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For too long, it had the ominous potential of becoming an absolute disaster for Liverpool.
After a high line was ruthlessly punished by former Barcelona youngster Louie Barry, a steadfast team of Aston Villa academy hopefuls hung on.
Anything other than a comfortable win at Liverpool would have been frowned upon by all corners of the footballing world, but at 1-1 it looked even worse for Jurgen Klopp and the staff.
Fortunately, Liverpool now have the kind of team that exudes quality everywhere.
Firstly, Thiago Alcantara’s arrival at halftime opened the board for a Reds side who had been stuck with tunnel vision.
The Spaniard quickly went through his vast pass repertoire to open up the Villa’s backline, instantly bringing much-needed creativity to a team that has been desperately looking for it lately.
A delightfully weighted pass to Neco Williams ended in a ruled off goal for Mohamed Salah.
Then the second wave of cavalry came in the form of Xherdan Shaqiri just past the hour.
The Swiss international’s cut cross for Mane’s loop header took the score to 3-1 and deflated an increasingly exhausted Villa side.
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Thiago and Shaqiri then teamed up to get Salah ready for fourth, put the tie to bed, and end the talks about another embarrassing episode at Villa Park.
Liverpool know what they have at Thiago, the two-time Champions League winner is arguably one of the most high-profile signings in club history.
Shaqiri’s situation is more curious, however. An undeniable talent which regularly sees its progress stopped and hampered by an injury.
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If he can stay in shape, however, the versatile leader may be more than a useful weapon in Klopp’s arsenal for the remainder of the campaign.
It was a game against possibly the most inexperienced team either professionally will have played, but Klopp’s ability to provide the team with such a class in the form of Thiago and Shaqiri hints at this. that may be possible this term.
Before thoughts of this nature are entertained for a period of time inside the club, however, they will know they must reemerge from a curious mid-season crisis.
This second half was a solid, albeit unspectacular, step in the right direction.
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