Liverpool can be pleased enough with its start to the new season. In the context of a major summer midfield rebuild having been pulled together nicely and the VAR error that proved costly against Spurs, sitting inside the Champions League spots and only a point behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at this stage is good going.
Over the next few weeks, Liverpool will have the chance to further establish itself as a title contender, too. Matches with Nottingham Forest, Luton Town and Brentford, with only the middle one being away from Anfield, need to yield the maximum nine points.
That would place Liverpool on 29 points — a sum that it took until mid-February to surpass last season (only partly because of the World Cup break; it was after 20 games). The problem last season was largely an inconsistency against the weaker sides and Liverpool has the ideal chance to prove it is over that in the coming months.
And, of course, the January transfer window will offer another opportunity to strengthen even further. Here, Liverpool.com has taken a look at what else will be on the agenda off the pitch, as well as a couple of key on-pitch things to the Reds will be hoping for too.
Andy Robertson injury return
It remains to be seen exactly how long Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson will out for after his surgery on a shoulder injury but the sooner he can be back, the better. In the meantime, Kostas Tsimikas and Joe Gomez will likely get minutes at left-back and Luke Chambers and Calum Scanlon should be eyeing up a chance to play in the Carabao Cup and Europa League.
Manchester City beaten and drops more points
While Liverpool cannot afford to take its eye off the ball in the meantime, the heavyweight clash between the Reds and Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium that kicks off the run of matches after the next international break is edging closer. It will be yet another early kick-off, but it should be a game to savor.
There is a chance that Liverpool could go into the game ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League table given the fixtures coming up for both sides. But either way, getting a result of some kind in that one would be a major boost for the Reds, and could potentially lay down a real marker of just how far this Jürgen Klopp side has come.
Virgil van Dijk signs new contract
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is in the place that he wants to be at Anfield. Having just taken over the armband from Jordan Henderson, his early-season form has been very promising.
While he might never get back to the absolute peak levels of form he showed pre-injury, he has played at a very high level for most of the time since then, with a dip last year. There are very few players in the conversation for being the best center-back in the world but he remains one of them.
Work on new deals for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah will also be important, but Van Dijk should not be forgotten. All three of those key men are under contract until summer 2025, which is the end of the season after this one.
Liverpool lines up January transfer ahead of time
A transfer move for Fluminense holding midfielder André Trindade makes plenty of sense despite a report from Football Insider claiming that Arsenal is hoping to rival Liverpool for his signature. Ahead of potentially losing Thiago Alcântara when his contract expires at the end of the season, getting André in six months ahead of time could be useful.
Liverpool needs to bring someone in to play at the base of its midfield and took a look at André during the summer, only to find out that Fluminense was insistent he would not be leaving until the conclusion of the Copa Libertadores. The final of that competition, in which the Brazilian side will face Boca Juniors, takes place a week on Saturday.
If Liverpool does want to get a deal done for André, there should be plenty of time to line that up between that match finishing and the January transfer window opening. The 22-year-old could follow the recent examples of Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo in being an important mid-season boost.
