Liverpool cruised to a 6-3 victory on Wednesday night in the Champions League. The opposition were maybe not the strongest, but its still a trip to Europe, and the crowd were up for it. Austrian champions LASK proved no bother for the reds, as a first half brace from barcola and a goal from fan favourite loanee Araujo meant the game was over before the break.
Bradley Barcola announced himself in this game as Liverpool's newest marquee signing. The first few games had been shaky, but in this one he danced and darted and got his reward. He showed fantastic skill throughout the game, skipping past players and making things look easier than they were. His three goals made up his first hat-trick in senior football, and every goal was well taken. Right place, right time; exactly what he was brought in for. And I can't help but feel that there is plenty still to come from the young man.
Florian Wirtz is another who impressed on Wednesday night. Its fair to say he has had a tough start to life in red, and fans will hope this performance can act as a springboard to what surely, eventually will be an illustrious career on merseyside. He looked relaxed as he played a fantastic ball through to Koumas who was tightly offside. He looked confident on the ball, his technical ability really starting to shine through, and making things happen in the way that we all expected him to when he arrived 13 months ago.
Jeremy Jacquet has been a revelation for the Liverpool backline which struggled at times last season. He has slotted in beside Van Dijk and at times it has looked like they have been playing together for years. On this occasion he lined up alongside fellow new man Araujo, and they performed well together when asked. Jacquet particularly looked fast and strong, bullying the attackers off the ball when required and beating LASK striker Samuel Adeniran in a number of foot races.
A lot has been asked of Lewis Koumas, stepping in for fast-starting Alexander Isak in a new look front line that is also without Cody Gakpo. He has been eager to press and offered himself up in great positions on a number of occasions; finally getting his reward in making it 6-1 on 71 minutes. He is perhaps unlucky not to walk away with more than one, after two were chalked off either side of half time. Hopefully he will continue to provide a more than capable backup once Isak returns from injury.
I could go on to mention just about everyone on the pitch; Frimpong for his unlikely headed goal; Tsimikas for a solid performance topped with an assist; or Gravenberch's exceptional command of the midfield. But those above are the players that stood out to me the most, and especially in the case of Wirtz and to some extent Barcola, this performance will be a welcome boost of confidence to take into what is sure to be a difficult game at the G-Tech on Saturday afternoon.