The humbling defeat against Manchester City is now firmly in the rearview mirror for Liverpool after Wednesday night’s 6-3 hammering of Austrian side LASK.
Andoni Iraola’s men produced a remarkable attacking display at the Raiffeisen Arena last night, subsequently maintaining their 100% record in this season’s edition of the Champions League.
The Spaniard even rotated the squad after the weekend’s loss at Anfield, and it appeared to work wonders as it handed numerous talents a chance to showcase their skill set.
How Liverpool’s clash with LASK played out
Given the recent defeat to Enzo Maresca’s men on Sunday, the Liverpool players would be forgiven for producing a tentative display during the first 15 minutes of the clash in Austria.
However, from then on, it was a display of top-level attacking quality, with Ronald Araújo and a double from £123m Bradley Barcola putting the Reds three up before the break.
Jerimie Frimpong also got in on the act just minutes into the second half, scoring his first goal since January to further widen the advantage held by Iraola’s men.
A consolation strike from Robert Ljubicic threatened to derail the Reds’ charge, but any chance of a comeback were extinguished by Barcola’s third – subsequently securing his hat-trick.
Lewis Koumas managed to get in on the act and score his second goal for the club, subsequently finishing off the scoring for Iraola’s men during the triumph.
Florian Heckler’s double off the substitutes bench managed to halve the deficit, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to put a respectable shine on the proceedings.
How Barcola finally proved his worth against LASK
After his big-money move from PSG this summer, the Liverpool faithful were yet to see the best of Barcola during his first handful of games in the Premier League.
However, his performance in Austria last night was one full of quality and showcased why the hierarchy were right to spend such a large sum of money on the Frenchman.
His hat-trick was only part of his tremendous attacking display, which saw him produce some remarkable underlying figures against the Austrian top-division champions.
The 24-year-old managed to register the most touches of any player in the opposition box (19), whilst also managing to lay on two opportunities for his teammates.
|
Bradley Barcola – stats vs LASK |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistic |
Barcola |
|
Minutes played |
73 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Expected goals (xG) |
0.74 |
|
Expected assists (xA) |
0.01 |
|
Accurate passes |
12/13 |
|
Pass accuracy |
92% |
|
Successful dribbles |
5 |
|
Duels won |
2 |
|
Fouls committed |
1 |
His tally of five dribbles completed was also the highest of any player within Iraola’s senior ranks, with the majority of the threat in forward areas coming from his side.
How Liverpool found their next Fabinho vs LASK
The selection rotation from Iraola against LASK last night handed numerous fringe players an opportunity to impress and stake their claim for a regular starting role.
Kostas Tsimikas was just one player to take advantage of the chance handed his way, subsequently registering two assists for Araujo and Frimpong.
However, he wasn’t the only squad option to take full advantage of the start in Austria, with midfielder Trey Nyoni also catching the eye after being handed just his second start of the campaign.
The academy graduate featured for 85 minutes of the dominant 6-3 win and was often the pace setter in possession for the Reds as they managed to stroll to victory.
The 19-year-old managed to complete 83 passes during the dominant victory on Wednesday, with such a figure the highest of any player for either side.
Within the aforementioned tally of passes, the Englishman made 10 into the final third, which provided the likes of Barcola and Koumas the opportunity to find the back of the net.
As a result, he completed 92% of the passes he attempted during the triumph, which saw him be the player often start the attacking play in transition.
Even without the ball, Nyoni managed to catch the eye during the dominant display, subsequently winning 100% of the aerial battles he entered – the joint highest of any player on the pitch.
His tally of two tackles and four ball recoveries also showcases his excellent ball-winning capabilities, leading to one analyst comparing him to Fabinho.
Such praise is lofty for the teenage star, as the Brazilian managed to win the Champions League, Premier League and the FA Cup during his five years at Anfield.
Should he get anywhere near such a level during his own time on Merseyside, there’s no reason why he can’t be a leading figure in the club’s hopes for success.
Whilst Barcola will no doubt receive most of the plaudits for his display, Nyoni is also deserving of huge praise and a consistent run of starts within the senior ranks.
