‘I was expecting’: Steve Nicol says what has surprised him the most about Liverpool at the start of the season
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Liverpool were the only team to take maximum points from the first three league games of the season.
The Reds dominated the headlines in the summer for their activity in the transfer market, with there then being even more pressure to back this up when their title defence started.
Three wins from three was the perfect way to do this and silence any doubters, with Liverpool the only team to maintain a 100% record at the beginning of the new season.
Of course, that does not tell the full story, and with such a long way to go, things can change very drastically.
And, former Liverpool player Steve Nicol has revealed that there is one thing that has surprised him most about the Reds this season, and it may come back to bite them.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Retaining the Premier League title is one of the hardest jobs in football, so everyone knows that Liverpool will not simply cruise to it like they did to some extent last season.
The pressure of how much they have spent could also weigh heavily on Arne Slot’s men, and after the first three games, this might be apparent.
Performances have not even been close to the standard many would have expected by the Premier League champions, although the fact they have found a way to win says a lot about their character.
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However, Nicol has suggested that this is not sustainable, with Liverpool’s sub-par performances, as well as Arsenal’s, something that has surprised him massively.
“I wouldn’t say Ekitike as he looked as if he had all the tools to score goals,” Nicol told ESPN when asked for his biggest surprise of the Premier League season so far.
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“I would say I have been really surprised by how average Liverpool and Arsenal have been so far.
Both sides have been bang average when it comes to playing the game.
“Liverpool have got the results, but I was expecting both of these teams to come out of the block with a show of intent as to what the season is going to be, but it hasn’t materialised.
Liverpool are happy, though, Arsenal not so much, but they are still right up there.”
Nicol is right in terms of the Reds not playing the most convincing football, but being so early into the season, a lot can, and likely will, change.
September sees Liverpool play six times in just 17 days, meaning that this month could alter the course of their season.
They play across three different cup competitions in a very short space of time, meaning Slot will need all his players at different points in the month.
Burnley away on Sunday is the first test and Galatasaray, also away, is the last, so between them two, performances will hopefully improve.