and has seemingly put a lot of pressure on himself to replicate his heroics of the previous season. Sadio Mane has been as lively as ever in the final third and has worked tirelessly while the goals seem to have dried up for Roberto Firmino.
However, Firmino, despite his lukewarm displays, will be expected to play a key role against Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday. He has chipped in with two goals and two assists in the Premier League and came off the bench to score the winner against PSG on matchday one.
The Brazilian, who joined Liverpool for £29m, racked up 15 goals and 7 assists last season in the Premier League and there is no reason why he can’t replicate those numbers this term as well. The 26-year-old averages 1.7 shots per game, which is slightly below his average of 2.3 per game last season but he has the ability to shift gears very quickly.
Hence, quite clearly, the front three spearheaded by Roberto Firmino will hold the key to Liverpool’s success against a Red Star Belgrade unit who will be expected to defend deep inside their own half at Anfield.