Anfield was a fortress for Liverpool during the Jürgen Klopp era.
By Sam McGuire
The German lost just 12 of his 167 league games at Anfield in charge of the Reds and six of those occurred during that forgettable 2020/21 campaign when Liverpool were without senior centre-backs and no fans were allowed in stadiums.
Arne Slot will be hoping for a similarly formidable record on home soil. He takes charge of his first Premier League match at Anfield this weekend as Liverpool play host to Brentford on Sunday.
The Reds kicked off their 2024/25 campaign with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town last weekend. After a difficult first half, a half in which chances were few and far between, Liverpool found their groove after the break. They carved out six big chances and had shots with an Expected Goals total of 2.56. By comparison, the Tractor Boys ran out of steam and could muster just three efforts after the break, with an Expected Goals total of just 0.15.
Mohamed Salah added to his opening-day tally. He now leads the way with a league record nine goals on scored on Matchday One in the Premier League. He also assisted the opener for Diogo Jota while Trent Alexander-Arnold looked back to his sensational best at Portman Road.
The signs were positive for Slot and his players. They’ll be favourites heading into this game against the Bees. But Thomas Frank’s side have the potential to cause an upset.
Yoane Wissa, in the starting XI in place of Ivan Toney, was the match-winner and the difference-maker for Brentford against Crystal Palace. He assisted the opener and found the back of the net late on to give the hosts all three points last Sunday. His showing against the Eagles earned him a FotMob rating of 8.7. He won five of his six ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels. He’s a real handful and Liverpool will be wary of this, especially after what happened against Ipswich.
Slot was forced to replace Jarell Quansah at the break after the young centre-back struggled to deal with the physicality of Liam Delap. Ibrahima Konate was brought on and helped the Reds control proceedings after the break. Who gets the nod alongside Virgil van Dijk this weekend will be interesting. Does Quansah get a second chance or will Ibrahima Konaté be brought in to deal with Wissa?
Interestingly, the Brentford forward enjoys playing against the Reds. He has two goals against Liverpool. The 27-year-old only has more scored more goals in the Premier League against West Ham.
The Bees will play to Wissa’s and their collective strengths and they’ll believe they can cause an upset at Anfield.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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