The Liverpool duo play Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres as Jurgen Klopp looks to the future
Against Aston Villa, Jürgen Klopp gave a glimpse into the future as his Liverpool pairing Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres emulated in stunning fashion. There have been plenty of iconic partnerships throughout Liverpool’s history, but perhaps none have stirred up as many emotions as that of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. There was something special, something ethereal as they took the field together. Together they made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
They scored goals, dominated the defense and had a telepathic understanding with each other. Wherever they were in the field, they almost always found each other. For the Liverpool fans who witnessed their greatness, the memories they left behind are indelible. But time passes.
Eventually Gerrard and Torres had to part ways. The Spanish moved towards the enemy and Gerrard finally stopped. It’s been over a decade since they last played together in a Liverpool shirt. But on Sunday evening at Anfield, their memories came alive on the pitch. Liverpool have a new number nine and a new number eight this summer. And in Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Núñez, Liverpool have two players whose style of play is very similar to that of Gerrard and Torres. Szoboszlai is the creative midfielder who covers a lot of space and has a deadly long-range shot – that’s the classic definition of Gerrard.
Núñez is the long-haired striker who loves getting behind defenses and is electrifying when he’s on the ball. This is exactly the type of striker Torres was in his prime at the club.
But against Aston Villa, not only did their style of play recall that of two former Liverpool greats, but above all their interaction.
There was a moment in the first half when Szoboszlai sent the ball over the Aston Villa defense and Núñez ran behind, everyone else on the ball and hitting the crossbar.
This could easily have been gleaned from a snippet of Gerrard and Torres’ connect game. The way Szoboszlai executed the ball and the way Núñez grabbed it immediately surprised Villa. It will have been a moment that Jurgen Klopp watched with enthusiasm.
This is the debut of his new Liverpool and seeing his new players play well together is certainly an exciting glimpse into the future.
