Opposing teams are happier to have the bailiffs visiting them than Kloppo's boys at the moment. We might be struggling at home, but on our travels we’re downright fucking scary now. 3-1 at Chelsea, 4-1 at City and now this? THIS?? I don’t think it’s even possible to overstate the incredible impact Klopp has had in such a short space of time, I’ve never seen anything like it.
Think back to the performances at Stoke, United and Everton and then look at us now. Has there ever been a more spectacular transformation than this? Six months or so back we were losing by this score at Stoke. Look at us now, with our fancy “gegenpressing” and devastating counter attacks. All of a sudden, we’re fucking ace. It's like 2014 only with a reliable defence and no Suarez. Damn, if we still had Suarez we'd be hitting ten every week. I'm serious, I mean if we can hit six with Origi...
Southampton are a good team. Not a great one, but they’re good and they were virtually at full strength. We had a load of regulars either missing or left on the bench, and we conceded a really bad goal after just 41 seconds. I’d thought we had our hands full as soon as I saw the two line ups, but after going behind so early I’ll be honest, I didn’t see us winning this one at all, let alone winning it in the way we did. Hell, I can hardly believe it even now.
Of course we’ve all said for 18 months that with Daniel Sturridge on the field anything is possible, and this proves it. It’s funny really, had he not missed so many games Rodgers would never have been replaced and Klopp would be sitting tight waiting for the Real Madrid or Chelsea job to become vacant. That’s definitely the silver lining to the dark cloud of Sturridge’s injury problems, but now we just need him on the bloody pitch, because let's face it, he’s brilliant.
Some players need time to hit form when they come back from injury layoffs, but Sturridge is just such a natural that he doesn’t even need any time (last season notwithstanding as he was never right). It’s almost as though he’s never even been away as his performance in the hour he played was just fucking filthy. He was on another level to everyone else on the field and - despite the big contributions throughout the team - he’s the reason we won the game.
We’d started so badly and in the opening ten minutes we were all over the place. Southampton had identified Randall as the weak link and were feeding Tadic as much as possible. The goal had come down that flank although it wasn’t Randall who allowed the cross, that was Emre Can who turned his back on it. Moreno fell asleep in the middle and allowed the odious Mane a free header and that summed up out opening ten minutes. He's a twat that Mane, always diving all the place, no wonder the Mancs want him so bad, he'll fit right in there.
We nearly let in another soon after when Tadic beat Randall and crossed for Pelle but his header went straight at Bogdan. We were hanging on a bit and things worsened when Randall then got booked for taking out Tadic. It wasn’t looking good at all, but then we gradually played our way back into it (Joe Allen was instrumental in that) and began to look more comfortable.
And then Sturridge took over. The first goal was brilliantly worked down the right. Randall to Origi, who did well to find Allen who then knocked a gorgeous first time ball over the top to Sturridge. His first touch let him down and it looked like the chance may have gone, but then he stood Caulker up, made a yard for himself and drilled the ball into the bottom corner. He made it look so easy when it was anything but.
Caulker was getting slaughtered by Redknapp and Le Tissier on Sky for not showing Sturridge onto his right foot, but he DID show him onto his right foot!! It's just Sturridge was too good for him and went onto his left side anyway. When he gets a defender isolated like that he’s nearly always going to make room for a shot as he’s just THAT good.
That goal changed everything, we stepped up a gear and Southampton were clearly rattled. He added another soon after when his clever run off the back of Caulker was picked out brilliantly by Can. Sturridge did the rest and from that moment on there was only going to be one winner. Just like that, Sturridge had won the game for us.
Klopp’s tactical set up completely bamboozled Southampton. It was a diamond formation but the two strikers were lined up so wide that Caulker and Van Dijk often had nobody to mark. When the full backs went forward Sturridge and Origi played in the space behind, and both of Sturridge’s goals came from a wider starting position than you might normally expect him to be in.
They hadn’t even worked on it in training either, Klopp said afterwards they decided to do it that morning. It worked perfectly and I wonder if he’ll stick with it on Sunday against Newcastle? Will he stick with Origi? I probably would, he really showed us something in this game and he deserves a chance to build on that. It’s a nice problem for Klopp to have as he’s got Benteke, Firmino, Ibe and Coutinho all hoping to come back into the starting line up, but dropping a lad who’s scored a hat-trick isn’t an easy call.
It wasn’t just the goals either. Even before his first goal on the stroke of half time I thought Origi was playing well. He looked sharp and obviously playing in a front two with Sturridge suits him far more than leading the line on his own. His first goal probably wasn’t the way he’d dreamt about it but they all count and that was actually a nice striker’s goal that. Moreno deserves most of the credit for it as his sweetly struck drive looked to have been going in anyway, but Origi’s slight touch may have been the deciding factor in it finding the net as it diverted the ball under the keeper’s dive.
It was some turnaround, from that opening minute setback to leading 3-1 at half time. If I’d been a doubter before the game now I was definitely a believer, and I even said to my dad at that point that we could easily get six. Even so, it still felt pretty amazing when we actually went out and did it. We’re just completely dismantling good teams on their own turf, it’s incredible. It wasn’t unreasonable to expect an upturn in results under Klopp, but not this kind of spectacular improvement.
The second half performance was brilliant because not only did we score three great goals, we completely shut them down too. They tried to rally and put us under pressure, but we dealt with it easily. Moreno recovered from his early moment of poor concentration to have another fine game, while Randall was rarely if ever put under the kind of pressure he had been early on.
The two centre backs were rock solid again which meant Bogdan had nothing to do. Special mention for Lovren who had to run the gauntlet from their fans (fair enough after the way he engineered his departure) but gave them nothing to cheer about with a flawless display. Are we still worried when we see his name on the team sheet now or has he turned that around? I’m no longer worried but then I’ve never been his biggest critic. I’m not sure he’s won everyone over yet but he’s not a figure of ridicule anymore that’s for sure.
Poor Adam Lallana got even more shit from the home crowd than Lovren, which completely baffles me. I don’t get why they’ve got beef with him at all, in fact I’d say it makes them look like ungrateful, unappreciative wankers. It’d be like us giving Suarez dog’s abuse if he came back with Barca. A bit of booing is one thing, but “Adam Lallana, we fucking hate you” is a bit strong like, surely?
Of course our fans revelled in it and responded with “Adam Lallana, he’s winning 4-1”. Then 5-1. Then 6-1. Lallana certainly had the last laugh but he shouldn’t have had to go through that really, given the loyalty he showed them all those years. This will have been extra sweet for him though I’m sure. It wasn’t his best performance but Klopp loves him because of his work rate and the intelligence in his pressing. He’s often the one that sets the whole press off, others take their lead from him.
One of the most pleasing things about the second half was that we bagged three goals with Sturridge off the field. He was replaced by Ibe who wasted little time making his mark, first setting up Origi with a chance he buried emphatically, and then scoring himself with an accomplished finished from Moreno’s excellent cross. I said in the Swansea report if Ibe adds goals he’s going to be a genuine star, so this was good to see because he took it superbly.
Moreno was given the luxury of a 15 minute breather to allow Brad Smith a run out, and the young full back created the sixth with an inch perfect cross that Origi headed in for his hat-trick. Think about that for a second. Brad Smith to Origi to make it 6-1 away at Southampton. What the fuck is this world we’ve suddenly found ourselves living in?
Origi would have had a fourth if he’d wanted it enough. Can made a surging run through the defence that ended with the keeper parrying his shot, and if Origi had followed it in as he should have done he’d have had a tap in. Had the score been closer I’d like to think he would have, and he can be forgiven for switching off a little under the circumstances, but I hope Klopp gets in to him over it. He’s clearly got ability, let’s try and get him a bit of killer instinct and see where that takes him. It’s admirable that he was happy to let Moreno have that first goal, but there’s no way in hell any of the great goalscorers we’ve had in the past would have even entertained the idea.
As enjoyable as this was, I did find myself thinking that five of the six goals we scored would not have been scored at Anfield. Origi’s first one that came from the corner could have been scored anywhere, but the other five were goals we could only really score away because we just don’t get that space at Anfield.
Had this game been at home the first two goals wouldn’t have happened because Southampton would have been much deeper and with more numbers behind the ball. Similarly with the three goals after the break, although the situation in the game also contributed to that because Southampton had to chase the game.
The point is, we can’t get in behind teams at home because they don’t leave any space to run into. Getting a couple of early goals would change that and force them to come out a bit, but generally everyone who comes to Anfield sits deep. Some will be adventurous and counter attack, like Palace and West Ham did, but others will just sit tight and hope to nick something from a set-piece.
It’s almost like we’re playing a completely different sport, such is the contrast in games at home compared to on our travels. Nobody will want to face us on their own turf at the moment, but most will probably fancy their chances at Anfield. If and when Klopp changes that, then look the fuck out.
Team: Bogdan; Randall, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno (Smith); Lucas, Can, Allen (Henderson), Lallana; Sturridge (Ibe), Origi:
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