Liverpool vs Southampton (3-0): Three reasons why Liverpool won

Liverpool have had an absolutely brilliant start to the 2018/19 Premier League season and the players are having a ball, often toying with sides at times. Whatever happened after the Champions League final against Real Madrid, whatever Jurgen Klopp said to the side and his work in preseason has worked wonders. The Reds have won their opening seven games for the first time in the club’s history.

This means Klopp and his current squad of Liverpool stars have etched their name into the record books, with no Anfield side had ever won their open seven consecutive games(including Charity Shield). They were rampant and Southampton had no answer to any question Liverpool asked them, and they were picked off within the opening half of the game. This is over the fact that for the first time this season, Klopp made three changes to the side that beat PSG over the week, with Xherdan Shaqiri making his first start.

But with Roberto Firminio, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and adding Shaqiri to the mix, the Saints were going to have a torrid time defending against the quartet. While both Firminio and Mane struggled to make an impact on proceedings, the other two stars were in fine fettle hassling Southampton’s giant center-backs time and time again. In the end, it was a comfortable 3-0 score-line for Liverpool and a welcome boost ahead of their clash against Chelsea.

Here are three reasons why Liverpool beat Southampton:

#3 Xherdan Shaqiri, back to his best once again?

Liverpool FC v Southampton FC - Premier League

Once called the Alpine Messi, Xherdan Shaqiri was a star everyone wanted to get their hands on. A 22-year-old when the 2014 World Cup came around, the Swiss international showed exactly why Bayern Munich bought him. However, with the likes of Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery ahead of him in the pecking order, he struggled to make an impact for the Bavarian giants and was sent on loan to Inter Milan before making the move permanent.

A move to Stoke City and Mark Hughes’ side beckoned the Kosovo born star, and while he had moments of magic for the Potters, eventual relegation meant that it was time for the 26-year-old to move once again. And Liverpool called, with Jurgen Klopp looking for depth after a Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

While many believed that the move won’t and will not work for the star, it looks like so far both Klopp and Shaqiri have proved the doubters wrong. The Swiss international still has to open his account for the Reds, but if his performance today is anything to go by, then a goal is certainly on the way.

He harried and hustled Southampton’s back-line and was an absolute menace for Liverpool. Why he was taken off at half-time, only Jurgen Klopp and Shaqiri are privileged to this information, but if the 26-year-old can stay fit and keep playing like the way he did today, then Liverpool have a great option off the bench.

#2 Squad depth that fuels dreams

One of the main reasons that many believe Liverpool lost that Champions League final wasn’t the fact that Gareth Bale had a stunning second-half performance. It was down to the sheer fact that the Reds did not have a replacement for Mohamed Salah, an in-form goal-scoring forward after the Egyptian walked off in tears. With few to turn too, Jurgen Klopp called up Adam Lallana who had himself just recovered from yet another injury issue, and the rest is history.

However, the former Dortmund manager has ensured that he learned from his mistakes. Over the summer, he brought in in four players (one of them already snapped up a season before), who further ensured that Liverpool would not face squad depth issues again. Not only that, Klopp has somehow managed to revitalize a down and out Daniel Sturridge, with the former Chelsea star doing surprisingly well when called upon.

Now with Joe Gomez shifting and flourishing as a center-back, it means that Joel Matip or even Dejan Lovern, once he returns back from injury, will have a fight on their hands. The 21-year-old has been in perfect sync with record signing Virgil Van Dijk, only further adds to Jurgen Klopp’s problems once everyone is fully fit.

But with Van Dijk walking off with a potential injury just 15 minutes into the second half, it does bode a potential problem with Liverpool facing a tough fixture list in the near future. Two games against Chelsea, before they take on Napoli at the Sao Paulo and then back home against Manchester City, only means that Klopp has options he can turn to if required.

#1 Jurgen Klopp and his magical third season effect

While Jose Mourinho has his third season blues, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a completely different effect on the clubs he has managed so far. With FSV Mainz 05, the then 35-year-old led them back into German football’s top tier back at the end of the 2003/04 season, winning 13 games along the way. In his third season with Borussia Dortmund, Klopp and his brand of attractive football were at their very best, leading them to a domestic double in the 2011/12 season.

Now in his third full season with Liverpool, Klopp has started the season well but only after he made a few necessary deals during the summer to strengthen his squad. Alongside Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, the German manager and his Liverpool side are considered to be among the top runners in the race for the Premier League title.

But if history is any indicator of what will happen in the near future, there’s an incredibly good chance that Liverpool will lift the Premier League title. If nothing else, the Reds’ performances against both Southampton and Crystal Palace showed that they have a kind of resilience within them, something that any potential champion needs.

However, with Manchester City and Chelsea chasing closely behind them, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp need to make sure they continue performing at the highest levels. That’s the only way to beat the perfectionist that is Pep Guardiola.