Former Liverpool Star Praises ‘Excellent’ Liverpool Stars After Solid Start

With the international break over, Liverpool are finally set to return to Premier League action this weekend as they face Chelsea at Anfield. The Reds will be looking to pick up where they left off ahead of the break, with new head coach Arne Slot guiding them to the top of the Premier League with six wins out of their opening seven games.

It hasn’t just been solid team performances either, as many individuals have seemingly improved by the Dutchman. This is a sentiment shared by former Liverpool star Jermaine Pennant, who spoke exclusively to Anfield Index. With that being said, which Liverpool players have caught Pennant’s eye so far this season?

Ryan Gravenberch: Klopp’s Missed Trick

“Firstly, I would have to go with Ryan Gravenberch. In that pivot role, he has been a revelation and I think he has been amazing,” Pennant began, “I think Jurgen Klopp has missed something there by playing Wataru Endo there so much last season.”

Pennant is of course referring to Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge against Manchester City and Arsenal last season, where the Reds came up short in Klopp’s final season at Anfield. The defensive midfield position was certainly an issue throughout the season, despite the best efforts of Endo and Pennant believes the decision not to give Gravenberch the opportunity in that role last season was a season-defining one.

“I think if we had used Gravenberch there last season, they would have chased Man City down. That’s how important that position is,” stated Pennant. Of course, there’s a debate to be had whether the Dutch midfielder’s impact would’ve been as emphatic as this season but based on his form this season, Klopp could certainly be looking back at last season with some regret.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: Silencing Critics

Another Liverpool star to catch Jermain Pennant’s eye so far this season has been Trent Alexander-Arnold. “Trent has been great,” claimed Pennant, “There has been questions over his defending but he has played a part in getting those crucial clean sheets and from all of the games we have seen so far, he has been excellent.”

It’s hard to disagree with Pennant’s thoughts on Alexander-Arnold’s performances, with his role under Slot being much more reliant on improved one-on-one defending, whilst still taking up those positions to create chances and impact games on the front-foot. The 26-year-old has even taken that form into the international break, despite surprisingly playing as a left-back, as he scored an incredible free-kick against Finland.

Ibou Konate: Solid as a Rock

“Konate has really shown just how good he can be, alongside Virgil Van Dijk,” stated Pennant. Since replacing Jarell Quansah at half-time of the opening Premier League game, the French defender has been absolutely sensational in Liverpool’s defence. So far this season, Liverpool have conceded just two goals in seven Premier League games and Konate has played a huge role in that impressive record. There’s no doubt that himself and Virgil Van Dijk are the best defensive partnership in the league, if not the world, at the moment but the best could still be yet to come.

“Remember he is still young as well,” reminded Pennant, “He still has a lot of years ahead of him.” At just 25-years-old, Konate still has plenty of years to come at Liverpool and the club have clearly recognised that with an expected contract extension waiting to be announced. Quansah will certainly have his work to cut out in order to make his way back into Slot’s plans, but for Konate, hopefully this is the start of a really consistent few years for the Reds.

Looking Ahead

As mentioned earlier, Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday as they look to make a real statement of intent as we head towards the festive period. Their fixtures don’t get much easier after that though, with clashes against Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid and Manchester City all in the next few weeks.

The early signs of Slot’s reign as Liverpool boss are definitely encouraging and with the likes of Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Alexis Mac Allister all in great form too, there’s no reason to not get behind this Liverpool side ahead of these fixtures. It’s certainly exciting.