Genk 1-4 Liverpool: Five things we learned - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back with a bang in Champions League

BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
David Lynch23 October 2019

They may be champions of Europe, but Liverpool came into this game without an away Champions League group-stage win in just under two years.

Not since thrashing Maribor 7-0 in November 2017 had the Reds earned three points on their travels in this competition - a quirk they were keen to consign to history.

And they did just that thanks to a performance that showcased some of the reasons that statistic may have come into existence in the first place.

The visitors were clinical and occasionally brilliant, but they were also sometimes sloppy, allowing Genk to have encouraging moments in a game they should have been nowhere near.

It has been a theme of Liverpool’s seasons since Jurgen Klopp took over that they don’t quite look at their well-oiled best until the turn of the year.

Of course, if you are still picking up good results despite that fact, then it is only worth considering the significant upside: that the Reds are going to get even better.

Oxlade-Chamberlain back with a bang

AFP via Getty Images

Not since suffering a terrible knee injury against AS Roma 18 months ago had Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started a Champions League game for Liverpool.

And the two-goal performance that followed certainly wasn’t a bad way for the Englishman to announce his return to Europe’s biggest stage.

It is often forgotten just how key to the Reds’ midfield Oxlade-Chamberlain had made himself before his lengthy absence from first-team involvement.

But tonight’s showing is a reminder that he is arguably the club’s biggest goal threat outside of that venerated front three.

And he will have earned plenty of chances to prove that in the near future with his efforts against Genk.

Mixed reviews for new-look midfield

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s involvement came about thanks to Klopp’s move to a previously untried midfield configuration that also saw Naby Keita and Fabinho selected.

AFP via Getty Images

That trio have long been touted as Liverpool’s best by supporters on social media - calls that increased in the aftermath of a difficult afternoon in creative terms at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Unfortunately, what followed was a mixed bag that didn’t quite offer up any definitive conclusions.

A lack of midfield pressure was partly to blame for Genk finding an out ball so regularly in the first half, but there were also many moments of ingenuity and progressive football that can at times be lacking from the Reds in that area of the pitch.

Of course, Klopp won’t be too worried about finding the perfect blend at this early stage of the season - he’ll mostly be delighted that he has such a wealth of options.

Linesmen abdicating responsibility on offsides

Of all the problems VAR has, its effect on linesmen is arguably the worst.

That could be seen here in the performance of an assistant referee who did not seem to want to raise his flag for offside just on the off chance he might get one wrong.

When calls are tight, that is obviously the best course of action, but technology is now being deferred to far too regularly, and to the detriment of the game.

Klopp has previously suggested that his players lose confidence in the high line they hold when calls of offside do not come quickly enough to reassure them.

If things carry on this way, he may well decide that holding such an aggressive line is just not worth it.

Reds facing UEFA sanctions for banner

Liverpool moved quickly to criticise an offensive depiction of Divock Origi unveiled in the away end prior to kick-off at the Luminus Arena.

"To be clear, the image used perpetuated a racist stereotype. This is completely unacceptable,” a club statement released shortly after the game’s start read.

"We acted swiftly to have the banner removed and we are now working with the local authorities and stadium team in Genk to identify those responsible.”

However, it is unlikely that such swift action will protect the Reds’ from UEFA sanctions in the coming days.

European football’s governing body will take a dim view of such behaviour and it can only be hoped that whatever punishment Liverpool do face sends out a message to any fan thinking of pulling a similarly idiotic stunt.

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