Fan Opinion : 3 Things from Liverpool’s thrilling 5-4 win

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By @lordofpendragon

 -Mignolet the man between the sticks?

It’s easy to point the finger at the keeper whenever we concede goals but from what was seen against Norwich, it’s hard to defend a number one spot keeper that concedes four goals against an opposition in the lower half of the table. While it is indeed true that even the most brilliant keeper can only do so much if his defence hardly protects him, Mignolet did little to dispel the doubts surrounding his ability as Liverpool’s number one with yet another shaky display – I don’t blame him for conceding the penalty or for Bassong’s strike, it was as good a strike as it could be, but I thought he could have done better at Naismith’s goal with his quick reflexes. While there is a clear consensus that the Belgian is not the favourite to be Liverpool’s long term number one, despite him recently signing a new contract, I do hope he somehow improves for the remainder of the season with no clear indication that the Reds are in search for a new number one.

 

-No.9 question: Benteke or Firmino?

With the pre-match talk tipping Benteke to lead Liverpool’s attack, despite his static performance in the FA Cup, due to Norwich’s poor record at defending crosses, it came as a slight surprise that Firmino relinquished his role at the head of the forward line while the big Belgian had to settle for a space on the bench.  Firmino on the other hand seems the one more suited to the current style and on a good day he is unplayable as seen with his recent tally of goals, having hit twice against Arsenal and following up with another two yesterday. It thus remains to be seen how Benteke will fare in Klopp’s plans but the signs so far have been far from encouraging- with much criticism landing at the Belgian’s feet for his often static performances in Klopp’s game plans, but being a super sub is neither the way to utilise a proven goal scorer that the Reds shelled out around £32million for.

 

-Lallana’s redemption

When Jurgen Klopp first arrived at Anfield following the departure of Brendan Rodgers, Adam Lallana was among the names mentioned that could face a fight for his place at the club, with many feeling that Lallana didn’t have the legs needed for Klopp’s style of play, coupled with the fact that he had an underwhelming debut season and was far from his startling best at Southampton. Indeed, Lallana’s debut season under Rodgers was hardly had the kind of impact many would expect from a man who cost around £20million. That said, all the speculation about his future were a far cry from what was to transpire with the Englishman going on to be a regular starter in Klopp’s line-up and you could well see the intensity of his game as he often chased down lose balls and pressed opposition defenders. I couldn’t be happier for him when he turned up with the final say in our nine-goal thriller and did so in a last gasp manner that sparked wild celebrations. His goal-assist tally may still be far from what would expected of him, but he has shown that without doubt he has a future at Liverpool