We close the lid on Gameweek 6 with the Digest and by considering the rise of Tottenham’s South Korean talent and the riddle that is Jurgen Klopp’s unstoppable attacking machine.
The Player
We dismissed Heung-Min Son’s first brace at Stoke City in Gameweek 4 as a one-off. Three weeks later, and with another three goals to his name, we’re now taking Son’s claims for Fantasy recognition far more seriously.
Suddenly our concerns over competition in Mauricio Pochettino are being dissolved by the South Korean’s irresistible form and goal threat.
It’s up to the Spurs boss to find solutions to maintaining the happiness of his midfield options. Right now, it’s difficult to see him attempting to achieve that by keeping Son in reserve.
In just three weeks, he’s become pivotal to the Spurs cause. Even more so with Harry Kane sidelined.
Significantly, while Vincent Janssen struggles to make an impression on the scoresheet, Pochettino has highlighted Son as the solution. That alone indicates that, while Kane is out of the picture, Son’s starting role looks assured.
Aside from his five goals in five matches, the South Korean’s underlying statistics are nothing short of outstanding.
Over his three starts since Gameweek, Son has enjoyed more penalty area touches than any other midfielder. That’s just one of a string of statistics that hint that Son warrants serious consideration.
While Etienne Capoue has delivered outstanding value in the budget bracket, it’s perhaps one level up that provides the real value this season.
We’ve seen Michail Antonio and now Adam Lallana providing genuine threat and prolific returns in the mid-price; we can now add Son to that select group.
Our midfield options seem to be refreshed with new considerations on a weekly basis, but Son’s form suggests that he could yet be a long-term prospect.
The Team
Jurgen Klopp’s magic – whatever it is – appears to be in full effect at Anfield.
Liverpool have become an explosive attacking force – second only to Manchester City in terms of Premier League goals scored, they better Pep Guardiola’s men for goal attempts and attempts on target, while they average 2.4 goals a game in all competitions.
When you consider the form of Pep’s men, that’s an incredible achievement.
And yet, in Fantasy terms, Liverpool have become a huge issue.
Unlike City, there is no single player at the hub and central to their returns. They are almost impossible to define.
We think Philippe Coutinho could be the true force but then Roberto Firmino’ fires a brace with his compatriot on the bench.
We see Sadio Mane offering the biggest goal threat in the box, but then watch as Adam Lallana squirms free to fire home three goals.
Klopp has even made James Milner interesting. Liberated to charge the channel from left-back, he has provided two double figure returns.
Saturday’s 5-1 demolition of Hull City epitomised the problem. Firmino, having scored his brace against Leicester, blanked in the Tigers win.
We don’t need Klopp to inform us that his team’s goals can come from any number of sources – but he told us anyway.
His eloquent explanation of Liverpool’s system and tactics on Sky Sports this week was hugely enlightening and, to an extent, reassuring.
Perhaps we can come to accept that singling out one, or even two of the key targets in his midfield is impossible.
However, one glance at the fixtures from now until Boxing Day underlines the importance of getting on board.
If one or two of Liverpool’s cast of assets do emerge as the leading lights over this spell, those who successfully identify them early look certain to profit.
The Talking Point
Which brings us to the talking point – and that search for those Liverpool assets.
The focus is currently on the enigma that is Firmino.
Our early weapon of choice in Klopp’s attacking machine due to the perception that he offers both threat and creativity, we’re now at the point of re-assessing matters.
It isn’t necessarily his blank against Hull City that proved alarming, but the nature of his performance.
Sliding gracefully around the pitch, his display was not familiar with a false nine or even a number ten.
His freedom to roam and link play often opened the way for others to raid the box – the statistics that came out of Saturday’s display failing to convey the real story behind his failure to capitalise on Liverpool’s five goals.
Added to this, there are compelling numbers that show that Firmino has scored 11 of his last 12 goals without Coutinho on the field.
As discussed in last night’s ScoutCast, this is clear evidence that suggests that Firmino is seen as the architect rather than the executioner when his compatriot is buzzing around him.
And yet Klopp’s words this week underlined the fluidity and randomness of Liverpool’s system.
We’re struggling to spot patterns and formations at work once his side begin to express themselves in full flow. It almost seems fruitless to attempt to categorise roles and set expectations, let alone put stock in statistical theories.
One thing is certain; we are driven to study this Liverpool side fervently over the next couple of Gameweeks.
The aforementioned fixtures ensure the urgency of finding a solution to the dilemma and, if Firmino is doomed to fail compared to Coutinho and the rest of Klopp’s attacking cast, we need to figure it out before it’s too late.
