The comeback needs a spine

Joe Gomez scored his penalty. Wesley Fofana sent his over. Liverpool were through, 6–5 in the shootout after a 1–1 draw with Chelsea, and Anfield had another result to take home. Add it to LASK, Brentford, Villarreal and Brighton: five successive matches ending in victory or cup progress since Manchester City’s 3–0 win here on 11 October.

The mood has moved. The next question arrives on Sunday in an Arsenal shirt. A recovery worth having should be strong enough to face a serious test without requiring everyone to pretend the doubts never existed.

Eight league games, two versions of Liverpool

Four wins, three draws and one defeat give Liverpool 15 points from eight league games, with 11 goals for and eight against. The opening draws with Newcastle and Forest, then the goalless home game with Fulham, made the start feel slower than an unbeaten label suggested. Wins at Ipswich and Bournemouth helped; City’s three goals at Anfield then delivered an unpleasant measure of the gap.

Since then, the league response has been a comeback at Brentford and a 2–0 home win over Brighton. Europe has supplied three wins from three: Atlético Madrid, LASK and Villarreal. The latter two alone involved ten Liverpool goals and six conceded. We have found ways to win. Finding a way to make fewer rescues necessary would be a fine next trick.

Andoni Iraola’s team is becoming more interesting, with room for younger players and attacking combinations that can change a game. That does not make every loose possession an expression of glorious ambition. There is a difference between accepting the risks of adventurous football and presenting the opponent with a wrapped gift.

The young lads have changed the conversation

One of the clearest currents in supporter coverage is the appetite for Trey Nyoni. This Is Anfield’s Chelsea reaction round-up collected calls for him to start against Arsenal, highlighting his composure and forward passing. Those selected reactions are evidence of enthusiasm, rather than a census of the Kop.

There is a football case behind it. Nyoni played most of the cup tie and Iraola praised both his performance and his improved physical finish to the game. Giving him meaningful responsibility makes the squad feel larger than the list of established names. It also gives the crowd something immediate to get behind. A young midfielder asking for the ball under pressure can do more for the temperature than another promise about a long-term project.

Rio Ngumoha’s growing involvement belongs in that same hopeful picture. The point is not to demand that teenagers repair every senior problem. It is that a place in this team can be earned, and that the manager is prepared to use the players who earn it.

The noise is encouraging. The balance is unfinished.

Iraola’s post-Chelsea press conference stressed the effort, the support from the stands and a growing sense of togetherness. Seven changes still produced cup progress. Bournemouth now await at Anfield in the quarter-finals. That is a good return from a night on which the football was less fluent than the celebration.

The sharper public criticism concerns what happens behind an attack. Steven Gerrard, speaking on The Overlap Daily and reported by This Is Anfield, argued for a stronger holding presence in midfield. That is his assessment, not evidence that a particular signing is agreed or inevitable.

Our view is that the problem is bigger than a position on a recruitment diagram. Whoever plays deepest needs useful distances around him, full-back cover and teammates who react together when possession goes. January may offer a player. The next training session has to offer some organisation. Liverpool cannot keep giving opponents a clear road through the middle and expect the forwards to pay the toll.

Arsenal first; then the month opens out

Liverpool v Arsenal is Sunday 1 November, 4.30pm GMT, at Anfield, live on Sky Sports in the UK. The original Saturday date has moved. This is a chance to put the recovery beside stronger league opposition and see whether the recent confidence travels beyond favourable moments.

Then come Fenerbahçe away in Europe on 4 November and Palace away on 8 November. After the international break, November brings Manchester United at Anfield, Club Brugge away and the derby at Everton. That is a run requiring more than one preferred eleven. The official fixture list remains the place to check dates as broadcast and competition arrangements change.

What we need by the new year

First, a team that can protect a lead without surrendering the initiative. Second, enough available defenders and midfielders to sustain the press across the winter programme. Frimpong’s muscle injury and the longer rehabilitations of Bradley, Leoni and Ekitike make that a practical question. The club’s injury update offers hope for Ekitike in January, not a promised return date.

Third, a proper route for Nyoni and Ngumoha to keep contributing when the established players are available. Development means trusting them before the squad is in an emergency. Beyond January, recruitment should strengthen the way Iraola wants Liverpool to function, rather than asking another expensive attacker to disguise an unbalanced side.

We have cup progress, European points and a recovery in the league. We also have Arsenal on Sunday. Liverpool have earned a better argument than the one we were having after City. Now give it a spine.

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