EPL 2017/18: Liverpool 1-1 Burnley, 5 talking points

Liverpool's week got from bad to worse as they were held by a sturdy Burnley side at Anfield a few hours ago. After throwing away a 2-1 lead against Sevilla in mid-week, the clash against Burnley was supposed to be a straight-forward one for the Reds. However, the players looked jaded and failed to pick up all three points.

Jurgen Klopp made quite a few changes to the team that started against Sevilla. The likes of Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and James Milner started while Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold returned as the two full-backs. Dejan Lovren was rested for Ragnar Klavan while Simon Mignolet returned for League action ahead of Loris Karius.

It wasn't a rip-roaring start for Liverpool by any means as Burnley were extremely well organised. They even managed to take the lead when Matip and Klavan misjudged a cross and Scott Arfield found the back of the net with a neat side-foot finish.

Jurgen Klopp's side hit back almost instantly, though, as Emre Can found the man-in-form Mohamed Salah who controlled and slotted the ball past Nick Pope. Despite peppering the Burnley goal, Liverpool were denied by the Burnley custodian and had to settle for a point.

Here are five talking points from the game.

#5 What is it with Liverpool and the second ball problem?

Klopp has managed to build a side who can make a super fast transition from defence to attack, but the same cannot be said for their shape when transitioning from attack to defence. The biggest instance of this has to be their inability to win the second balls.

Against some of the teams who play one up front and crowd their own penalty box, it's imperative to win the second ball or the knockdown as often, the one player up front is a big, burly lad. Chris Wood did a pretty decent job with the limited service he had and his presence was enough to put off both Matip and Klavan for Arfield to sneak in and smash home the opener.

The lack of a defensive-minded midfielder is hurting the team as they don't have anyone who can mop up the headed clearances of the two centre-backs.

#4 Coutinho will need time

Philippe Coutinho didn't look at his best today. Granted, it was his first start, but his attempts were rather baffling, to say the least. Usually, the Brazilian tries to bend them in with more finesse, but he looked rather more impatient today.

While the shape of the Burnley defence had something to with it, the fact that Coutinho hasn't played much at all cannot be ignored. The Brazilian had very little space to work with as Burnley shielded their back four immaculately.

While there were instances that showed his understanding with the rest of the attack was still intact, it'll perhaps take a few more games for him to get better and add more creative punch in attack.

#3 Who needs Heaton when you've got Pope?

Tom Heaton has been a consistent performer for the Clarets. So, when news broke out that the custodian was going to miss out up to four months after undergoing a shoulder injury, most of the fans feared the worst. And unsurprisingly so, as the 31-year old came up with some jaw-dropping performances and won a lot of points with his saves last season.

Their only backup was Nick Pope, a name not many had heard of before today. The former Charlton Athletic goalkeeper has been a real journeyman despite being just 25 years of age. He has represented seven clubs already, all in the lower reaches of English football, and there he was at Anfield, awaiting a busy afternoon. To his credit, he didn't let the occasion get the better of him.

While there were some moments that could have ruined his important day, Pope was otherwise solid and kept out everything apart from a sumptuously taken Mo Salah goal. Those nervous Burnley fans will be breathing slightly better after his performance at Merseyside.

#2 Mo Salah; a bargain signing already?

Last season, the Liverpool fans simply couldn't get enough of Sadio Mane, and this season, it's a similar story with Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian has started really well and has mustered four goals and an assist in six games.

While the fans already know of his ability to cut in and create something, today, he showed how well he can hold the ball and perhaps play as the furthermost player.

Though his finishing needs some work, in the handful of games so far, Salah has shown a good understanding with his teammates and the ability to make good runs. With Coutinho coming back and playing regularly now, Liverpool will have better creativity for Salah to improve his numbers further.

The Egyptian scored a good goal get Liverpool back in the game but Klopp will have to be careful not to depend too much on him this early.

#1 A sense of Déjà vu for the Liverpool fans

While the game against Watford can be counted out as it was their opener, the recurring theme of failing at the back and dropping points against lower quality teams is something that must be infuriating the fans.

The likes of Manchester United and Manchester City have found a way against teams who play a low-block and for some reason, Liverpool can't do the same despite having good players at their disposal.

Klopp's overdependence on counter-attacking has something to do with the results as teams are happy to relinquish the ball and wait for their chance, like Burnley showed earlier in the day.

Klopp used most of his attacking options today -- Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge and Salah -- yet they could breach the goal just once which is worrying. Is it time for Klopp to alter his system and become less predictable?