McAllister: The reason we have attacking confidence
Liverpool have rightly been commended for the battling qualities they've displayed so far in 2015-16, but a look around the dressing room gives confidence their attacking flair will soon kick into play, believes Gary McAllister.
The Reds have collected maximum points from their opening two fixtures against Stoke City and Bournemouth without conceding a goal, courtesy of a pair of hard-fought 1-0 wins.
However, at the conclusion of last Monday’s victory over the Cherries at Anfield, Brendan Rodgers spoke of his belief that his side will reach their offensive best in the coming weeks – and it’s a view shared by McAllister.
The first-team coach told Liverpoolfc.com: “That confidence is there because we just have to look at the personnel, the players that are here - the ones that have been here for two or three seasons since Brendan arrived and then the new additions.
“You just look at the names there, there is so much attacking flair and so many options. We’ve got power and pace, we’ve got cuteness and loads of ability in that final third of the pitch.
“I think once we find that rhythm and get into our stride, you’ll see some exciting football.”
It was Philippe Coutinho’s late blockbuster that secured the three points against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium on the opening weekend of the Barclays Premier League season.
That was followed up by a maiden strike in red for Christian Benteke to help see off the challenge of Bournemouth at Anfield.
“There are loads of plusses: two clean sheets, the points on the board,” said McAllister.
“It’s always difficult at the start of the season, especially in the opening fixtures. We started away at the Britannia and it’s always difficult to go there, so, I thought we showed good strength of character there to get the win.
“Then against Bournemouth, it was the same thing. We were playing against a team that had won a lot of games to get promotion, so they came to Anfield with a lot of confidence and not used to losing.
“I think the big thing is the way we’ve defended as a team in the opening two games.”
Though adamant Liverpool will soon be turning on the attacking style, the fact they have displayed a different side to their game and been successful is a trait that bodes well for the remainder of the campaign, believes McAllister.
He said: “It’s massive. Any team that wants to be competing at the top end of the table – which we want to do – has to be capable of that.
“It’s an age-old cliché ‘winning ugly’, isn’t it? The number of times you’ve heard managers who have bossed teams at the top of the league speak about the importance of their ability to win when they’re not playing particularly well, or it’s not a pretty match, but they see it through.
“It’s vital – and we want to be at that end of the table.”