Optimism abounds among Liverpool fans as the Reds remain unbeaten this season and they already have delivered several exhilarating performances. The pick of the bunch has to be that 3-2 Champions League victory over an expensively assembled PSG side boasting Kylian Mbappe up front. It was an orgy of attacking brilliance, as Liverpool’s fearsome attacking triumvirate of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino went toe to toe with them and emerged triumphant. The sheer pace of the game was exceptional and it had many fans speculating as to who was the fastest player on the pitch.
Remarkably Virgil Van Dijk was clocked at the highest speed, but in a longer sprint against the likes of Mbappe and Salah he would stand little chance. Neymar cannot keep pace with teammate Mbappe, who is an impressive physical specimen, but Mane and Salah can certainly give the French wunderkind a run for his money. It would be fascinating to see those three going up against one another in a straight race. Mane insists that Salah is even more rapid than him, and his outrageous acceleration makes him a real danger. But Mbappe was clocked at 44.5mph last season and maintained 36km for a long sprint, so it is hard to argue against the PSG forward just about winning that one. But of course Salah benefits from ethereal movement too, and he will be devastating once he finds his shooting boots again.
Group C looks wide open after Liverpool’s shock defeat away at Napoli last time out, while PSG thrashed Red Star Belgrade. Liverpool’s chances of reaching the knockout stage could depend on the outcome of their reverse fixture against the Ligue 1 champions. PSG are the favourites to beat Liverpool in the leading betting websites, as they have home advantage, but we have already seen what the Reds can do to their defence.
Salah and Mane sprinting at a backline in tandem is a positively terrifying experience, particularly when the intelligent Firmino is dovetailing with aplomb and pulling defenders out of position. Liverpool will have to be alert to the pace of Mbappe, and the trickery but Van Dijk and Joe Gomez are strong and intelligent enough to repel the majority of the danger posed. It is likely to develop into another high scoring contest, so it will simply be up to Mane, Firmino and Salah to outgun Neymar, Mbappe and Edinson Cavani.
The bookmakers’ opinion of Liverpool’s Champions League chances have cooled somewhat after that Napoli defeat. Most have Man City and Barcelona as the favourites, followed by Juventus, but then you will find Liverpool roughly level with PSG, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. That is a sign of just how far Liverpool have progressed under Jurgen Klopp in the past year.
Pace is a huge part of it, as all the best teams in history have attacked with speed, dynamism and unpredictability. The likes of Mane and Salah are perfect for Klopp’s Gegenpressing system, and you write Liverpool off at your peril in this competition. They looked a little shaky in the group stage last season, but they rallied and went all the way to the final, vanquishing favourites Man City in style in the process. The Reds could have won it, were it not for the misfortunes of Loris Karius in goal. They look a lot more solid now with Alisson between the sticks, Gomez going from strength to strength alongside Van Dijk and Naby Keita providing another option in midfield. But it will be that rapid strike force that teams across Europe will fear most, and if they could beat PSG again it would really send out an impressive signal of intent.
